This blog allows students of Mr. Chazen's AP US Government classes to continue discussions, debates and conversations concerning issues and topics introduced in class.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
BLOG #3- Should Congress Look Like America?
How important is it that major demographic groups are represented in Congress? Can men adequately represent women? Can Whites represent African Americans? State your opinions.
I strongly believe that men cannot adequately represent women. They are not women, therefore do not know our perspective on events, topics, and politics. We need more women in Congress so we, the women of America, are better represented. Along the same notion whites cannot fully represent African Americans. African Americans have been suppressed greatly in American and world history, so naturally they have different views on topics. To make sure their opinion is heard and understood there needs to be more African American representatives in Congress. It isn't possible for every ethnic or religious groups are represented but we can and should strive to make sure more are represented in Congress.
As discussed in class, the majority of Congress consists of old, white, rich men. It is only common sense that they do not and cannot understand and empathize with the perspectives of women, African Americans, and other minorities. Not only should more women and African Americans run for Congress, their campaigns should be supported. It is imperative that more minority ethnic groups are represented in Congress. For example, Hispanics are a heavily growing population in the United States. Just like women and African Americans, they are underrepresented as well. However it is unrealistic for Congress to be parallel with the demographics of USA because those are always changing. Every time a census takes place, the percents of groups represented in Congress will have to change. It is still important to have major demographic groups to be represented in Congress more accurately than they are being right now.
Congress should absolutely do a better job of making Congress look more like America. America is very ethnically and culturally diverse unlike Congress which is mostly made up of middle aged white men who obviously cannot accurately represent our country because they do not have the same views and opinions of the underrepresented women and minorities of America. Congress does not effectively reflect the diverse population of America because members of each group are not included in the government and policy making. Men cannot properly represent women because they are simply aren't women and do not have the same beliefs and perspectives as us.
I feel that Congress should look more like America, but does not have to look identical. Congress, by no way shape or form looks like America, but somehow us Americans picked these people to represent us. American needs to make the changes that we want to see, if women want more women in Congress, then the women of America need to take action. Congress should not have to look like exactly like America, however more people would be pleased if their issues were presented and discussed in Congress. Further, I do not believe that is it impossible for men to represent women and/or majorities to represent minorities, it is just highly unlikely. Minorities need to realize that if they want to have power, they need to act. If the majorities feel threatened by these other groups they need to then do a better job of representing the minorities.
I definitely agree with the previous comments that Congress, in order to accurately represent the will of the citizens of America, needs to actually LOOK like America. America is consistently referred to as the melting pot, yet Congress is completely homogeneous, consisting of the old, elite white men of our country. It is ridiculous how under represented women are in congress, as they are a majority of America. Old white men cannot make decisions regarding women, simply because they are NOT women and don't understand how certain laws affect women. Though these men certainly have beliefs regarding women in America, they shouldn't solely be allowed to make laws based on that because they are not the ones subjected to them. This also relates to why there is such a great necessity for higher minority representatives in Congress. Only someone belonging to a minority can truly understand what is best for their group.
Those who run for seats in Congress and are elected deserve the seat and the place no matter who they are, because they are the ones who got the votes from their constituents. We can't blame it on them for not having a Congress that does not look like America! If there is someone to blame it is voters, it is the people! If we want a Congress that has a stronger representation of what America looks like than it's the job of those minorities to step up and jostle for votes in elections! I would not be opposed to having a Congress that looks more like America, but I frankly am not dissatisfied with the current situation, as white men such as myself have the majority, and the power. It sounds terrible/rascist/sexist that I say that, but its just the truth as taught by human nature's inclination to be selfish.
Of course, in order to serve the people to the fullest extent congress must reflect the people's interests in its representatives. Although a man cannot adequately represent a person of different ethnictiy or gender, we must not think in absolutes. There are many varying situations in which a current representative in congress can accurately understand the burdens of the average american life. The fact that congressmen live in the same country as the people they represent means they must share some degree of lifestyle as average citizens, therefore they have the abiltiy to work accordingly. Without a doubt there are communal burdens in the country felt by some and not others. Logic would dictate that a candidate sharing this burden would be the prime representative. Simply put, I agree with Corrine that initiative must be taken by minorities and women to achieve a role in congress. Representation is not a right, it is a privilege that must be earned. Fault cannot be placed on the government for inadequately representing its citizens if its citizens do not try to influence government at all. Ideally, if representation is not sought after there is no reason to apply policy to them at all.
I believe that Congress needs to have more equal representation of American citizens. Currently, it consists of mostly old, rich, white men, and while there are old, rich, white men in America, this country is made of so much more. However, for everyone to be represented, the people must vote for the women and the minorities. Like we discussed in class, we can not force Congress to equally represent America through law. This could lead to people being in Congress not because of their political skill, but because of the color of their skin.
I believe that it is important that major demographics are represented in Congress because, seeing as these groups of people are so numerous, their issues make up an equally large part of the country's issues and need to be addressed. The rich, white, older men that practically rule over Congress cannot adequately represent women, African Americans, or other minorities because they are not a member of these groups. Someone who is not part of another group cannot fully sympathize with their issues, so that is why Congress needs more diversity to represent all of the different types of people that reside in the United States. However, I agree with Corinne and Steven that minorities need to work together for representation in Congress, not just demand it. Congress will continue to inadequately represent the country if minorities do not come together to make a stronger influence.
The 113th Congress is 95% Caucasians and 81.6% Male (CNN 2014). With the mindset that THIS is the most bipolar congress of the decade is very frightening in the sense that people that believe that just because someone's a democrat or a republican means that they oppose each other on every single issue. Let's face it, most politicians are there just to get into office, that's the main job of a political party after all. How do you get elected into a party? By appealing to the general population. It's kind hard to appeal to them if your running opponent is using millions of dollars funding into their campaign to get commericals and ads everywhere you see. The minorities of America CANNOT get their voice out because the people whom are trying to be so overwhelmed by the people of higher status. They aren't able to get any of their political platforms heard, not able to get nominated, therefore not going to be able to be voted for. How can we blame the voters for not choosing the right representative when those people cannot be heard or chosen in the first place?
I believe that every race/sex goes through different situations that makes it hard for them to represent each other. To start I think minorities should represent themselves because of the discrimination they are put through. For Hispanics and African Americans there is a lot of racism so how would a white person, man or women, be able to represent them well without going through that. Women on the other hand have problems with being represented with their own health. Abortion and things of that nature are seen as not needed things because there are not women who can adequately explain how important those things can be for girls' well being.
I believe that the whole point of a representative democracy is for our government to truly represent America--and this means that Congress should demographically look a lot more similar to America than it is currently. Right now, Congress tends to be old, white, and male when compared to the rest of America and I feel that this falls short, especially on issues that involve minority rights or issues. This could be a reason why topics such as immigration and Ferguson are so big right now. Congress cannot be made up of representatives if it doesn't truly represent all the people in America as they should be represented.
I mainly agree with Drew, on the basis that it is the Citizen's fault if they are not happy with the look of congress. Minority groups need to come together and vote to place more diverse representative in congress. It may be that some of those "old, white men" represent the opinions of some of the minorities. It is not my place to say who represents who, however I will say that even if older white men represented minorities (which they probably do not) it would still be best to elect minorities into congress for the possibility of congress being more productive. At least a new group of people would be brought in, trying to pass a different agenda, making congress most likely more productive.
I believe that Congress does not need to look like America because it is the people who vote for the representatives. Although older, white men may not be able to make the best decisions for other groups like youth, African Americans, women, etc. these officials were elected into office and deserve the position they worked hard to get. On the other hand having Congress look more like America with the right proportion of men and women along with race, could help change Congress’ view on certain topics connected with groups that are being underrepresented currently. Overall, I believe Congress doesn’t need to look like America because the people vote for who they want and it just so happens that the majority are white men.
