In the podcast, “Achieving Democracy’s Ideals,” featuring Danielle Allen, the idea that America’s current democracy has failed to promote equality can be analyzed through the trust lens. The introductory speakers, from the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, claim that there is a current “crisis” faced in modern democracy; by speaking as figures from an established organization from The Pennsylvania State University, there is an appeal to ethos that builds credibility and suggests the severity and magnitude of this issue. The problem in question is then compared to the Manhattan Project, in which this allusion portrays the delicacy and difficulty of evaluating the racial inequality bolstered by the United States’ democracy. By comparing democracy to nuclear war in the 20th century, it is clear that this topic is extremely volatile and is heavily debated.

To enhance the appeal to ethos and provide stronger evidence for this inherent bias, Danielle Allen is included in this discussion. Allen is an expert regarding American democracy and is a reliable source, since she is “the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University and Director of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics” and the “leader and spokesperson for Our Common Purpose from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Educating for American Democracy” (The McCourtney Institute for Democracy).

In this podcast, Allen focuses on the inequality faced within the education system, suffrage patterns, and freedom of speech. From socioeconomic bias, to women’s suffrage, to hearing the voices of varying ethnic and religious groups, Allen advocates for an increased awareness to abolish the certain niches that fuel the bureaucracy. By overviewing the previous discrimination against certain groups and critiquing the flaws of the United States government’s underrepresentation, Allen appeals to logos. Next, the idea of a “polarized” democracy is proposed, in which Allen continues rationalizing that the United States has a fractured political system. By establishing American politics on a “spectrum,” Allen incorporates analogies and concrete examples to call for logical thinking regarding this matter.

The second half of the podcast later focuses on the Constitutional Convention from the 18th century. Allen discusses the harsh contrast between modern and colonial politics, which shows a sudden digression over time. While it had taken the Founding Fathers approximately a decade to establish a written set of laws and assign possible roles and rules, modern democratic processes rush while considering serious matters. This portion of the dialogue makes listeners reconsider the ways democracy has changed over time and the latent flaws of the system. Ultimately, this culminates into an appeal to pathos, since listeners are inspired by the patriots during the American Revolution and are motivated to initiate reforms. 

Overall, Allen incorporates the trust lens to further her claim that the United States’ democracy is in desperate need of revision to create a more representative and tolerant nation. It is clear that The McCourtney Institute of Democracy’s call-to-action conveys the seriousness of this problem and that it should be resolved as soon as possible.

I attended the Redistricting event held by classmates last month and here are visuals showing my attendance and submission of the map for credit: