Questions and Concerns
Readers of Inciting Democracy have questioned both its premises and its viability. Below are a variety of questions and concerns. Each link leads to an expanded version of the question or concern and Randy’s response. The questions are taken from Chapter 11 (pdf) of Inciting Democracy.
A: Is It Possible to Create a Good Society?
B: Is Democracy Possible and Desirable?
- Is Democratic Decision-Making Possible in a Large Society?
- Is There Enough Time for Real Democracy?
- Would People Want to Spend Time on Societal Decision-Making?
C: Are the Five Obstacles Enumerated the Real Obstacles to Positive Change?
- What about Other Obstacles?
- Is the Power Elite Monolithic?
- Are Some Cultures Better than Others?
- What Knowledge is Essential?
D: Is This the Right Strategy for Change?
- What Do You Mean by "Fundamental Progressive Social Change"?
- Why Are Progressive Activists Needed?
- Are Activists the Only Ones Who Create a Good Society?
- Why Are So Many Activists Required?
- Does It Make Sense to Act without Greater Understanding?
- Why an Education Program?
- Is It Possible to Bring about Fundamental Change without a Fight?
- Are these the Correct Methods?
- What Kind of Emotional Counseling Do You Advocate?
- What about Activists in Rural Areas?
- Won’t Excluded Activists be Resentful?
- Why Focus on One Nation?
- Why Focus Only on the United States?
- Would the Vernal Project Go International?
- Is It Really Possible to Attract So Many Activists to Join the Vernal Project?
- What Secular Sentiment Would Inspire So Many Activists to Join?
E: Would the Vernal Project Distort Progressive Change Movements?
- Would the Vernal Project Create an Elitist Vanguard?
- Would the Vernal Project Foster a White, Middle-Class Movement?
- Would the Vernal Project Create a Cult?
- Do You Think You Know What Everyone Should Do?
- Isn’t the Vernal Education Program Rigid and Dogmatic?
F: Will This Strategy Take Too Long?
- Why Does This Strategy Take So Long?
- Couldn’t Technology Speed Transformation?
- But We Don’t Have Eighty Years…
- And We’ll All Be Dead in Eighty Years…