It seems that most of the comments on the blog so far have been for a congress that equally represents the American demographic. However, we must see that this is impossible to do on all levels. Because people vote on candidates based on their residential area, we must first divide the racial makeup of America not just by one country, but by each separate district, where people vote. Creating the hypothetical situation where we have candidates from all demographics, and everybody votes for people who share that same demographic, and whites would win in almost all, if not every, election. Even if Congress at the national level was equally represented to look like America, within many states and districts this would look disproportionate to the population. Therefore, it's not reasonable for us to strive to make sure Congress looks like America, as it would only create a disproportion on another level. Another issue I have with equal representation is the sacrifice of progress for equality. By introducing equal rates of minorities into Congress, we are progressing more and more towards a hyperpluralist state. America has successfully run on a two party system, but with the introduction of many minorities many more issues are brought to the forefront, potentially creating a multiparty system as more and more points of view are brought to the forefront of society and given more power. While this may serve to get many issues heard within Congress, it also prevents many of them from passing, as the spectrum of opinions on these issues will be more varied. Another problem is that whites will still control a majority of the seats, and even with the women and men split almost 50/50 there won't be a clear cut majority to protect minority and women's rights, leading to continued argumentation and compromising, effectively leading America right into a gridlock. Although ideally everyone should be equally represented within our Governmental system, this is impossible to achieve. Madison's republic may have helped to protect minority rights, but by encroaching more and more upon democratic principles we are specifically progressing to a period without progress, where although more issues may be brought up they will just as quickly be shot down by the majority.
I believe that Congress doesn't have to represent America to the point where it precisely matches up proportionally with the population, but there should be more diversity in Congress. Women are in no way a minority, but are underrepresented in Congress. In order for everybody to have a voice in our government, i feel like there should be more minorities and women in Congress.
I believe that Congress should be proportionate to America when it comes to representing gender and race, but that’s as far down as it should go. I don’t think that we should keep splitting populations based on other things like who wears glasses or anything. I think that in order to achieve the proper voting patterns and give certain groups’ rights the proper attention proportionate representation is needed. I’m going to focus on women because that’s what I’m truly passionate about. I think that in order to get the actual voting patterns that occur in America, women need to be elected into Congress. And people brought up the point that the book says that women just don’t run, but I counter with the fact that women do try to run, but the primaries that decide who truly runs for the spot is controlled by men. (Also, look at who wrote the book: a male). So women may run, but the common woman never sees that because they are decided against in the primaries controlled by men! Another thing that makes it more difficult for women to actually get into Congress is how people actually vote according to sex. The fact is that if you have two candidates, one woman and one man, the general male population is more likely to vote for the male simply because he is male, even if the woman is more qualified. Women on the other hand don’t show this bias when it comes to voting; they tend to vote on who is the most qualified person. So of course women don’t get elected, males don’t even look at qualifications, they just vote for the male. So I believe that I order to equally represent America, white men need to let women get past the primaries and run for office and males need to vote based on qualifications. (They also need to stop thinking that they know how a woman’s mind works because they obviously don’t)
Ideally, Congress would look like America because people can bring diverse perspectives to the legislative system. White men probably cannot fully understand the factors that influence minorities' and women's viewpoints. However, Congress can only be what voters decide. At the moment, it's made up of rich old white men because of several factors. One is that women run for office at lower rates than men do. And voter turnout rates among different age, gender, and racial demographics certainly play a role. Voters are the only ones who can change this. The homogeneity of Congress can only change if more women and minorities run for office and people actually show up to vote.
I believe that congress should reflect the gender and racial composition of America. I agree with Brittany that men cannot sufficiently represent women due to a difference in perspective and a lack of understanding on how laws they pass directly affect women. The same lack of perspective appropriately represented by whites. African Americans, along with other racial minorities need representation proportional to their population, just as women and other genders do.In order to fix this problem, we need to figure out why people elect so many old, white, rich men, and lot of it comes down to having money and the support to run a campaign.
I think Congress would best represent the American population if the number of representatives of each gender was proportional to the actual population of each gender. I think this because there are certainly some issues that pertain mostly to women. For instance, the issue of abortion is something that has a greater effect on women, and thus they should be accurately represented when voting on or discussing the issue in government. Currently, the female population is not accurately represented in Congress, and it is a form of gender discrimination in our country. Although I think Congress SHOULD have more women, I think it would be unjust to promote affirmative action for women in their participation in government. This is because the U.S. promotes democracy, and representatives should be chosen by the people; if the people of America decide not to elect women, then so be it.
Yes, Congress should look like America. By the very nature of the title, representatives should truly be a manifestation of the people that elect them. This is not to say that a man could not adequately represent a woman, or vice versa, or that a white person could not adequately represent a black person, but I agree with Madison's opinion in Federalist #10 that ultimately, the leader of a faction will be biased towards their own interests. Therefore, to protect the people from simple human nature, where humans will ultimately serve their own interests, Congress needs to look like America. Even if the typical white, male Congressman truly does believe in promoting the interests of minorities, he still may be persuaded to go against this belief in some cases because he is not of the minority that he claims to represent. Though I believe some politicians are willing to represent minorities, people from these minorities need to represent themselves as a precaution against human nature. Men should not represent men and women; men and women should represent men and women. The same goes for racial minorities.
In class, the most shocking element of the legislative branch which I felt was its inability to effectively represent minority groups. I feel as though Congress isn’t properly representing minority groups and women in America. According to the facts from class, more than half of the US is composed of women, yet in Congress less than twenty percent are actual representatives. Most of the members of Congress are middle-aged white men, meaning the policies and bills that will be passed will concern healthcare and social security for retirement. According to the statistics from the previous unit, the white majority group and men are more likely to vote and support the Republican Party. This could mean the Democratic Party is underrepresented both due to being the minority party, and due to the lack of female and minority group legislators. However, in the future, the white group will become a minority in approximately 2040, especially due to Hispanics. If Congress represented an actual population of US Citizens, the Republican Party may become underrepresented itself in the near future.
I think that Congress is a pile of incoherent feces, who are so easily and greatly corruptible that any real form of "representation" or "governance" has long been dispelled as lofty ideology. Because of this, I don't believe it matters what Congress looks like, because I don't believe that having more women and minorities in congress will make much of a difference--corruption and political games ensure this. On an ideological level, I suppose Congress should look like America, but any process to do so would stop America from actually voting. But again, based solely in ideology, why, if the House is already based on our population, should it not be based on our gender and ethnicity?
Congress has the potential to look like America, but that has never happened because of the lack of interest by minorities to run for office. If women, or African Americans, or Asians, or Hispanics don't want to run and be in office then they would not best serve our country. America needs people in Congress that want to be there and want to do their job. And if that means older, white, rich men then so be it. If positions were handed out to the minorities just because Congress had to look like and represent America, then there would potentially be numerous amounts of Senators and Representatives that didn't want to do their job in representing their people.
I feel that is quite important for there to be more representation in the Congress. It is difficult for men to completely understand how it is to be a woman and thus see how important it is to protect their rights. However, there are some men who do understand this and can try to push for laws for more equality but it would be better to have an actual woman represent that cause. Minorities are similar in which it is difficult for a caucasian to truly step into the shoes of a minority and push for the right laws for equality. This really can be said for many differences seen in people like wealth or sexual orientation. In the end, people are going to look out for their own interests and will most likely see other groups' interests as unimportant.
I strongly believe that congress should look like America especially given our history as a country. Given our problems as a country we faced and still face concerning racial segregation it is important we have equal representation in congress so that we can limit and maybe even bring racial discrimination to an end in this country. Also we should have more women in congress to express their opinions on things such as abortion and rape seeing as though not that many 60 year old rich white guys get date rapped and/or pregnant with no money to support their child. Why should a white man make decision for all women or all other ethnicities.
I do not believe that men can represent women, nor can women represent men. I agree with Brittany's comment when she stated that men and women don't share the same viewpoints on all topics, showing that one gender cant adequately represent the other. Second, in order for minorities to be represented more, there needs to be more people of these minorities in congress. But, at the same time, there isn't enough room for every minority group obviously but we should definitely want more diversity in congress in order to represent the minorities better then what we do now.
I believe that Congress does not need to look exactly like America. Like we touched on in class, I believe that once Americans begin worrying about percentages and equal representation, it will require congress to be sensitive to everything a person could possibly be offended about. For example, Americans could take it beyond a racial or gender-al issue and extend the need for an equal ratio of immigrants to be in congress because immigrants should be well represented or people that are homeless should be represented because they need someone who understands what it is like to be homeless and living in poverty. When Congress begins worrying about equal representation, there will always be more groups that want to be represented equally as well. All in all, what is important is for americans to elect representatives that will be conscious about each group to their best ability.
Ideally, that would be nice. That would definitely represent America better. Although people may say they can represent people of a different gender or race, they will never be able to full understand their beliefs. However, if minorities are not running for positions in congress, there's nothing we can do to change that. Making sure every group is accurately represented is it a little unrealistic. Should we encourage these minorities to run for these positions? Absolutely. But we shouldn't put someone of a minority in congress before someone of a majority solely because there are not enough of them in congress.
Congress does not necessarily need to demographically represent America equally. The people elected into congress should be elected because they are willing to put in the work, put themselves out there and run, and have the qualifications to lead the government. People in congress make decisions on issues that reach their political agenda. As long as minorities are able to get their voice heard to the leaders in congress, then it will be addressed. And media and other forms of gov. have better ways of communicating the needs of the people than ever before. That's one of the basic things we learned from the first unit. Further, if everyone wants congress to represent America better demographically, then voters need to change. The people in Congress are determined by us, so if we want people in congress to represent us more demographically then it is the responsibility of people who hold that belief to go and change that. No one can legally stop you from voting, and the people in congress currently were voting in directly by the people, so I fully support the current way in which Americans are represented in Congress.
I agree with previous commenters that congress should look more like congress. The U.S. Population is not well represented by our elected officials. I mean seriously, The United States is around 6% red haired, while there is only one congressman who has red hair. I believe as a redhead we deserve more representation in congress. For six precent of the population, that is ~26 representatives and 6 senators. Redheaded officials will pay more attention to redhead issues, like the stigma attached to redheads in our society.
I have something to say to the people who do not consider redheads an important group in America: You do not know what it is like to not have representation, you do not understand why this is so important.
Congress should look roughly like America. As Mahnoor said, it would be impractical to try and do something like change the representation numbers every census, but there does need to be some kind of change to balance out the current unequal representation. More focus should be put on encouraging minorities (or in women's case, majority) for running. The problem of unequal representation will not go away without drastic impractical change, but it can be ameliorated.
Congress indeed should be a representation of the american people. A room of darkness couldnt show someone what light looks like and vise versa. If congress doesnt incorporate a diversity of its people, it would not be able to adequately be able to represent their issues and beliefs
Ideally, yes congress should look like America. While I don't think it is impossible for a man to represent a woman or for a Caucasian to represent a minority, people are naturally selfish. That is why the needs of women, minorities, and the poor are not always met. Even if a politician has the best interest of people unlike themselves at heart, he/she could still potentially be inclined to put the needs of their own demographic above the needs of others. Like I said, I don't think it's impossible for a man to sympathize for woman, nor is it impossible for a white to sympathize with minorities. Realistically however, merely sympathizing with the public does not always go very far in congress. In a perfect, model version of the USA, congress would look like the American population. But I also agree with Drew Bonnett, the reason congress is full of rich, old white men is because they are elected into that position. If Americans are dissatisfied with this, then they need to take the initiative and vote in way where they feel they are more adequately represented. It is America's fault that congress does not replicate the American population.
When it came to this blog, it felt almost as if we flushed everything that we learned this year down the drain. Guys, "learning isn't toilet paper"(Chazen 2014). Why would it matter that we truly represent America as a nation proportionately if it ends up meaning that the powers of states are pretty much irrelevant in today's congress. Also, this view of women being the only ones capable to represent women is fatally flawed, this theory ignores and silences women of color, working women, older women, lesbians,religious women, and others. The point it, allowing congress to reflect america demographically is a change that is only skin deep and ignores the changes made at different intersections of society.This one view fits all version of the world that supporters of the question suggest kills any form of real understanding of the world. Futhermore, if this is really such a large issue that the fundamental rights of people is at stake then the US has a court system that deals with this. So even though Congress is filled with old white people: a. Representation isn't something superficial like the color of a skin or the sex of a person b. any bills passed would still have to be reasonable because it's limited by the president that wants to appease the people, and the courts that have to uphold justice. tl;dr: don't waste our time fussing over the equalities of congress when it could possible hinder progress.
I think it is very important that different demographics are represented in the government. However, we do live in America and they're so many different people that I see it almost as if we can't. There is no way that even if we took one person from every group and made them a special group that decided things, that they would all choose the right things for their demographics. Example, one man definitely has a different view than another man. So with that, how would you know who to put into office? How would you know who is right? There is just no way for that to work. Regards to man to women and white to African American. I do not believe a man can effectively represent a women because he does not generally see things from her point of view and likewise with a girl to a guy. That's why opposites attract. But they do not understand one another completely. And same with whites to African Americans... A white man is going to have totally different views than a Black man when it comes to anything racial. But I don't think that's fair to compare them though. Everyone has different opinions on things and that's why the government will never be perfect because with billions of people, no one will ever be on the same page.
I believe that it doesnt matter what race or gender you are to be a representative in congress. It should be who would represent this country the best regardless of being male or female: black or white. If we start breaking everything up then we may not be picking the best candidates but only picking people based on race and gender. If a male and female are comepetting against eachother then the person who should get elected should be the one who is most qualified and not just given to either one or the other because they want to make congress more diverse. Although diversity is a good thing it should not be the sole bases on who gets elected into congress.
I believe that whoever is suited best should represent congress. It should not be based on demographics, it should be based on who is able enough to help benefit our nation. If you start allowing every ethnic background, there may be some individuals that are not as well suited as others. I believe that the united states should continue to run congress the way they do now.
Congress may be composed of many white men, but their representation of demographic groups, such as women and minorities, is fair. These representatives, no matter what background they come from, are still voted on by the people, and have to make decisions based on what their voters think in order to stay favorable and in office. Women and minorities should quit complaining about having none of themselves in office and step up to run for office; as our current president proves it is possible for minorities to win even the most coveted and important offices. Major groups have the right and should be fairly represented in congress, but unless they step up and quit complaining congress will continue to be dominated by old white men.
Congress' demographics of representation are fine how they are. This is primarily due to the reason that people cannot turn an issue that has absolutely nothing to do with race/sex in to one.
All people (who meet the VERY relaxed requirements outlined in the constitution)have the right to run for congress - regardless of race, religion, or ethical background. The fact that congress is made of "old white men" truly does represent America - not demographically, but politically. These people are fairly voted in to their position by the PEOPLE of the United States - entrusted by men, women, whites, blacks, asians, latinos and everyone else alike to represent them. As previously stated - there's no barrier preventing anyone from running for election - except for possibly racism or sexism. However, in a horrible way, doesn't this show the American idealogoy? If a black woman cannot beat a white male in a race in Alabama, in a twisted way it shows how the people feel - therefore, even if it is racist, the white male would truly represent those people better because he is what they want - and vise versa in other communities.
