Name: Rizqy Amelia R. A.

NIM: 09026010 Tugas Pranata Masyarakat Amerika Democratic Life in America

Democracy often assumed as from the people, by the people, for the people. The term democracy itself come from Greek word; demokratia which means rule of the people, derived from the word demos means people and kratos means power. And in the middle of 5th-4th BC, this word become a political system in some Greek city-states which following by Athens in 508 BC. Nowadays, democracy becomes the basic form of government in many countries in the world. Indonesia and America is just part of the countries that using this political system. In America itself, democracy holds a very important role in the society. American people stand in this rule for everything that they do in their life. Although there are also people argue that the democracy in America is not a true democracy, American people in general seems to be not influenced by that. And as it goes, democracy in America is absorbed in many fields in its peoples life. 1. Politics In political life, democracy is very important in America. The Americans also seems quite proud with their political system. But although they are proud with it, they also feel suspicious with the political system and the people that working under it. Because the democracy that they hold actually isnt the real or pure democracy anymore. According to William I. Robinson, a sociologist from California University via

http://coenpontoh.wordpress.com, America is promoting the democracy by interfere the issue in another country under the name of democracy. He also says that nowadays America not promoting the democracy anymore but promoting the imperialism. From what is written there, it is no wonder if the Americans itself feeling suspicious towards the system and the people that working in the system. Moreover, America has become a

superpower country, which makes the people feeling uneasy and even afraid to express their feeling and give their voice. Even so, the democracy in politics in America also goes smoothly. The election of the representatives is held by voting. Once an American registers to vote, he has the right to vote in national, state, and local election. But not all the Americans use their right to vote. Some of them ignore this right. Although theyre proud of their political system, they also not really care about it or quite ignorant. However, politics in America do use the democracy, but the democracy being use in America seems not like the pure democracy anymore. 2. Everyday Life People often connect the term democracy with a political system, because democracy is a political system. But actually democracy not only be seen as political system, but also an ideal, an inspiration, really, intimately connected to and dependent upon a picture of what it is to be human-of what it is a human should be to be fully human.(Kompridis, 2009 via Wikipedia, 2012). From this view, it can be concluded that democracy is a way of life, which the people apply it to their life. And it seems that the people which their country apply this system, they also apply it as a way of life. This also happen in America. Even since its early independence, when the Black fight for their independence from becoming slave to a free man, they also fight for the democracy that applied by America at that time. However, although democracy is a political system and also a way of life, these two points of view cannot be separated. Americans argue that politics is out of everyday life. But, once more, it is cannot be separated. Democracy cannot become a way of life if the political system is not democracy. One of the examples of the application of democracy in America is in a waiting room or in a queue. In some countries, people sometimes let the older people or the invalid people to going before them. But in America, all the people are the same. They arent separated by age, status, or wealth. Indeed, this is one of the effects of democracy in America. And also from this fact, it can be concluded that democracy already absorb into all the part of American life, even to the least things in life.

3. Education In America, education is very essential in ones life. And thats why education is compulsory to every Americans. In the past, education is only available for the White and rich. But nowadays, as the democracy system was applied, every Americans is allowed even become a must to attend the school. Democracy also applied in education. As the example, the students of a high school allowed to choose the subjects that they interested in, according to the field that they wanted to work in. This system of course adopted from democracy, which means from the people, by the people, to the people. It all depends to the students, what they wanted to be later when they live in the society. By this fact, it can be seen that democracy also exists in education in America.

References:
Pontoh, C. H. (2006, May 26). Demokrasi Amerika. Retrieved January 18, 2012, from http://coenpontoh.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/demokrasi-amerika-2/ Wikipedia. (2012, January 17). Education in the United States. Retrieved January 18, 2012, from Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_of_the_United_States Wikipedia. (2011, December 22). Politics of the United States. Retrieved January 18, 2012, from Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_the_United_States Wikipedia. (2012, January 16). Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 18, 2012, from Democracy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy