The City's Rotation of Politics

I agree with Socrates in that a city will go through phases of politics depending on who's leading. I've definitely seen it in our country. Although we are called a "democracy" through it all, we all know that's not quite the accurate definition of the politics that we are under. Also, as Socrates shows in the book, it's very evident when our political system's priorities change and throughout history I believe we've had a mix of all of these political stages. I have a feeling our founding fathers intended our country to be ruled more as a timocratic-oligarchy if using Socrates' definitions of each. I believe it was intended that our country be run with honor-driven men with appetites towards necessary desires that are in the best interest of our country. However, there are times throughout history that flashes of Socrates' democracy and tyranny have proven to surface. Examples of tyranny with Nixon and Clinton and democracy being amongst different special interest groups such as the focus on global warming and the search for aliens.

I also believe that our country is under a sort of phase that Socrates describes as democratic. I took Socrates' definition of democracy as the necessary desires he mentions in oligarchy, but an over-indulgence of those necessary desires. As Socrates mentions starting with 560 c in regards to children of the oligarchic leaders (being democratic leaders themselves), "they proceed to return insolence, anarchy, wastefulness, and shamelessness from exile, in a blaze of light, crowned and accompanied by a numberous chorus, extolling and flattering them by calling insolence good education; anarchy, freedom; wastefulness, magnificence; and shamelessness, courage. Isn't it in some such way, that a man, when he is young, changes from his rearing in necessary desires to the liberation and unleashing of unnecessary and useless pleasures?" That definition, I think, exactly portrays the mindset of the majority of people in our country and our political system. The desire for money is necessary, but the never-satisfied, greedy desire for more and more money, with the mindset that enough is never enough, is highly unnecessary but highly popular in our country. Also, being hungry and to have food is necessary, but the desire for super-sized meals and gluttonous portions is unnecessary. We see huge plates of food as magnificent, but in all actuality it is wasteful. Also, the highly popular desire for disgustingly expensive clothing, cars, and houses is seen as so magnificent when it really is just a huge waste of money. Especially when there are many alternatives available with the same quality, if not better in some cases, than the designer logo has to offer. A country that is known for its freedom for all, where did the line first get crossed where freedom overlooks the values and beliefs our country was founded on and on which many of us draw our morals from? Today's high schools, ideas of marriage, ideas of family, etc. have all truly turned into separate anarchies. When did the ideal that the in-your-face attitude of so many business executives, stars, athletes, and politicians have turn into courage when really it's a lack of respect and shame?

Socrates sees a democracy as beautiful. "It is probably the fairest of the regimes just like a many-colored cloak decorated in all hues, this regime, decorated with all dispositions, would also look fairest, and many perhaps like boys and women looking at many-colored things, would judge this to be the fairest regime" (557c). Unique, bright, and colorful it is, but I'm not so sure I see the way our politics have turned as beautiful or fairer than the other regimes.

Ms. McKenzie