While I feel that white men could most definitely represent women and minority races quite well, they are not. Today's politicians focus solely on doing what's best for them or their particular groups. The old, white, protestant, rich men in Congress predominantly focus on issues and benefits relating to older, white, richer, protestant men. More needs to be done in order to represent those who do not fit into those groups, because these groups are becoming an increasingly prevalent aspect of our society and country and they need to have their interests represented. That being said, the people should have the ultimate say in who represents them. If there is a district that has a strong Latino population that decides to vote a white man as their representative, that should not be questioned; that is, whomever they chose, that is who they should represent them. What I mean is that that Congress shouldn't necessarily be exactly proportionate to the general population, yes all groups interests must be represented but we should not force a percentage of Congress to be made up of African Americans because of how many African Americans live in this country. Many people are stating how different groups have different interests, ideas, and viewpoints, which is completely true, but if one of these minority groups decides someone else can best represent them that is outside of the parameters of their particular group, I have no problem with that. In short, yes old, white men can, in fact, represent women and minority groups exceptionally well, no they are not doing a very god job with it, and, while it is imperative that the interests of these groups be better represented, it does not have to be a member of their group that they elect as their champion.
I believe that many cultures should be represented in Congress, however I believe that if more men get voted in than women, that is not a problem. I believe that the best fit candidate for the job should be elected, whether it be a male or a female. I support diversity in Congress, however if more women would like to get voted in, more women should run. I don't think that someone should be elected solely on demographics, I believe that the candidate that best fits the job should be elected, whether its a male, female, white, black, Asain, Hispanic, etc. If women want their opinions to be heard then the number of women that run should increase. I don't think that just because there are a lot of men in Congress, that we have a huge problem, however I do support diversity in Congress.
I believe that America needs more women in Congress. With the population of women being high then men, how does it make sense that there are so little women in Congress? Men do not have the same perspectives as women do. But we also need equal representation of all races/ethnic groups in Congress. Different types of people are effected differently and all voices must be heard to fairly and efficiently run this country. By hearing the issues from everyone's perspective will allow changes to be made that will be good for all, just not one specific group.
Congress does not look like America at all and I feel this is a problem because this is the most diverse nation in the world but its leaders do not fully represent the country. However, if America wants a more diverse government it has to fist vote the different people in instead of complaining and secondly get more people of different backgrounds to vote. These to things will encourage a more diverse government. One of this countries biggest problems is complaining about issues and not figuring out ways to fix them. If the country votes and uses its rights correctly than most of these problems will go away instantly.
I fully support diversity in Congress to better represent America. While it is unrealistic to expect Congress to perfectly reflect America 100%, there can still be more representation of different groups in Congress. While I believe in selecting the best person for the job, I think it is unrealistic to believe that a very small percentage of a group can accurately and fairly represent their group in the scope of America. For example, America is 53% women while congress only holds a mere 17%. While that could be in part that not enough women are running, I think that we need to allow for a general representation of different groups so that they can be fairly supported in Congress to get their needs heard and met.
I believe that it is important to represent certain groups such as women and African Americans in Congress because without their representation, it is impossible for us to fully meet their needs and understand their struggles. Although it is important to have a diverse representation, it is up to the American people to vote for who is in office. If there are not women or African Americans who are running that are capable of doing their job, then we should not be forced to elect them based on our want for a diverse Congress. We should elect the leaders who will best look after the American people, not those who "fit the bill."
In response to Mariel, I do not agree that Congress needs to look like American population on the basis that America is the melting pot. America really is a melting pot in which cultures, ideologies and traditions from other countries come together to create something new... something distinctly American. However, even though it has been found that a majority of Congress is represented by upper class white males, we need to keep into consideration that these people are being voted into office. Like we discussed earlier, older people tend to vote more and in the generations before ours, white citizens were the majority. So we might have a majority of voters with the attitude leaning in favor of white males. On the other hand, in 15 to 20 years when it is projected that the so called "minorities" will overpopulate those of European descent, it is highly likely that the candidates running as white males will not receive the same kind of support that they used to. In response to the idea that women are severely underrepresented, that is a problem, but that could also stem from the slight bias that male voters may hold against women candidates whereas women do not hold the same bias against men candidates. These things can change at any time in the near future. Having a proportion designed after the actual cultural climate of the population might become stifling though.
America's underepresented groups should be entitled to aid in the running of their candidates, though not at the cost of qualification. Minority representation is a problem that canot be solved with principles similar to affermative action as in education. The danger of attepts to change the homogeniety of Congress is the paradoxical creation of an overfragmanted, incoherent house in the Senate resulting in more gridlocks, insatisfying policies and general lack of orientation. The best solution is to support possivle candidates for minority groups to run, and to certain limit extend their chances of winning office.
Going back to what Brittany said, I also believe that one gender cannot adequately represent the other. I also believe that it is up to America who gets elected and who doesn't. If America wanted more minorities in office, then they would have voted for them. Congress should look more like America, but we just cant hand minorities jobs just because they are a "minority". We should let everyone earn their right to be elected.
As citizens, we are electing representatives that hold the same beliefs as we do. And by electing into power someone who holds the same beliefs and agenda as you do, we are deciding what is represented in congress. The representives are representing the peoples beliefs. We dont need congrees to physically look like america, we just need congress to mentally hold the same reasoning and thoughts as America. If women had certain issues they wanted adressed, they would elect someone who would deal with those particular issues. If an african American had specific issues or concerns, then they would elcect a respresentitive who would take care of those issues.
Congress does not necessarily have to look like America. If people feel differently about this statement, then they should run themselves. You cannot complain about lack of representation of a certain race or gender in the Congress if the candidates who are running are all alike. The best qualified people are elected to be in Congress, not the most diverse. I do believe more women and minorities should be encouraged to run, but I disagree for the people to then vote based on the fact that they are a minority. The best people, despite their gender or race, should be in Congress. It's as simple as that.
In order to insure that all groups have some representation, Congress should at least somewhat resemble America. However, Congress needn't look exactly like America. For example, there should be a minimum of a few women in Congress in order for American females to be represented. However, the number of women in Congress shouldn't necessarily be proportional to the number of American females. Perhaps there are men in Congress that females believe represent their political views well enough. In that case, it is alright to have more men in Congress, additional to a few women of course. Therefore, as long as the American people feel as though they are represented by Congress, regardless of gender or anything else, Congress doesn't have to look 100% like America, although some resemblance should be evident.
I believe that whites cannot represent minorities just as men and women cannot adequately represent each other because they are not each other and they do not know the intricate beliefs and values of each other. Whites do not know what the minorities complain about. Even minorities from upper versus lower classes don't know each others values and problems. Every race, gender, and class is different and has different values and therefore they cannot adequately represent one another. The number of representatives of each section of the population should be represented according to the percentages according to the most recent census, that way, nobody is really left out of very important life changing, country changing decisions.
I think that it is important for the major demographic groups to be represent in Congress, however, I also agree with Rebecca that the wealthy white males are being voted for by the people to continue to be in Congress. People are voting for who they want to represent them and if they win the majority vote, then they represent their people. Congress doesn’t need to look like America because then nothing would ever get passed and everyone would just be voting for their own bills to pass and it would lead to a gridlock (or government shutdown). Also I believe that men can represent women to a certain point because of proof that abortion bills get “destroyed” before they can make it even a real thing. The people in Congress represent what the majority want and something that is hated among the general public will most likely not be passed. I believe that it needs to be more proportional because on other issues, we need both perspectives. Next, I believe that whatever issues that are prevalent in society will be represented in Congress. If there needs to be something fixed for a certain group, such as African Americans, than I believe that will happen eventually, however, I believe they need more representatives to make sure things are getting done. If women or people from minority groups do not want to run or do not get elected by the people, it is due to that individual and the people in America. It is ultimately how the majority of people decide who they want to represent them.
