A Republic by any other name
A Republic by any other name remains a Republic. But that is not the issue necessitated in this response to Professor Lawrence Lessig’s recent post “The United States is not a ‘democracy’, it is ‘a Republic’”.
Lessig has used the fallacious logic of a “Rationalization” to justify a bastardization of language which contributes to the illiteracy of the American people. He uses the following
AB is to B as B is to See??
Yes, we are a Republic, which means, Yes, we are a “representative democracy,” which means (on the logic of “a Ford truck is a truck”) Yes we are “a democracy.” We are just not a direct democracy — and I don’t know anyone who ever said that we are (and I’d be happy to join with anyone to argue we should not be).
Let me begin with what is correct about his statement.
- We are a Republic
- We are a Representative Democracy
- We are not a direct Democracy
- Most people do not confuse the US as being a direct Democracy
The problem isn’t that people confuse the US as being a direct Democracy, the problem is that they confuse what it means to be a Representative Democracy in ways which obfuscate the national discourse.
We have specific terminology for just this reason. The left side of a boat does not simply become the right side because you are not facing the front of the boat, yet we have the nautical terminology of “Bow” for the front of the boat, “Stern” for the back of the boat, “Port” for the left side of the boat, and “Starboard” for the right side of the boat because people manage to confuse the simplest things when given half a chance.
While a Ford truck is indeed a truck, a Republic is no more a Democracy than Mickey Mouse is a mouse. As long as everyone understands that the mouse in question is Mickey Mouse, no one is going to confuse Mickey with being a mouse. It is understood that Mickey is an anthropomorphic cartoon character and mascot of all things Disney. But when you drop “Mickey” and just start saying mouse this and mouse that for decades until it weaves itself into common language, as sometimes meaning an actual mouse, but sometimes meaning Mickey, or something relating to Disney, well that’s where things begin getting quite confusing.
If not for that mouse, US Copyright laws would be much better. Yes, a mouse ruined creative freedoms for everyone.
Yes, a mouse did irreparable damage to US Copyright law. This is Lessig’s argument in Free Culture. I am not disputing Lessig’s Free Culture, it was my introduction to him more than 20 years ago. But Lessig was talking about the impact of Mickey Mouse and Disney on Copyright. This is of course an over simplification, but go read Free Culture for yourself for the rest.
The pervasive use of the word “Democracy” in place of the correct term “Republic” leads people to incorrectly infer an understanding of their relationship to government as being Democracy-like in ways that simply aren’t so. While the myriad of misunderstandings are far too plentiful to list, here are a few examples:
- We are moving towards becoming a true Democracy.
- Politicians are malleable. When they change positions, they are obeying the will of the people.
- Politicians are obligated to enact the will of the people. Write your congress person!
Wrong. Wrong. And inaccurate. All these and more are misunderstandings that stem from the constant use of the word Democracy.
Just as Lessig presupposed that he doesn’t “know anyone who ever said that we are [a direct Democracy] (and I’d be happy to join with anyone to argue we should not be)”, I don’t know anyone who argues for the use of “Republic” that doesn’t understand the value of clarity in the national discourse (and I’d be happy to join with anyone to argue for it).
Natural language is complex and dynamic, but it has rules and requires structure. Terminology and Semantics can greatly influence comprehension and understanding.
Democracy is not synonymous with Republic. It never has been and never shall be. We need less mansplaining, and more literate national discourse on the nature and function of our great Republic.
— Antyal
You can find Antyal Tennyson on Twitter under the handle @AntyalT.
