Dewey claims ‘that the capacity of the wise few to discern the public interest tends to be distorted by their position.’ In other words, some of the economic elite has skewed perceptions toward public issues because of their elite occupation. For example, after 206 billion gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf, instead of taking responsibility, BP blamed the rig owner and cement contractor.
Dewey also reminds us that democracy is not just a form of government, but also a wide range of social relationships. With the emergence of online communication, social relationships have extended beyond face-to-face interaction. Citizens can voice their opinion regarding political agenda's using social networking sites and blogs. They no longer are restricted by the fallacies of print journalism, people have free reign to comment and react about public issues. This also informs politicians what issues citizens think are the most important. Perhaps this is why some non-democratic countries forbid their citizens from having Internet access. This way the government dictates what issues are more important than others.
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