Why resistance and change are part of the democratic process essay

Resistance and change are part of the democratic process because these actions characterize the democratic society. As a rule, democratic process involves democratic decision making. According to Jon R. Bond and Kevin B. Smith, “democratic decision making requires patience, demands tolerance of opposing viewpoints, and rewards compromise”(6). However, it is inevitable that the democratic process may lead to resistance activities of a large amount of people, causing certain changes in politics. Experts suggest that “the inevitable results of democratic process are what Americans find most objectionable about their political system: inefficiency, gridlock, and conflicts” (Bond & Smith 6). The people, who resist democratic decision making, are ready to propose their ideas which can lead to changes in different spheres of social activity. According to John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight, “making democracy work” is one of the major goals of community building (109). Thus, resistance and change are part of the democratic process which involves the following characteristics: voting rights, publicly voiced opinions on different political and social issues, the petition and elective representative, engaging in political campaigns, etc. These characteristics allow bringing any conflicts and disagreements into the open debate. In some cases, there may be resistance to change in the political process.