In the status quo, Congress does not accurately represent the demographics of America- if we are only looking at race and gender. One would think that by the only way to properly represent the people as a whole and truly achieve popular sovereignty would be to make congress "look like America". However just to put this simply, congress will be able to aptly reflect American ideals without looking like America as a whole. For example, just because I am le minority does not mean I will le vote for the le minority candidate, because it's not about the skin color, but the ideals. Maybe the le minority candidate will le be neo nazi or something, yet still look like me. I would rather have today's congress than have a congress that looks like America but have the ideals of a Neo-Nazi. Granted, physical appearance and race/gender sometimes do correspond with ideals, but they are not le one and le same, and you should remember that, fellow patriot.
it is of the utmost importance that people of different demographics are represented in America. What is it if not a country full of diversity? A country by the people, of the people, and for the people. So all of the people that live there should be represented. A vast majority of the country isn't white. The white-American populace cannot represent African-Americans nor any other cultural group. They're much too different. Just like the individual person, everyone has their own beliefs and ideals. Yet whites could represent African-Americans if they chose whites to represent them. That's not the case, there's severe underrepresentation of different peoples in the government. Men could represent women if women wanted to be represented by men and hey, we're all people. But different groups feel certain ways, whether those feelings be large or small. Men are just the only options in many cases because their aren't as many women who run or win office. It's a sort of norm to expect a man to run in things. One of the many things that should change in the American government. Men can't and shouldn't be the ones to represent all of the men and women of the country.
I believe that anyone has the potential to represent anyone. Anyone can listen to anyone and anyone can vote the same way as someone else. Anyone can propose any law. Therefore all that matters in realty is how they vote. If someone isn't happy with their representation they should try get someone else into office through campaigning, voting etc. It is for these reasons that I do not care about the gender or race of congress. Ideally congress would "look like America". However this could be a difficult task. If there was a candidate of every race running and everyone voted for the candidate of their race mostly white people would be elected. This is because currently white people make up the majority of the populous in many areas. Another possible explanation for the current makeup of congress could be that the candidates who are running could be mostly white men. Again if people have a problem with this then they should select different candidates in the first place.
61 comments:
I strongly believe that men cannot adequately represent women. They are not women, therefore do not know our perspective on events, topics, and politics. We need more women in Congress so we, the women of America, are better represented. Along the same notion whites cannot fully represent African Americans. African Americans have been suppressed greatly in American and world history, so naturally they have different views on topics. To make sure their opinion is heard and understood there needs to be more African American representatives in Congress. It isn't possible for every ethnic or religious groups are represented but we can and should strive to make sure more are represented in Congress.
As discussed in class, the majority of Congress consists of old, white, rich men. It is only common sense that they do not and cannot understand and empathize with the perspectives of women, African Americans, and other minorities. Not only should more women and African Americans run for Congress, their campaigns should be supported. It is imperative that more minority ethnic groups are represented in Congress. For example, Hispanics are a heavily growing population in the United States. Just like women and African Americans, they are underrepresented as well. However it is unrealistic for Congress to be parallel with the demographics of USA because those are always changing. Every time a census takes place, the percents of groups represented in Congress will have to change. It is still important to have major demographic groups to be represented in Congress more accurately than they are being right now.
Congress should absolutely do a better job of making Congress look more like America. America is very ethnically and culturally diverse unlike Congress which is mostly made up of middle aged white men who obviously cannot accurately represent our country because they do not have the same views and opinions of the underrepresented women and minorities of America. Congress does not effectively reflect the diverse population of America because members of each group are not included in the government and policy making. Men cannot properly represent women because they are simply aren't women and do not have the same beliefs and perspectives as us.
I feel that Congress should look more like America, but does not have to look identical. Congress, by no way shape or form looks like America, but somehow us Americans picked these people to represent us. American needs to make the changes that we want to see, if women want more women in Congress, then the women of America need to take action. Congress should not have to look like exactly like America, however more people would be pleased if their issues were presented and discussed in Congress. Further, I do not believe that is it impossible for men to represent women and/or majorities to represent minorities, it is just highly unlikely. Minorities need to realize that if they want to have power, they need to act. If the majorities feel threatened by these other groups they need to then do a better job of representing the minorities.
I definitely agree with the previous comments that Congress, in order to accurately represent the will of the citizens of America, needs to actually LOOK like America. America is consistently referred to as the melting pot, yet Congress is completely homogeneous, consisting of the old, elite white men of our country. It is ridiculous how under represented women are in congress, as they are a majority of America. Old white men cannot make decisions regarding women, simply because they are NOT women and don't understand how certain laws affect women. Though these men certainly have beliefs regarding women in America, they shouldn't solely be allowed to make laws based on that because they are not the ones subjected to them. This also relates to why there is such a great necessity for higher minority representatives in Congress. Only someone belonging to a minority can truly understand what is best for their group.
Those who run for seats in Congress and are elected deserve the seat and the place no matter who they are, because they are the ones who got the votes from their constituents. We can't blame it on them for not having a Congress that does not look like America! If there is someone to blame it is voters, it is the people! If we want a Congress that has a stronger representation of what America looks like than it's the job of those minorities to step up and jostle for votes in elections! I would not be opposed to having a Congress that looks more like America, but I frankly am not dissatisfied with the current situation, as white men such as myself have the majority, and the power. It sounds terrible/rascist/sexist that I say that, but its just the truth as taught by human nature's inclination to be selfish.
Of course, in order to serve the people to the fullest extent congress must reflect the people's interests in its representatives. Although a man cannot adequately represent a person of different ethnictiy or gender, we must not think in absolutes. There are many varying situations in which a current representative in congress can accurately understand the burdens of the average american life. The fact that congressmen live in the same country as the people they represent means they must share some degree of lifestyle as average citizens, therefore they have the abiltiy to work accordingly. Without a doubt there are communal burdens in the country felt by some and not others. Logic would dictate that a candidate sharing this burden would be the prime representative. Simply put, I agree with Corrine that initiative must be taken by minorities and women to achieve a role in congress. Representation is not a right, it is a privilege that must be earned. Fault cannot be placed on the government for inadequately representing its citizens if its citizens do not try to influence government at all. Ideally, if representation is not sought after there is no reason to apply policy to them at all.
I believe that Congress needs to have more equal representation of American citizens. Currently, it consists of mostly old, rich, white men, and while there are old, rich, white men in America, this country is made of so much more. However, for everyone to be represented, the people must vote for the women and the minorities. Like we discussed in class, we can not force Congress to equally represent America through law. This could lead to people being in Congress not because of their political skill, but because of the color of their skin.
I believe that it is important that major demographics are represented in Congress because, seeing as these groups of people are so numerous, their issues make up an equally large part of the country's issues and need to be addressed. The rich, white, older men that practically rule over Congress cannot adequately represent women, African Americans, or other minorities because they are not a member of these groups. Someone who is not part of another group cannot fully sympathize with their issues, so that is why Congress needs more diversity to represent all of the different types of people that reside in the United States. However, I agree with Corinne and Steven that minorities need to work together for representation in Congress, not just demand it. Congress will continue to inadequately represent the country if minorities do not come together to make a stronger influence.
The 113th Congress is 95% Caucasians and 81.6% Male (CNN 2014). With the mindset that THIS is the most bipolar congress of the decade is very frightening in the sense that people that believe that just because someone's a democrat or a republican means that they oppose each other on every single issue. Let's face it, most politicians are there just to get into office, that's the main job of a political party after all. How do you get elected into a party? By appealing to the general population. It's kind hard to appeal to them if your running opponent is using millions of dollars funding into their campaign to get commericals and ads everywhere you see. The minorities of America CANNOT get their voice out because the people whom are trying to be so overwhelmed by the people of higher status. They aren't able to get any of their political platforms heard, not able to get nominated, therefore not going to be able to be voted for. How can we blame the voters for not choosing the right representative when those people cannot be heard or chosen in the first place?
I believe that every race/sex goes through different situations that makes it hard for them to represent each other. To start I think minorities should represent themselves because of the discrimination they are put through. For Hispanics and African Americans there is a lot of racism so how would a white person, man or women, be able to represent them well without going through that. Women on the other hand have problems with being represented with their own health. Abortion and things of that nature are seen as not needed things because there are not women who can adequately explain how important those things can be for girls' well being.
