Subjects:
Alexis de Tocqueville discussed how he believed that majority rules in the United States. He writes about how the majority in America has control over the opinions of the masses and how people do not think for themselves. The latter part of that is true. The masses do not form many of their own opinions but these opinions are not given to them, like Tocqueville says, by the majority. These "ready made opinions" (Tocqueville 11) are given to American people by a powerful few. Tocquville's writing does not apply to the US today because several kinds of minorities wield inordinate amounts of power in modern American society.
The media is the main source of information for America today. Tocqueville
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Religion has ingrained itself into mainstream American politics. Political and economic power is in the hands of a few, like Gore and Bush.
Tocqueville was not wrong when he talked about the ideal of a democratic society working in America. Both of these are wealthy, white, Christian family men. "Religion itself holds sway much less as a doctrine of revelation than as a commonly received opinion. That ideal democratic society is just not present today. The United States today is run by a small number of very powerful people.
The President of the United States is the single most powerful person in America.
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**Bibliography**
. "Everybody there adopts great numbers of theories, on philosophy, morals, and politics, without inquiry"(Tocqueville 11) These forms of media, newspapers, television and radio to name a few are filled with opinions and ideas that people just accept. Americans have to free themselves from media influence, corporate power, and the persuasion of religious pundits in order to think and vote for themselves.
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