Democracy:

منو

" Democracy: "
Mueller, John

Document Type	:	AL
Record Number	:	911631
Doc. No	:	LA1ws2321f
Title & Author	:	Democracy:. Optimal Illusions and Grim Realities [Article]\ Mueller, John
Date	:	1999
Title of Periodical	:	UC Irvine
Abstract	:	First, I argue that constantly stressing the clash between democracy's shining ideal image and its decidedly unlovely reality often induces a cynicism about the democratic process that is uncomprehending and mostly undesirable. Second, I suggest that the continual overselling of equality by democratic idealists has encouraged the rise of a destructive and profoundly antidemocratic form¬¬I call it hyperdemocracy¬¬Third, I argue that adherence to the democratic image can logically lead some minorities to fear that, if the form is actually about equality, majority rule, and active participation, they stand to be persecuted in a democracy. Finally, I append a few cautionary comments about the burgeoning field of transitology which sometimes tends to advance a perspective that can inspire a damaging short ¬term perspective in new democracies, and I also question the usefulness of the concept of "democratic consolidation."