I believe that the whole point of a representative democracy is for our government to truly represent America--and this means that Congress should demographically look a lot more similar to America than it is currently. Right now, Congress tends to be old, white, and male when compared to the rest of America and I feel that this falls short, especially on issues that involve minority rights or issues. This could be a reason why topics such as immigration and Ferguson are so big right now. Congress cannot be made up of representatives if it doesn't truly represent all the people in America as they should be represented.
I mainly agree with Drew, on the basis that it is the Citizen's fault if they are not happy with the look of congress. Minority groups need to come together and vote to place more diverse representative in congress. It may be that some of those "old, white men" represent the opinions of some of the minorities. It is not my place to say who represents who, however I will say that even if older white men represented minorities (which they probably do not) it would still be best to elect minorities into congress for the possibility of congress being more productive. At least a new group of people would be brought in, trying to pass a different agenda, making congress most likely more productive.
I believe that Congress does not need to look like America because it is the people who vote for the representatives. Although older, white men may not be able to make the best decisions for other groups like youth, African Americans, women, etc. these officials were elected into office and deserve the position they worked hard to get. On the other hand having Congress look more like America with the right proportion of men and women along with race, could help change Congress’ view on certain topics connected with groups that are being underrepresented currently. Overall, I believe Congress doesn’t need to look like America because the people vote for who they want and it just so happens that the majority are white men.
It seems that most of the comments on the blog so far have been for a congress that equally represents the American demographic. However, we must see that this is impossible to do on all levels. Because people vote on candidates based on their residential area, we must first divide the racial makeup of America not just by one country, but by each separate district, where people vote. Creating the hypothetical situation where we have candidates from all demographics, and everybody votes for people who share that same demographic, and whites would win in almost all, if not every, election. Even if Congress at the national level was equally represented to look like America, within many states and districts this would look disproportionate to the population. Therefore, it's not reasonable for us to strive to make sure Congress looks like America, as it would only create a disproportion on another level.
Another issue I have with equal representation is the sacrifice of progress for equality. By introducing equal rates of minorities into Congress, we are progressing more and more towards a hyperpluralist state. America has successfully run on a two party system, but with the introduction of many minorities many more issues are brought to the forefront, potentially creating a multiparty system as more and more points of view are brought to the forefront of society and given more power. While this may serve to get many issues heard within Congress, it also prevents many of them from passing, as the spectrum of opinions on these issues will be more varied. Another problem is that whites will still control a majority of the seats, and even with the women and men split almost 50/50 there won't be a clear cut majority to protect minority and women's rights, leading to continued argumentation and compromising, effectively leading America right into a gridlock.
Although ideally everyone should be equally represented within our Governmental system, this is impossible to achieve. Madison's republic may have helped to protect minority rights, but by encroaching more and more upon democratic principles we are specifically progressing to a period without progress, where although more issues may be brought up they will just as quickly be shot down by the majority.
I believe that Congress doesn't have to represent America to the point where it precisely matches up proportionally with the population, but there should be more diversity in Congress. Women are in no way a minority, but are underrepresented in Congress. In order for everybody to have a voice in our government, i feel like there should be more minorities and women in Congress.
I believe that Congress should be proportionate to America when it comes to representing gender and race, but that’s as far down as it should go. I don’t think that we should keep splitting populations based on other things like who wears glasses or anything. I think that in order to achieve the proper voting patterns and give certain groups’ rights the proper attention proportionate representation is needed. I’m going to focus on women because that’s what I’m truly passionate about. I think that in order to get the actual voting patterns that occur in America, women need to be elected into Congress. And people brought up the point that the book says that women just don’t run, but I counter with the fact that women do try to run, but the primaries that decide who truly runs for the spot is controlled by men. (Also, look at who wrote the book: a male). So women may run, but the common woman never sees that because they are decided against in the primaries controlled by men! Another thing that makes it more difficult for women to actually get into Congress is how people actually vote according to sex. The fact is that if you have two candidates, one woman and one man, the general male population is more likely to vote for the male simply because he is male, even if the woman is more qualified. Women on the other hand don’t show this bias when it comes to voting; they tend to vote on who is the most qualified person. So of course women don’t get elected, males don’t even look at qualifications, they just vote for the male. So I believe that I order to equally represent America, white men need to let women get past the primaries and run for office and males need to vote based on qualifications. (They also need to stop thinking that they know how a woman’s mind works because they obviously don’t)
Ideally, Congress would look like America because people can bring diverse perspectives to the legislative system. White men probably cannot fully understand the factors that influence minorities' and women's viewpoints. However, Congress can only be what voters decide. At the moment, it's made up of rich old white men because of several factors. One is that women run for office at lower rates than men do. And voter turnout rates among different age, gender, and racial demographics certainly play a role. Voters are the only ones who can change this. The homogeneity of Congress can only change if more women and minorities run for office and people actually show up to vote.
I believe that congress should reflect the gender and racial composition of America. I agree with Brittany that men cannot sufficiently represent women due to a difference in perspective and a lack of understanding on how laws they pass directly affect women. The same lack of perspective appropriately represented by whites. African Americans, along with other racial minorities need representation proportional to their population, just as women and other genders do.In order to fix this problem, we need to figure out why people elect so many old, white, rich men, and lot of it comes down to having money and the support to run a campaign.
I think Congress would best represent the American population if the number of representatives of each gender was proportional to the actual population of each gender. I think this because there are certainly some issues that pertain mostly to women. For instance, the issue of abortion is something that has a greater effect on women, and thus they should be accurately represented when voting on or discussing the issue in government. Currently, the female population is not accurately represented in Congress, and it is a form of gender discrimination in our country. Although I think Congress SHOULD have more women, I think it would be unjust to promote affirmative action for women in their participation in government. This is because the U.S. promotes democracy, and representatives should be chosen by the people; if the people of America decide not to elect women, then so be it.
Yes, Congress should look like America. By the very nature of the title, representatives should truly be a manifestation of the people that elect them. This is not to say that a man could not adequately represent a woman, or vice versa, or that a white person could not adequately represent a black person, but I agree with Madison's opinion in Federalist #10 that ultimately, the leader of a faction will be biased towards their own interests. Therefore, to protect the people from simple human nature, where humans will ultimately serve their own interests, Congress needs to look like America. Even if the typical white, male Congressman truly does believe in promoting the interests of minorities, he still may be persuaded to go against this belief in some cases because he is not of the minority that he claims to represent. Though I believe some politicians are willing to represent minorities, people from these minorities need to represent themselves as a precaution against human nature. Men should not represent men and women; men and women should represent men and women. The same goes for racial minorities.
In class, the most shocking element of the legislative branch which I felt was its inability to effectively represent minority groups. I feel as though Congress isn’t properly representing minority groups and women in America. According to the facts from class, more than half of the US is composed of women, yet in Congress less than twenty percent are actual representatives. Most of the members of Congress are middle-aged white men, meaning the policies and bills that will be passed will concern healthcare and social security for retirement. According to the statistics from the previous unit, the white majority group and men are more likely to vote and support the Republican Party. This could mean the Democratic Party is underrepresented both due to being the minority party, and due to the lack of female and minority group legislators. However, in the future, the white group will become a minority in approximately 2040, especially due to Hispanics. If Congress represented an actual population of US Citizens, the Republican Party may become underrepresented itself in the near future.
I think that Congress is a pile of incoherent feces, who are so easily and greatly corruptible that any real form of "representation" or "governance" has long been dispelled as lofty ideology. Because of this, I don't believe it matters what Congress looks like, because I don't believe that having more women and minorities in congress will make much of a difference--corruption and political games ensure this.
On an ideological level, I suppose Congress should look like America, but any process to do so would stop America from actually voting. But again, based solely in ideology, why, if the House is already based on our population, should it not be based on our gender and ethnicity?
