To me, I do not look to the American society as the more progressive society of the two. Although the American youths are gradually getting more interested in politics, they are doing so because of the difficulties that they are faced with currently economically. They are becoming more engaged in the American politics, where it is evident in the big increase in the turnout rate of the American youths where it is reported to be the second highest turnout rate, second to when in 1972, the first year that 18-year-olds could vote in a presidential election. Also, the percentage increased by 1-6% from the 2004 elections.
All these statistics shows that there is an increasing trend where the American youths are becoming more active and concerned with politics. However, I do not look to this as the progression of the American society as it is the debt crisis that is giving the youths a push to be more engaged in politics. In July 2011, 4.1 million of the youths in America were jobless. The youths became engaged in politics as they saw it as a way that the problem could be solved, where they can vote for the person whom they think can solve the economic problems that is haunting the current youths in America, as they are the ones who are taking its impact the hardest. Hence, I do not see this as a progression.
On the contrary, the Chinese youths are becoming more and more disengaged from politics and becoming more and more ignorant towards it. From the readings that we were given, I came to realise that the Chinese youths today, unlike the older generations when they were young, no longer take any interest in politics and find no urge to ask for a change from communism to the all attractive democracy. The reading made me realise just how ignorant the youths of China today are towards politics as in one the reading, the writer described that to the youths today, Nintendo Wii is way ahead of democracy on their wish list, which just shows how politics has slowly faded away from the lives of the youths. I believe that the main cause of this degradation is the result of the comfort that the youths today are enjoying from as China is fast developing and the youths are benefiting from it, hence they see no need to challenge the ruling party now as it is bringing riches to both the country and the people.
However, I see the Chinese society as the progressive one as from what I understand, all country will ultimately progress to a better political system as the people get more educated and more become engaged in politics. Communism will not last long in China as when the day that the economy slows down, communism will lose its charm to the people and will ask for a reform. Also, I do not think that China will follow America’s footstep in becoming democratic as the educated in China has seen all the flaws in the American system.
Many argue that the American system is a very good system as it is a check and balance system, where there is the republicans and the democrats. However, I find this system, like many others a very unproductive system mainly in two aspects. Firstly, the two parties always contradict with each other where they vote against each other’s new policies, where an example would be Obama’s plan on higher tax on the rich so as to transfer the wealth to the poor, and it is heavily slammed down by the republicans as they themselves are the ones who would be affected by it. Also, the American party in power and the president changes now and then which causes their plans to be affected hence it is impossible to implement any major change to the system as it would be affected when the president or party in power changes. Hence, I believe that China would strive for a political system which would be of a balance between the goods of communism and democracy.
All in all, I believe that China is the more progressive society of the two as it still has a lot of room to improve whereas America would be stucked at the same situation for many years to come.
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