Nothing in the world is perfect, everything has its rewards and drawbacks, its pros and cons. That is why the question shouldn’t be if democracy is flawed, but how. Democracy by definition is a form of government run by the people. So how could a government that revolves around what the people want turn against them? A group I was a part of did some research on the inner workings of how democracy works and we found the major downside lies in democracy’s most fundamental principle: majority rules.

Majority rules is found throughout the entirety of democracy. It is an idea that ensures the most favorable outcome for all, or is it? The downside to majority rules is that those who are in the minority don’t have a say in the decision making and are overpowered by the majority. The minority struggle to be heard as the majority enact what they believe is justice. As my friend Thai put it, “a true democracy does not have any failsafes if the public is less than altruistic”. In times of crisis, the people will vote for what they believe is right, whether or not they consider the minorities affected.

The fact that democracy relies on the human being is its greatest downfall. Humans may be capable of solving problems, “but people are fallible human beings” (Takei, 45), especially when emotions are added to the mix. In a state of panic, fear will replace sensible thoughts and safety will be sought irrationally. This is when the mistakes become the most severe and people will be quick to jump to the first solution to arise, even if it comes at the expense of others.

So yes, democracy is flawed because human nature has it so that it will always be flawed. But as time goes on, humans change and get better as a species, allowing for the arrival of change. The growth of democracy progresses with the growth of the human race.