Congress has the potential to look like America, but that has never happened because of the lack of interest by minorities to run for office. If women, or African Americans, or Asians, or Hispanics don't want to run and be in office then they would not best serve our country. America needs people in Congress that want to be there and want to do their job. And if that means older, white, rich men then so be it. If positions were handed out to the minorities just because Congress had to look like and represent America, then there would potentially be numerous amounts of Senators and Representatives that didn't want to do their job in representing their people.
I feel that is quite important for there to be more representation in the Congress. It is difficult for men to completely understand how it is to be a woman and thus see how important it is to protect their rights. However, there are some men who do understand this and can try to push for laws for more equality but it would be better to have an actual woman represent that cause. Minorities are similar in which it is difficult for a caucasian to truly step into the shoes of a minority and push for the right laws for equality. This really can be said for many differences seen in people like wealth or sexual orientation. In the end, people are going to look out for their own interests and will most likely see other groups' interests as unimportant.
I strongly believe that congress should look like America especially given our history as a country. Given our problems as a country we faced and still face concerning racial segregation it is important we have equal representation in congress so that we can limit and maybe even bring racial discrimination to an end in this country. Also we should have more women in congress to express their opinions on things such as abortion and rape seeing as though not that many 60 year old rich white guys get date rapped and/or pregnant with no money to support their child. Why should a white man make decision for all women or all other ethnicities.
I do not believe that men can represent women, nor can women represent men. I agree with Brittany's comment when she stated that men and women don't share the same viewpoints on all topics, showing that one gender cant adequately represent the other. Second, in order for minorities to be represented more, there needs to be more people of these minorities in congress. But, at the same time, there isn't enough room for every minority group obviously but we should definitely want more diversity in congress in order to represent the minorities better then what we do now.
I believe that Congress does not need to look exactly like America. Like we touched on in class, I believe that once Americans begin worrying about percentages and equal representation, it will require congress to be sensitive to everything a person could possibly be offended about. For example, Americans could take it beyond a racial or gender-al issue and extend the need for an equal ratio of immigrants to be in congress because immigrants should be well represented or people that are homeless should be represented because they need someone who understands what it is like to be homeless and living in poverty. When Congress begins worrying about equal representation, there will always be more groups that want to be represented equally as well. All in all, what is important is for americans to elect representatives that will be conscious about each group to their best ability.
Ideally, that would be nice. That would definitely represent America better. Although people may say they can represent people of a different gender or race, they will never be able to full understand their beliefs. However, if minorities are not running for positions in congress, there's nothing we can do to change that. Making sure every group is accurately represented is it a little unrealistic. Should we encourage these minorities to run for these positions? Absolutely. But we shouldn't put someone of a minority in congress before someone of a majority solely because there are not enough of them in congress.
Congress does not necessarily need to demographically represent America equally. The people elected into congress should be elected because they are willing to put in the work, put themselves out there and run, and have the qualifications to lead the government. People in congress make decisions on issues that reach their political agenda. As long as minorities are able to get their voice heard to the leaders in congress, then it will be addressed. And media and other forms of gov. have better ways of communicating the needs of the people than ever before. That's one of the basic things we learned from the first unit. Further, if everyone wants congress to represent America better demographically, then voters need to change. The people in Congress are determined by us, so if we want people in congress to represent us more demographically then it is the responsibility of people who hold that belief to go and change that. No one can legally stop you from voting, and the people in congress currently were voting in directly by the people, so I fully support the current way in which Americans are represented in Congress.
I agree with previous commenters that congress should look more like congress. The U.S. Population is not well represented by our elected officials. I mean seriously, The United States is around 6% red haired, while there is only one congressman who has red hair. I believe as a redhead we deserve more representation in congress. For six precent of the population, that is ~26 representatives and 6 senators. Redheaded officials will pay more attention to redhead issues, like the stigma attached to redheads in our society.
I have something to say to the people who do not consider redheads an important group in America:
You do not know what it is like to not have representation, you do not understand why this is so important.
Congress should look roughly like America. As Mahnoor said, it would be impractical to try and do something like change the representation numbers every census, but there does need to be some kind of change to balance out the current unequal representation. More focus should be put on encouraging minorities (or in women's case, majority) for running. The problem of unequal representation will not go away without drastic impractical change, but it can be ameliorated.
Congress indeed should be a representation of the american people. A room of darkness couldnt show someone what light looks like and vise versa. If congress doesnt incorporate a diversity of its people, it would not be able to adequately be able to represent their issues and beliefs
Ideally, yes congress should look like America. While I don't think it is impossible for a man to represent a woman or for a Caucasian to represent a minority, people are naturally selfish. That is why the needs of women, minorities, and the poor are not always met. Even if a politician has the best interest of people unlike themselves at heart, he/she could still potentially be inclined to put the needs of their own demographic above the needs of others. Like I said, I don't think it's impossible for a man to sympathize for woman, nor is it impossible for a white to sympathize with minorities. Realistically however, merely sympathizing with the public does not always go very far in congress. In a perfect, model version of the USA, congress would look like the American population. But I also agree with Drew Bonnett, the reason congress is full of rich, old white men is because they are elected into that position. If Americans are dissatisfied with this, then they need to take the initiative and vote in way where they feel they are more adequately represented. It is America's fault that congress does not replicate the American population.
When it came to this blog, it felt almost as if we flushed everything that we learned this year down the drain. Guys, "learning isn't toilet paper"(Chazen 2014). Why would it matter that we truly represent America as a nation proportionately if it ends up meaning that the powers of states are pretty much irrelevant in today's congress. Also, this view of women being the only ones capable to represent women is fatally flawed, this theory ignores and silences women of color, working women, older women, lesbians,religious women, and others. The point it, allowing congress to reflect america demographically is a change that is only skin deep and ignores the changes made at different intersections of society.This one view fits all version of the world that supporters of the question suggest kills any form of real understanding of the world. Futhermore, if this is really such a large issue that the fundamental rights of people is at stake then the US has a court system that deals with this. So even though Congress is filled with old white people: a. Representation isn't something superficial like the color of a skin or the sex of a person b. any bills passed would still have to be reasonable because it's limited by the president that wants to appease the people, and the courts that have to uphold justice. tl;dr: don't waste our time fussing over the equalities of congress when it could possible hinder progress.
I think it is very important that different demographics are represented in the government. However, we do live in America and they're so many different people that I see it almost as if we can't. There is no way that even if we took one person from every group and made them a special group that decided things, that they would all choose the right things for their demographics. Example, one man definitely has a different view than another man. So with that, how would you know who to put into office? How would you know who is right? There is just no way for that to work. Regards to man to women and white to African American. I do not believe a man can effectively represent a women because he does not generally see things from her point of view and likewise with a girl to a guy. That's why opposites attract. But they do not understand one another completely. And same with whites to African Americans... A white man is going to have totally different views than a Black man when it comes to anything racial. But I don't think that's fair to compare them though. Everyone has different opinions on things and that's why the government will never be perfect because with billions of people, no one will ever be on the same page.
I believe that it doesnt matter what race or gender you are to be a representative in congress. It should be who would represent this country the best regardless of being male or female: black or white. If we start breaking everything up then we may not be picking the best candidates but only picking people based on race and gender. If a male and female are comepetting against eachother then the person who should get elected should be the one who is most qualified and not just given to either one or the other because they want to make congress more diverse. Although diversity is a good thing it should not be the sole bases on who gets elected into congress.
I believe that whoever is suited best should represent congress. It should not be based on demographics, it should be based on who is able enough to help benefit our nation. If you start allowing every ethnic background, there may be some individuals that are not as well suited as others. I believe that the united states should continue to run congress the way they do now.
Congress may be composed of many white men, but their representation of demographic groups, such as women and minorities, is fair. These representatives, no matter what background they come from, are still voted on by the people, and have to make decisions based on what their voters think in order to stay favorable and in office. Women and minorities should quit complaining about having none of themselves in office and step up to run for office; as our current president proves it is possible for minorities to win even the most coveted and important offices. Major groups have the right and should be fairly represented in congress, but unless they step up and quit complaining congress will continue to be dominated by old white men.
