Democracy! When?

I was sitting in a Religion and Ethics class this week, when after voicing an opinion on the subject matter we were discussing, I was accused of trying to force my 'small minded opinion on others', and told that this was a democracy, so I can't do that.

You know what the funny thing was? The young lady that made this accusation could have been no more that 18 years old, and was from the good old US of A, a country that is known for its democracy and free thinking.

I didn't lay into this girl as I wanted to, but just decided to let it pass... but I was irritated by it, after all she knows nothing of my life or experiences, let alone her own country or even the history and politics of her own country.

Democracy ceased to exist the moment governments were instituted. We have representational governments, but we do not have any democratic governments in existence. Especially in the United States, where the vote of the Electoral College is what really matters, and even within the Electoral College, there is still not the idea of 'one man one vote', shows just how far from the idea of democracy the US actually is.

Perhaps my irritation goes back to the superiority complex that many US citizens wrongly hold. The belief that their nation is the greatest, and it is their nations role to save the world (boy does Hollywood have a lot to answer for), is the source for both their misplaced arrogance and ignorance.

That is not to say there are no well educated, balanced individuals with a reasoned world view from the United States, but just that they seem to be growing fewer in numbers.