Democracy Quote by Noam Chomsky
“In a democracy, in a functioning democracy, what would be happening is that popular organizations, unions, political groupings, others would be developing their programs, putting them forth, insisting that their representatives implement those programs.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on Democracy, 1995
In a healthy democracy, civic groups create programs and demand elected officials enact them.
In simple terms: Citizens' groups push leaders to follow their policies.
Key Takeaway
Encourage active participation in policy making.
Themes
democracy
participation
civic engagement
Mood
hopeful
critical
Type
political
inspirational
When to use this quote
- community meetings
- policy advocacy
- legislative hearings
- public forums
Key Concepts
pluralism
representation
accountability
Questions to Reflect On
- How can marginalized voices be amplified?
- What mechanisms ensure representatives truly follow program demands?
A Different Perspective
Power imbalances can limit influence of smaller groups.
![“[Government] is apprehended, not as a committee of citizens chosen to carry on the communal business of the whole population, but as a separate and autonomous corporation, mainly devoted to exploiting the population for the benefit of its own members.” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0ec/h-l-mencken-245_autonomous_government-is-apprehended-not-as-a-commi_1115230.jpg)
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
![“Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This [presidential] election is about every man, woman and child in our country who deserves to live in safety, prosperity and peace, so true.” quote by Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/18e/donald-trump-18_children_vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-se_1553.jpg)
