"America’s Failing Experiment: How We The People Have Become The Problem" Analysis

In Goidel’s “America’s Failing Experiment: How We the People Have Become the Problem,” he expresses his concern for America and how living in a democracy with widespread and hardcore democratic values is contributing to the failure of our system. In his book, he analyzes the collective mindsets of what he considers most of America has and correlates it to how our behavior patterns, decision making skills, and participation in our government affects our democracy.

With that being said, he ultimately points his fingers at us, the citizens, for allowing this to continue- as well as our policy makers for making decisions based on the information they have and makes an emphasis that most time the information they have is often not correct, misinterpreted, and/or poorly misconstrued. The argument(s) that Goidel uses to defend his thesis is that he claims too much democracy in America is what’s failing us as a government. First of all, recognizing that America is also to blame for making things this way and conditioning their citizens to want and rely on democracy too much. One example Goidel writes claims that “despite [America’s] advanced capitalist economic system, the United States proved more hostile to socialist political parties than other industrial democracies,” therefore strongly discouraging the practice and beliefs behind the political ideology that is socialism and encouraging (mostly only) democracy and how good it is.

Goidel continues on his argument by blaming America, their strong affirmation for democracy and its ideas and values as the reason why our political culture is the way it is. He says that “the deep backdrop of American politics, inconspicuous but rigidly adhered to— limited the range of ideological debate to the narrow territorial boundaries of classic liberal political thought,” which to me is compelling in the sense that leads me to agree with his thesis that claims too much democracy is ultimately killing our democracy. But I’m fundamentally compelled and in agreeance with his thesis (although I know that I am part of the problem he claims) because he acknowledges the fact that America is also to blame for shaping us to think this way; Under a country who values democracy so much and conditions these types of characteristics and beliefs onto their citizens. Although, with that being said- I’d have to say that a weakness of his argument is to blame us for wanting “too much democracy” when that is what we (American citizens) are taught since birth not only verbally but also physically and can see it through our government, the policies they make, their process and their motives.

All in all after reading this book, I’d say that Goidel greatly contributed to my understanding of American politics by taking me on a reading journey of just looking at things in our government, our values, and problems in a different lense. Although I still stand by the fact that that we are taught that we, the people of America “demos,” have the power “kratos,” since the day we enter this world and can’t fully be blamed for wanting it or even “too much” of it. Goidel made me realize that our reality is that democracy is just a cycle in our government is just a chain reaction and each time it happens, each time it intensifies and gets worse throughout the years- which is what he is claiming and is blaming the downfall of our government on as well as the increase of political polarization and disparity in our country- and that is the overall message that I agree with after reading his outlook and views on our political system and democracy.