Attention all Americans....

After reading an article entitled Creative Democracy and Diversity in the United States, I found myself at an epiphany moment. The article goes on to explain some things that Americans like myself have not realized before. The US has been known for democracy and diversity, or so we thought. The definition of democracy means the people to rule, the definition of diversity is the make up of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. In the US we have gone through great lengths to have a democratic society, that not one person or one group has the right to rule, that's why we have systems like checks and balances; to insure not one party or group has to much power. Most of us believe that we have full control of what goes on in our society because of the system in place, and that it's fair to everyone. After all we do have a lot of other cultures in the US, right? It is true that we have a highly diverse community but it's also true that many of these voices from different cultures aren't heard. If these other cultures aren't fully represented then we truly don't have a democratic society. Throughout the article it highlights these claims through the first portion of the paper.
The second part of the paper some what pats America on it's head and says good job, but goes on to point out numerous flaws. Living in the US is something to be proud of, we have a lot going on for us that other countries don't but we still aren't living up to our full capability. As a citizen it is our responsibility to keep up with current events and have knowledge of what is going on right before our noses. However I've notice and this article points out that Americans are doing exactly the opposite. We are electing people that we hope are doing their job and doing what we want them to do. We have forgotten what the Declaration of Independence stated way back when: that as citizens we have the right to change or over throw our government when it's not working or has taken a bad turn. We have a responsibility to look out for one another, to not be taken over by manipulation and greed. For the most part it doesn't play out like that though. As Americans were lacking, end of story. We live in the greatest nation of the world and we are abusing it, not reciprocating and upholding what it stands for as a whole. As individuals we have to step it up and play our part.
This article showed some true colors that many Americans might have been aware of but try to push under the rug. I urge you and others to pay attention to the news, our elected officials and to be skeptical of everything. Once we reevaluate ourselves we can start making changes.
Overall this article was a wake up call, or should at least be treated as such. All the things this article talks about is what we consider general information but in reality, it shows us were we have gone wrong as a society. We have a great system in place but we don't use it to it's full potential. The problem lies with us-the individual.