1.American democracy -- only in form, not in substance | Chinadaily

[2021-12-10]American democracy – only in form, not in substance

American democracy – only in form, not in substance

By Ma Qian | Xinhua | Updated: 2021-12-10 14:43

An American flag flies outside of the US Capitol¹ dome² in Washington, US, Jan 15, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

Abstract

The United States has long been habitually³ touting⁴ itself as the “beacon of democracy,”⁵ yet as the world has increasingly come to realize, America’s democratic⁶ system is only in form, not in substance.

the … has long been…, yet as … has

tout oneself as

beancon of democracy

come to realize

only in form , not in substance

One does not have to be a political scientist to understand that the ultimate⁷ yardstick⁸ of good democracy is whether it can actually represent and serve the fundamental interests⁹ of the people.

one does not have to be … to do sth.

is whether it can…

And the coming so-called “democracy summit¹⁰” staged by Washington can neither repair the damaged image nor salvage¹¹ the decaying¹² core of the American-style democracy.

the coming so-called…

staged by

can neither…nor…

salvage …

“The people do not govern. Politicians respond almost exclusively¹³ to the desires of special interests and the wealthiest citizens,”

respond to

And don’t expect the wealthy to funnel¹⁴ money towards the welfare of the people. They do so to maximize their own interests¹⁵ through the officials they help get elected

funnel money towards sb./sth.

the welfare of the people 人民的福利

The American public nowadays has to grapple¹⁶ with the fact that the economic inequality in the country has been turned into gaps in political privileges

grapple with

turn into

A bigger tragedy¹⁷ with the American political system is its growing sclerotic¹⁸ state. The system is losing the basic ability to reform itself, build consensus¹⁹, solve problems and promote social equity and justice

reform oneself

build consensus

promote social equity and justice

With flourishing²⁰ political tribalism²¹ and the rise of the politics of denial²², America’s political parties have become almost cult-like²³. American politicians increasingly excel in²⁴ opposing their opponents simply for the sake of ²⁵ opposing. For many, reaching across the partisan line²⁶ is seen as shameful while filibustering²⁷ a meaningful bill from the other party is a badge of honor ²⁸

excel in doing…

for the sake of///

a badge of honor

“A government of the people, by the people, for the people,” an ideal then US President Abraham Lincoln spoke in his 1863 Gettysburg Address, is often quoted to describe America’s democracy.

“一个民有、民治、民享的政府“

footnotes

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1. 美国国会大厦；美国州议会大厦 ↩︎

2. 美: [doʊm] 英: [dəʊm] n. 穹顶；圆顶状物；穹状建筑物；圆顶体育场 v. 在…上加圆顶；使成钟形；使呈穹状凸起；成圆顶状 网络圆屋顶；穹窿；拱顶 ↩︎

3. habitually 美: [həˈbɪtʃʊəlɪ] 英: [hə’bɪtʃʊəlɪ] adv.习惯性地；习惯地；总要；习以为常地网络惯常地；习惯上；习惯性得 ↩︎

4. 美: [taʊt] 英: [taʊt] **v.兜售；死乞白赖地劝诱；〈美〉拉选票；秘密打听(赛马)情报n.**招揽；劝诱；招揽员；(赛马)情报员 ↩︎

5. beacon of democracy民主的灯塔beacon美: [ˈbikən] 英: [ˈbiːkən] **n.灯塔；（导航）无线电信标台；（旧时）烽火v.**像灯塔般照耀；照亮；鼓励；为…装设指向标 ↩︎

6. democratic 美: [ˌdeməˈkrætɪk] 英: [.demə’krætɪk] adj.民主的；民主政体的；民主制度的；民主权利的网络民主党；民主主义的；民主式 ↩︎

7. ultimate美: [ˈʌltɪmət] 英: ['ʌltɪmət] **adj.最后的；最终的；终极的；极端的n.**最好（或先进、伟大等）的事物；极品；精华 ↩︎

