Rant
Why do people constantly invoke the Founders when making political arguments? I mean, not for everything, but in my recent discussions on the political issues on Facebook and in other venues, I have had way too high a population try and trot out this argument for my liking.
Firstly, they lived over 200 years ago. The political and social structures of their world were inherently and vastly different than ours. Therefore, a lot of what they believed may no longer make sense within the context of the modern world. For instance, one of the reasons the Founders implimented (sp?) the Electoral College was because they were uncertain of the general public's ability to govern themselves. However, in those days it was much harder to inform one's self about the political information of the day. In our modern world, it is remarkably easy for someone to stay abreast of the political issues for the day (although I concede that, sadly, many do not bother). Hence, this argument is not as valid as it once may have been. There are other examples, but I feel I have elaborated enough on this point. (Incidentally, I got "accused" of being a "relativist" for saying this. Normally one gets called a relativist in the context of moral arguments, but this girl seriously accused me of relativism because I support abolishing the electoral college. It was kind of weird.)
Secondly, just because the Founders supported something, it doesn't mean it is a part of the very basis of our society. They gave us the ability to change the constitution specifically because they knew that different times would probably call for different solutions to governmental issues. This argument leads to many conclusions that no one would probably actually admit to, such as slavery being ok and women's suffrage being wrong. Those were both in the original constitution, so by the same argument it should still be that way. Like I said, it's foolish.
Thirdly, everyone seems to forget that the Founders were revolutionaries. I honestly feel that if they knew that people take their word as law and don't question it, they would be very disappointed. They generally believed that the government should be accountable to the people, and part of keeping someone or something accountable is asking questions. They didn't want their word to become absolute law for the rest of time. If they did, they wouldn't have given us the ability to amend the constitution.
I think that pretty much sums up my points. I just don't get people sometimes.
Firstly, they lived over 200 years ago. The political and social structures of their world were inherently and vastly different than ours. Therefore, a lot of what they believed may no longer make sense within the context of the modern world. For instance, one of the reasons the Founders implimented (sp?) the Electoral College was because they were uncertain of the general public's ability to govern themselves. However, in those days it was much harder to inform one's self about the political information of the day. In our modern world, it is remarkably easy for someone to stay abreast of the political issues for the day (although I concede that, sadly, many do not bother). Hence, this argument is not as valid as it once may have been. There are other examples, but I feel I have elaborated enough on this point. (Incidentally, I got "accused" of being a "relativist" for saying this. Normally one gets called a relativist in the context of moral arguments, but this girl seriously accused me of relativism because I support abolishing the electoral college. It was kind of weird.)
Secondly, just because the Founders supported something, it doesn't mean it is a part of the very basis of our society. They gave us the ability to change the constitution specifically because they knew that different times would probably call for different solutions to governmental issues. This argument leads to many conclusions that no one would probably actually admit to, such as slavery being ok and women's suffrage being wrong. Those were both in the original constitution, so by the same argument it should still be that way. Like I said, it's foolish.
Thirdly, everyone seems to forget that the Founders were revolutionaries. I honestly feel that if they knew that people take their word as law and don't question it, they would be very disappointed. They generally believed that the government should be accountable to the people, and part of keeping someone or something accountable is asking questions. They didn't want their word to become absolute law for the rest of time. If they did, they wouldn't have given us the ability to amend the constitution.
I think that pretty much sums up my points. I just don't get people sometimes.