Book Review: Democracy's Edge by Frances Moore Lappé
Lappé gives us a new lexicon of definitions for words like democracy, conservative, and liberal — and a fresh perspective about power.by Susan L. Feathers
Frances Moore Lappé has done it again. After publishing Diet for a Small Planet (1971) I thought Lappé's search for the root causes of hunger was complete. In that watershed publication, she illuminated the true social and economic costs of corporate farming, carefully outlining how advertising and lobbying in Congress can work together to create a system that does not promote human or ecosystem health and well being for people here or abroad.
Now, in Democracy's Edge, Lappé shares another deeply insightful analysis of how we are in danger of losing our democratic way of life by the steady erosion of individual rights, biased media information, and attenuation of our voices in government. While she sees us at a critical juncture at which we might lose our democratic way of life, Lappé has done her homework again, and personally interviewed people and organizations that are engaged in "living democracy" a process, a verb — not a noun.
She debunks the idea that we are a divided nation and shares information poles that show most Americans, whether Republican or Democrat, are concerned about the same things: The economy, the environment, healthcare, and the right to balanced and complete information.
Lappé gives us a new lexicon of definitions for words like democracy, conservative, and liberal — and a fresh perspective about power. Throughout the book, Frances Moore Lappé illustrates how corporations have grown into the very fabric of our lives, and how they have defined for us who we are, what we like or don't like, and then why we can't change it.
Advertising and corporate-government alliances work against democratic process, yet we continue to support them through our 401K's, our shopping habits, and political choices!
Lappé is convinced we can deepen democratic process to one of a living democracy by paying attention, listening, and acting whenever we see anti-democratic forces shaping our lives and economy.
If we wish to have a truly democratic country, then we have to participate. She interviews people and groups who have shed their victim stance and realized that power is about relationships. Their understanding allows them to shift the power relationship with employers or political forces to gain leverage and a voice.
Seven states in the U.S. for example have a Working Families Party. Their states have voted in new democratic procedures that allow them to cross-endorse a candidate on more than one party ballot line (fusion voting — common in America before the nineteenth century). This allows their interests to be visible and begins to influence candidates to consider their votes as important to successful election.
Another innovation common in European democracies and many U.S. city elections is instant run-off voting that eliminates "throwing away" a vote by allowing voters to list their top three candidates in order of preference. If no one wins a majority, the bottom candidate is dropped and second preferences are counted until someone wins.
These breakaway forces are shaping Democrat and Republican platforms by revealing voter support on an issue. They give a voice to unheard Americans. Why do we think things will never change when here are examples of people doing it right now!
I highly recommend this book as a fresh and important new way for us to understand how we can become constructively engaged in creating a sustainable, compassionate society, a Good Neighbor nation.
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After Susan sent the above review to Frances Moore Lappé, she received the following comment from the author (re-published with permission):
"I want to tell you directly how happy your words make me. I am deeply touched. Your passion gives me new energy. Thank you, thank you, for all you are doing." — Frances Moore Lappé