SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS 150:
Computers and Social Decisions (3 units)
Spring Quarter 2001-2002, Stanford University
Instructor: Todd Davies
The U.S. Political Environment, Deliberative Democracy, and the
Internet (4/17/2002)
The Standard Progressive View (SPV) at the turn of the millenium
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The u.s. is increasingly characterized by a number of social problems in
a more dramatic way than in other rich countries:
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an unacceptable level of domestic social injustice, in areas such as economic
opportunity, access to health care, housing, and good education, environmental
quality, and treatment by the criminal justice system
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laws and policies that unduly sacrifice public goods and the ecology to
serve transnational private wealth interests
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both direct and indirect responsibility for human rights violations and
other social/ecological harms worldwide, with U.S. government failure to
respect international norms and treaties unless they serve U.S. corporate
interests
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The peculiar level of these failures in the u.s. can be attributed to structural
features of our political economy, i.e. the ability of corporate and private
wealth to steer politics through
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campaign contributions and money-driven lobbying
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control of major media
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discouraging broader political participation through economic insecurity,
punishing dissent, SLAP lawsuits, weak labor laws, educational inequality
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This view explains "american exceptionalism" as a function of
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limitations on access to information (insufficient knowledge)
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limitations on political options
Some problems with the SPV
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Alternative media generate weak interest even when universally available
in an area (e.g. progressive community radio stations)
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The u.s. is arguably more democratic than the egalitarian countries
of europe -- more referenda, less secrecy, more free speech,less paternalism
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Voters largely favor a right to private gain over the public interest,
even when they have the power to do otherwise (see last week's discussion
on failures of progressive initiatives; recent failure of public power
initiative in s.f.) -- this puts much of the burden in such cases on the
"insufficient knowledge" explanation
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But liberals and conservatives on issues of redistribution policy do not
differ in their knowledge about existing inequalities (Davies, in preparation)
An alternative to the SPV -- only some of u.s. social ills can be
explained by the public's limited knowledge and options. More important
causes of american exceptionalism lie in relative stable values and priorities
that are deeply embedded in the culture.
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Historical influences:
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frontier mentality: a structure of social responsibilities based on the
nuclear family and personal mobility
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racial divide: persistence of racism in an atmosphere of racial/ethnic
inequality plus diversity
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(nonconformist) protestant ethic: a presumptive belief in the justice of
economic inequalities (e.g. racial disparities, homelessness)
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Resulting values:
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a strong preference for protecting private wealth, if "legally" gained
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a general preference for market-based rather than publicly-provided services,
with a weak status quo bias for public services needed to support the market
economy (e.g. free highways, police, firefighters, the military, local
public schools)
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a preference for social programs that support seniors rather than the young
Consequences for Internet and democracy - Internet will have impact
largely to the extent that it can chip away at historical influences, e.g.
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racial/ethnic leveling - new media may enhance
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undermining racism and just-world presumptions through cross-cultural interactions
- new media well suited b/c they help people affiliate on other bases,
in a "safe" environment, and reduce geographic barriers
Ethnic/racial empowerment through technology
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digital divide narrowing
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california - most diverse state, highest Internet usage
Deliberative democracy
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Habermas - ideal speech situation
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Fishkin - deliberative polling
Return to SSP
150 syllabus