unequal representation
summary: an example of unequal representation in our representative democracy in the united states is the second chamber of the legislative branch: the senate. two senators represent the entirety of one state. this was implemented in the Connecticut Compromise in order to ensure that small units are not continuously outvoted by larger units just because of size. by doing so, the senate protects unequal representation which is not an ideal democracy advocates. so what is the reason the minority should get any kind of advantage? no matter what, any governmental decision will favor the interests of one group and harm the interests of others. the purpose of democracy is to simply get majority permission to carry out these actions. so why is it that geographical location is the sole reason for unequal representation? as James Madison asked at the Constitutional Convention, “Is [government] for men, or for the imaginary beings called States?” states were divided not according to size but according to interests. even in the biggest case of protecting the rights of the minorities, the Senate failed to do what it was created to do. between 1800 and 1860 eight anti-slavery measures passed the House but were all killed in the Senate.so are states with less people considered minorities and should be given special privileges? and how is it that it is up to nine Supreme Court judges to interpret law? not to mention the electoral system where the majority candidate takes all votes in winner take all situation.
response: never really considered how, structurally, america had non-democratic systems. i learned in my us history classes that the connecticut compromise was such a great idea as it created a legislative branch that represented the people and the states equally. but i never really considered why the states themselves had to be considered and how it truly goes against true democracy. i also realized how closely related democracy and utilitarianism are. democracy is all about getting the majority vote for permission to do things which aligns with the idea of utilitarianism where it seeks to follow the greater good. interesting to see how this setup mightve caused increased tensions between the south and north that eventually led to the civil war. i was introduced to the electoral system last year and i do have to agree that it is a bit flawed and doesn’t really represent majority rule and democracy. also seems like madison had lots of great quotes and ideas at his time that many people look to today. looking forward to looking into him more this year.
