Carleton professors are among over 150 educators from across the globe who co-wrote and signed an open letter highlighting the importance of democracy against the backdrop of the United States’ presidential election.
The open letter, titled “How to Keep the Lights On in Democracies” calls for immediate action “to keep the light of democracy shining” in the U.S. and beyond.
The dangers to democracy the letter cites—stemming from social, political and economic disruptions—exist beyond the U.S. election held on Nov. 3, and “democracy as we know it will continue in its frightening regression,” the authors of the letter write.
Threats to democracy have only been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, where “the temptation to take refuge in a figure of arrogant strength is now greater than ever,” the letter reads.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s presidency over the past four years highlights how easily democracy can collapse, the letter reads, as seen in his frequent attacks on media and science.
Jennifer Evans, a professor of German history at Carleton University and an expert in the history of authoritarianism and fascism, co-wrote the open letter in late October.
“[Trump] has flouted convention, questioned the legitimacy of science and the media, and most troubling of all, he has failed to distance himself from militia organizations that have threatened to destabilize democratic systems,” Evans said in an email to the Charlatan.
Scholars are not the only ones fearing for the state of democracy. Many students are also worried that the state of democracy is at risk, and many of them agree that Trump’s presidency has further threatened democracy.
Dominique Gené, a first-year journalism Carleton student born and raised in Haiti, became a U.S. citizen after moving to the U.S. during high school. Gené said Trump’s behaviour during his presidency undermines democratic society.
“[Trump is in a] war against the media, violates freedom of speech and expression, interferes with power and like a dictator, misuses his power and interferes with the election,” she said.
Although she no longer lives in the U.S., Gené said she still fears for the current state of democracy within the country.
Victoria King, a fourth-year psychology student at Carleton, said she follows U.S. politics closely due to the ripple effect they can have in Canada. King said she believes Trump’s relationship with media, one of the key pillars of democracy, has shaped many American’s views.
“Anytime someone disagrees with him, it’s false media,” King said, adding that over the past few months, Trump has even started to attack news organizations he once called trustworthy like Fox News.
“Trump says everything is fake news, which reduces the trust that Americans have in media in general, which is obviously dangerous because that’s where most of our information comes from,” she said.
This mistrust in media can be especially harmful during COVID-19, where scientific information has been deemed untrustworthy by Trump and many of his followers, King added.
King said that she agrees with the contents of the open letter, especially when it comes to the long-standing effects of Trump’s presidency on democracy.
The recent riots on Capitol Hill only prove how some American’s views on democratic institutions have been completely changed over the past few years, she added.
“I honestly don’t think that the issues in America are going to be resolved in just one presidency, I don’t think Biden is going to be able to do enough. But I’m hoping that he can at least pave the way,” she said.
Andrea Chandler, a political science professor at Carleton, was one of the signatories of the letter.
“I feel that I have a responsibility to share with the public the lessons I’ve learned about how democracies can falter,” Chandler said in an email.
Chandler said it’s important to remember how easily democracies can collapse.
“Democracies are not marble statues set in stone—they are delicate gardens that need to be tended with care and respect,” she said.
The letter also outlines solutions to “turn the tide” of an at-risk democracy.
It urges the public to protect pillars of democracy such as science, the electoral process and investigative journalism, and continue to denounce misinformation and political violence.
The authors of the letter also place an emphasis on voter turnout, “in every election large and small.”
Chandler said she thinks it’s a healthy sign that the U.S. elections saw many voters and dedication by the people counting ballots.
“But the toxic political discourse of the campaign and the delay by the apparent loser in accepting the results is very shocking,” she said.
Featured image by Tim Austen. With files from Safiyah Marhnouj.