8. yardstick美: [ˈjɑrdˌstɪk] 英: [ˈjɑː®dˌstɪk] n.准绳；码尺；（好坏或成败的）衡量标准网络尺度；标尺；尺码 ↩︎

9. 根本利益；基本性利益；基本利益 ↩︎

10. summit 美: [ˈsʌmɪt] 英: ['sʌmɪt] **n.**峰会；山顶；顶点；最高点 ↩︎

11. salvage 美: [ˈsælvɪdʒ] 英: ['sælvɪdʒ]**v.**打捞；挽救；挽回；抢救（失事船舶、火灾等中的财物）n.（对财物等的）抢救；抢救出的财物 ↩︎

12. decay美: [dɪˈkeɪ]英: [dɪ’keɪ] **v.衰减；腐烂；枯；使朽坏n.**腐烂；衰退；【无线】衰变 ↩︎

13. exclusively美: [ɪkˈsklusɪvli] 英: [ɪkˈskluːsɪvli] adv.仅仅；专门地；特定地；排外地网络专有地；唯一地；独占地 ↩︎

14. 英 [ˈfʌn(ə)l]美 [ˈfʌnl]TEM4 n. 漏斗；漏斗状物；（船、蒸汽机车上的）烟囱v. 通过漏斗，穿过狭窄通道；输送，传送（金钱、货物或信息）；（一端逐渐扩大或收缩）形成漏斗状 ↩︎

15. interest美: [ˈɪntrəst] 英: ['ɪntrəst] **n.利益；兴趣；爱好；利息v.**使注意；使有份儿 ↩︎

16. grapple with 英美 [ˈɡræpl wɪð]v. 扭打；努力克服 ↩︎

17. tragedy 美: [ˈtrædʒədi] 英: n.悲剧；【文】(文学)悲剧网络灾难；悲剧片；惨案 ↩︎

18. sclerotic 美: [skləˈrɑtɪk] 英: [skləˈrɒtɪk] adj.硬的；硬性的；【解】巩膜的；【医】硬化的n.【解】巩膜；硬化剂 网络硬结的；厚的；硬化性 ↩︎

19. 美: [kənˈsensəs] 英: [kən’sensəs] n.一致的意见；共识网络一致同意；舆论；合意 ↩︎

20. flourishing 美: ['flɜrɪʃɪŋ] 英: ['flɜ:ɪʃɪŋ] **adj.**繁荣的；蒸蒸日上的；繁茂的 v.“flourish”的现在分词 网络茂盛；红火；繁华 ↩︎

21. tribalism 美: [ˈtraɪb(ə)lˌɪzəm] 英: [ˈtraɪbəˌlɪz(ə)m] **n.**部落习性；种族意识；部落主义；部落制度 网络派性；部族主义；部落性 ↩︎

22. denial 美: [dɪˈnaɪəl] 英: [dɪ’naɪəl] **n.**否认；否定；剥夺（应有的权利）；拒不承认（令人不快、痛苦的事） 网络拒绝；否认作用；拒绝相信 ↩︎

23. 类似邪教；邪教崇拜；类似邪教的 ↩︎

24. **v.**拿手于 网络高强；擅长；在……方面很擅长 ↩︎

25. adv. 为了…起见 网络为了…的利益；为了…的目的；为了…的缘故 ↩︎

26. Someone who is partisan strongly supports a particular person or cause, often without thinking carefully about （常指盲目）支持的，拥护的；偏袒的the matter. ↩︎

27. filibuster 美: [ˈfɪlɪˌbʌstər] 英: [ˈfɪlɪˌbʌstə®] n.【史】掠夺兵；海盗；〈美〉(用冗长的发言)妨碍会议的议员 v.〈美〉(因发言冗长)妨碍(会议的进程)；侵夺 网络 拉布；杯葛权；冗长演说阻碍法 ↩︎

28. 荣誉的徽章 ↩︎