In the Face of the Mob
“But even democracy ruins itself by excess — of democracy. Its basic principle is the equal right of all to hold office and determine public policy. This is at first glance a delightful arrangement; it becomes disastrous because the people are not properly equipped by education to select the best rulers and the wisest courses. As to the people they have no understanding, and only repeat what their rulers are pleased to tell them; to get a doctrine accepted or rejected it is only necessary to have it praised or ridiculed in a popular play. Mob rule is a rough sea for the ship of state to ride; every wind of oratory stirs up the waters and deflects the course. The upshot of such a democracy is tyranny or autocracy; the crowd so loves flattery, it is so hungry for honey, that at last the wiliest and most unscrupulous flatterer, calling himself the ‘protector of the people’ rises to supreme power.”
— Plato, The Republic
Have we ruined our democracy by excess of democracy? Have we abused the principles our founding fathers put in place to protect us? Will November really mark the beginning of the end of America? In this tumultuous election season, many Americans are plagued by these defeatist questions.
It is true; America has been put through the wringer. Over the past four years alone, our nation has been rocked by a world-wide pandemic, federally issued quarantines, pivotal presidential elections, widespread media distrust, brazenly open borders, and unprecedented assassination attempts. However, at what point in history has America had it easy? Indeed, democracy has always been difficult to maintain.
As predicted in Plato’s Republic, perhaps the greatest threat to democracy is the one posed by its own people. How can a government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” as Honest Abe succinctly described our nation, be upheld by a people who “are not properly equipped by education to select the best rulers and wisest courses”? Surely, it cannot. An ignorant population will naturally mismanage its passion and angst, thereby inviting the tendencies of mob rule to overtake it. As Alexander Hamilton aptly put it, “The people is a great beast.”
Without a doubt, the phenomenon of mob rule, which Plato predicted so many centuries ago, has manifested itself in modern American politics. All of the recent political events that have befallen our great nation have caused our already polarized population to further divide itself into two warring tribes — the MAGA movement and the Woke. These movements, though different in almost every fundamental sense, have both, largely, succumbed to the mob.
Plato described the mob effect as “a rough sea for the ship of state to ride; every wind of oratory stirs up the waters and deflects the course.” Plato suggests that a state, or a movement, is run by the mob when it is completely subjected to the whims and wishes of the majority, which are often stirred up or stifled by the flashiest politician.
Consider the Jews when they shouted to Pontius Pilate “Crucify him,” or the French when the revolutionaries rounded up the ruling class screaming “Off with their heads!” In the first circumstance, mankind crucified the King of kings; in the latter, citizens destroyed their own nation. Today, the two mainstream American mobs have rallied the troops in preparation for a political war in November. Whether you wave the banner “Trump is literally Hitler” or “All elections are stolen elections,” it is clear that both tribes are ready (dare I say eager?) to take to the streets if they do not assume power. Any level-headed citizen will acknowledge that a violent reaction from either side would cause disaster to ensue on the land of the free. As tensions continue to rise, we must not allow ourselves to ruin our democracy by succumbing to the mob. Rather, in the face of mob rule, we must be educated, convicted, and devoted citizens.
Self-governance is a weighty civic duty, one which requires a population devoted to the values, rituals, traditions, and vision of their nation. As John Dewey wrote in Democracy and Education,
“There is more than a verbal tie between the words common, community, and communication. Men live in a community in virtue of the things which they have in common; and communication is the way in which they come to possess things in common. What they must have in common in order to form a community or society are aims, beliefs, aspirations, knowledge—a common understanding—like-mindedness as the sociologists say.”
Dewey goes on to point to the truism that education is the means by which these social values are transmitted from one generation to the next. Of course, Dewey went on to hijack the American education system to implement his inherently unAmerican values, but that is a discussion for another time.
