~The problem with American democracy is not too little democracy, but too much democracy. Discussion: American democracy is “power of the people, by and for the people.” As Slavoj Zizek eloquently states, it is “the will and interests of the majority that determine state decisions” (Zizek, 2003). The problem with American democracy is not that there is too little of it, but that there is too much of it. Alexander Hamilton tried to make sure there wasn't too much when he argued for the Electoral College. Throughout history, even before America, political minds have warned against too much democracy. Tyranny of the majority, of the uninformed, of the undecided; they all contribute to creating too much democracy. One of the biggest problems America faces is the uninformed voter. Jonah Goldberg wrote an article in which he states, "The ignorance of the typical American when it comes to politics is often baffling." He doesn't mince words in saying that he believes that normal people in society are incapable of making a fair decision about who should act as president. However, he is not the first to believe it. The idea that society must be protected from itself when it comes to electing officials dates back to ancient Greece. Plato's Republic is widely considered a masterpiece of social and political philosophies. He believed that all men were not created equal, but not in the physical sense that history has shown. He meant intellectually. When he refers to democracy, he regards it as something that would lead to tyranny and chaos. “The tyranny of the poor” is why he believed that an aristocracy would be a better instrument of government than a democracy (Plato, BC). He criticized democracy as a way of generating anarchy and criticized political equality, as it partially exists now, which inevitably leads to democracy. While I object to the idea that I am not equal to others, Plato is right that the average citizen should not be trusted with the decision to elect officials if he or she is uninformed. An article in the New Yorker title The Unpolitical Animal, written by Louis Menand, found a study conducted by Philip Converse that showed that seventy percent of Americans cannot name their senators or representatives and twenty-five percent do not know who be its own governor (Goldberg, 2003).