The Moral Obligations of Living in a Democratic Society

Cornell West beigns the article by asking if the "tradition of struggle can be preserved and expanded?" The tradition of struggle is quite complex and difficult to achieve and maintain in the world that we live in today because of the way that our system is set up to function. According to West, the tradition of struggle "refers to the struggle of decency and dignity, the struggle for freedom and democracy." (209) West refers to W.E.B. DuBois when he talks about race. DuBois understood how it felt to be black in a white American society as he was associated to be the problem. Blacks were not given a chance and they were not considered "people with problems," instead the problem was them for the simple fact of not being white. Where is humanity, decency, or dignity in a society that judges individuals based on their appearance? The question of democracy and freedom is brought up when West discusses the wealth of the nation. America is said to be one of the richest nation in history, yet many people live in poverty. Democracy in America has turned out to mean that a very small percent of the population owns the biggest portion of the wealth. When the top banks and corporations needed a bail out for something that it was their fault, the government provided aid. However, the rest of the nation continues living in poverty and struggling with everyday life with the help of no one, but themselves.