Without education, a population will lose its national identity within a few generations, leaving it open to manipulation by the “most unscrupulous flatterer” as Plato put it. Therefore, as others repeat shallow slogans and shout cheap slanders, let us educate ourselves! This crucial discipline requires much more of us than simply reading news headlines or watching the presidential debates. In order to transmit the soul of America from one generation to the next, we must possess a deep understanding of our history, culture, values, and political philosophy. Undoubtedly, these deep themes are not often found in flashy headlines!
Consider Merriam Webster’s 1828 definition of the phrase, to educate: “to instill into the mind principles of arts, science, morals, religion and behavior.” Principles is the key word in this definition. What principles founded our great nation? What does it mean to be an American? Who inspired our founders to pen the Constitution? Why was the American Revolution fought? Why did John Adams defend the redcoats at the Boston Massacre? Was America truly established as a Christian nation? These are just a sampling of the questions of history which hold the soul of our nation. If we grasp the answers to these questions, they will teach us to be model citizens who respect our forefathers, revere our political system, and demand much of ourselves and our fellow countrymen.
An educated population will not be persuaded by pithy slogans or swayed by charismatic politicians. On the contrary, it will ask much of its public servants because it knows much; it will detect folly and value prudence; and it will elect virtuous men and send deceivers packing.
Furthermore, education rightly leads to conviction. Once you know something to be true, you defend it. Do you believe our nation is great? Then fight for its glory. Contrarily, if you believe America is “the scene of a crime” as one presidential candidate put it, you will conclude that justice demands its destruction. If you stand proudly behind the slogan “Make America Great Again,” but do not know what made America great in the first place, you do a disservice to your nation.
If you believe in the eternal truths that laid the foundation for our nation; if you know the stories of the countless patriots who fought and died for our freedom; and if you understand the blessings that liberty has poured out on us, you will salute the flag with pride and defend our nation with conviction.
It would serve us, I think, to recall the exhortation of the 40th President in his speech A Time for Choosing. He said,
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it, and then hand it to them with the well fought lessons of how they in their lifetime must do the same.”
A democracy requires a people of conviction who have the wisdom and understanding to defend it. Can a mob defend? No; a mob can only destroy. In a time of political crisis, we must not allow ourselves to board the ship of mob rule. For it is, indeed, “a rough sea for the ship of state to ride.” In time, the mob always steers the ship into the storm because it exchanges reason for passion and conviction for hatred. As good citizens, we must hold fast to our educated convictions, defend the nation we love, and pass freedom down to our posterity, if not by the bloodstream, through thought and deed.
However, this is election season. Americans are faced with two candidates for president, and We The People will vote. So, the question each of us must ask is where does our loyalty lie? Will we cast our ballot, and by extension our future, into the hands of the former President or the current Vice President? Do either of them deserve our loyalty? Do they deserve our votes? These are questions each of us must consider for ourselves.
But I would pose a more fundamental question for us to consider: “Should our loyalties lie with parties and politicians at all?” George Washington thought not. In his Farewell Address of 1796, Washington warned his fellow countrymen of the dangers of absolute loyalty to party:
“The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and the duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.”
In the same address, the President presented an alternative to party loyalty saying,
“Citizens by birth or choice of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.”
This November, we ought to keep the words of Washington in the forefront of our minds. Yes, we ought to vote; yes, we have two choices. But we should not vote out of hatred for the opposition or submission to a party leader; rather, we must vote out of loyalty and affection for our great nation.
Edmund Burke wrote in Reflections on the Revolution in France, “It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.” This November, we have a choice; will we allow passions to forge our fetters?
Our country is suffering under the shifting tides of mob rule. As citizens and lovers of liberty, we must resist the temptation to be swept up in the misplaced passion, intemperate mind, and aggressive hatred of the mob. Rather, we must rise to the occasion and fulfill the high calling of self-governance. Once we do that, we will vote with confidence knowing that reason reigns our minds, convictions cast our ballots, and loyalty lies with our nation.
Originally published by New Guard Press.