In modern America, peer review and feedback from consumers of products and ideas is the sustaining force of democracy. In politics, public forums and the right of free speech provide an open space for criticism and feedback from constituents and even those not allowed to vote because of their age or past unlawful convictions. However, when these rights are eliminated, that is when a society shifts away from democracy and towards dictatorship or other forms of government where the common man has no voice. In societies such as China during the late 20th Century, one can observe such events as the Tiananmen Square protests, where the government would not listen to the views of the governed when they diverged from the norm. From history comes…show more content… In public schools today, students are gaining more and more of a voice in the way they are taught. It is finally occurring to teachers, parents, and administrators that the standardized, common core curriculum may not work for every student. Some people are visual learners who may have a hard time learning through lecture, whilst for others, that may be the best way they can learn. The idea that a one-size-fits-all learning method will help every child succeed is an outdated idea. Teachers and professors are of course allowed to have their own teaching style and ideas of what is helpful and what is detrimental for their students, but they should always keep in mind that those that are taught may also have an opinion that is valuable in assessing their teaching. For a teacher to make their students feel worthless or unimportant because their ideas converge is to set students up for failure. If a student is ever made to feel stupid or not worth teaching by someone they look up to, a teacher or leader for example, they will always have that engrained in the back of their mind, and it will follow them through their entire life. If each and every student was made to feel like their opinion on their own education mattered, then the education system in this country and across the world could begin to change and turn into a moldable experience for each child, where no student was told that their opinions do not matter and…show more content… The use of a bipartisan system controlled by influential, wealthy individuals that use their money and position to silence dissenters is a dangerous concept, but it is more common than ever in the world today. For the last year and a half, America has had its democracy thrown about and abused in more ways than ever seen in any previous election. Those who dissented from the traditional bipartisan idea of Democrats and Republicans were often degraded by the heads of the major parties. Bernie Sanders, the independent congressman who ran as a democrat, represented a nightmare to the establishment and elite of Washington- he believed in the middle class, getting money out of politics, and the concept that no bank is too big to fail, no CEO too big to jail. However, through the media, his opponents, and even members of his own party, he was pushed into silence through relentless attacks on his policies, voting record, and even his spouse. This serves as a prime example of the dangers of silencing free, individual voices- his message was obscured and morphed into one that tried to made him look like a fool, like an imbecile, but in the true spirit of the American idea of freedom and democracy, he prevailed and rose above many tasteless attacks. Sanders’ story serves to embody American spirit and the pinnacle of