Congress' demographics of representation are fine how they are. This is primarily due to the reason that people cannot turn an issue that has absolutely nothing to do with race/sex in to one.
All people (who meet the VERY relaxed requirements outlined in the constitution)have the right to run for congress - regardless of race, religion, or ethical background. The fact that congress is made of "old white men" truly does represent America - not demographically, but politically. These people are fairly voted in to their position by the PEOPLE of the United States - entrusted by men, women, whites, blacks, asians, latinos and everyone else alike to represent them. As previously stated - there's no barrier preventing anyone from running for election - except for possibly racism or sexism. However, in a horrible way, doesn't this show the American idealogoy? If a black woman cannot beat a white male in a race in Alabama, in a twisted way it shows how the people feel - therefore, even if it is racist, the white male would truly represent those people better because he is what they want - and vise versa in other communities.
While I feel that white men could most definitely represent women and minority races quite well, they are not. Today's politicians focus solely on doing what's best for them or their particular groups. The old, white, protestant, rich men in Congress predominantly focus on issues and benefits relating to older, white, richer, protestant men. More needs to be done in order to represent those who do not fit into those groups, because these groups are becoming an increasingly prevalent aspect of our society and country and they need to have their interests represented. That being said, the people should have the ultimate say in who represents them. If there is a district that has a strong Latino population that decides to vote a white man as their representative, that should not be questioned; that is, whomever they chose, that is who they should represent them. What I mean is that that Congress shouldn't necessarily be exactly proportionate to the general population, yes all groups interests must be represented but we should not force a percentage of Congress to be made up of African Americans because of how many African Americans live in this country. Many people are stating how different groups have different interests, ideas, and viewpoints, which is completely true, but if one of these minority groups decides someone else can best represent them that is outside of the parameters of their particular group, I have no problem with that. In short, yes old, white men can, in fact, represent women and minority groups exceptionally well, no they are not doing a very god job with it, and, while it is imperative that the interests of these groups be better represented, it does not have to be a member of their group that they elect as their champion.
I believe that many cultures should be represented in Congress, however I believe that if more men get voted in than women, that is not a problem. I believe that the best fit candidate for the job should be elected, whether it be a male or a female. I support diversity in Congress, however if more women would like to get voted in, more women should run. I don't think that someone should be elected solely on demographics, I believe that the candidate that best fits the job should be elected, whether its a male, female, white, black, Asain, Hispanic, etc. If women want their opinions to be heard then the number of women that run should increase. I don't think that just because there are a lot of men in Congress, that we have a huge problem, however I do support diversity in Congress.
I believe that America needs more women in Congress. With the population of women being high then men, how does it make sense that there are so little women in Congress? Men do not have the same perspectives as women do. But we also need equal representation of all races/ethnic groups in Congress. Different types of people are effected differently and all voices must be heard to fairly and efficiently run this country. By hearing the issues from everyone's perspective will allow changes to be made that will be good for all, just not one specific group.
Congress does not look like America at all and I feel this is a problem because this is the most diverse nation in the world but its leaders do not fully represent the country. However, if America wants a more diverse government it has to fist vote the different people in instead of complaining and secondly get more people of different backgrounds to vote. These to things will encourage a more diverse government. One of this countries biggest problems is complaining about issues and not figuring out ways to fix them. If the country votes and uses its rights correctly than most of these problems will go away instantly.
I fully support diversity in Congress to better represent America. While it is unrealistic to expect Congress to perfectly reflect America 100%, there can still be more representation of different groups in Congress. While I believe in selecting the best person for the job, I think it is unrealistic to believe that a very small percentage of a group can accurately and fairly represent their group in the scope of America. For example, America is 53% women while congress only holds a mere 17%. While that could be in part that not enough women are running, I think that we need to allow for a general representation of different groups so that they can be fairly supported in Congress to get their needs heard and met.
I believe that it is important to represent certain groups such as women and African Americans in Congress because without their representation, it is impossible for us to fully meet their needs and understand their struggles. Although it is important to have a diverse representation, it is up to the American people to vote for who is in office. If there are not women or African Americans who are running that are capable of doing their job, then we should not be forced to elect them based on our want for a diverse Congress. We should elect the leaders who will best look after the American people, not those who "fit the bill."
In response to Mariel, I do not agree that Congress needs to look like American population on the basis that America is the melting pot. America really is a melting pot in which cultures, ideologies and traditions from other countries come together to create something new... something distinctly American. However, even though it has been found that a majority of Congress is represented by upper class white males, we need to keep into consideration that these people are being voted into office. Like we discussed earlier, older people tend to vote more and in the generations before ours, white citizens were the majority. So we might have a majority of voters with the attitude leaning in favor of white males. On the other hand, in 15 to 20 years when it is projected that the so called "minorities" will overpopulate those of European descent, it is highly likely that the candidates running as white males will not receive the same kind of support that they used to. In response to the idea that women are severely underrepresented, that is a problem, but that could also stem from the slight bias that male voters may hold against women candidates whereas women do not hold the same bias against men candidates. These things can change at any time in the near future. Having a proportion designed after the actual cultural climate of the population might become stifling though.
America's underepresented groups should be entitled to aid in the running of their candidates, though not at the cost of qualification. Minority representation is a problem that canot be solved with principles similar to affermative action as in education. The danger of attepts to change the homogeniety of Congress is the paradoxical creation of an overfragmanted, incoherent house in the Senate resulting in more gridlocks, insatisfying policies and general lack of orientation. The best solution is to support possivle candidates for minority groups to run, and to certain limit extend their chances of winning office.
Going back to what Brittany said, I also believe that one gender cannot adequately represent the other. I also believe that it is up to America who gets elected and who doesn't. If America wanted more minorities in office, then they would have voted for them. Congress should look more like America, but we just cant hand minorities jobs just because they are a "minority". We should let everyone earn their right to be elected.
As citizens, we are electing representatives that hold the same beliefs as we do. And by electing into power someone who holds the same beliefs and agenda as you do, we are deciding what is represented in congress. The representives are representing the peoples beliefs. We dont need congrees to physically look like america, we just need congress to mentally hold the same reasoning and thoughts as America. If women had certain issues they wanted adressed, they would elect someone who would deal with those particular issues. If an african American had specific issues or concerns, then they would elcect a respresentitive who would take care of those issues.
Congress does not necessarily have to look like America. If people feel differently about this statement, then they should run themselves. You cannot complain about lack of representation of a certain race or gender in the Congress if the candidates who are running are all alike. The best qualified people are elected to be in Congress, not the most diverse. I do believe more women and minorities should be encouraged to run, but I disagree for the people to then vote based on the fact that they are a minority. The best people, despite their gender or race, should be in Congress. It's as simple as that.
In order to insure that all groups have some representation, Congress should at least somewhat resemble America. However, Congress needn't look exactly like America. For example, there should be a minimum of a few women in Congress in order for American females to be represented. However, the number of women in Congress shouldn't necessarily be proportional to the number of American females. Perhaps there are men in Congress that females believe represent their political views well enough. In that case, it is alright to have more men in Congress, additional to a few women of course. Therefore, as long as the American people feel as though they are represented by Congress, regardless of gender or anything else, Congress doesn't have to look 100% like America, although some resemblance should be evident.
I believe that whites cannot represent minorities just as men and women cannot adequately represent each other because they are not each other and they do not know the intricate beliefs and values of each other. Whites do not know what the minorities complain about. Even minorities from upper versus lower classes don't know each others values and problems. Every race, gender, and class is different and has different values and therefore they cannot adequately represent one another. The number of representatives of each section of the population should be represented according to the percentages according to the most recent census, that way, nobody is really left out of very important life changing, country changing decisions.
I think that it is important for the major demographic groups to be represent in Congress, however, I also agree with Rebecca that the wealthy white males are being voted for by the people to continue to be in Congress. People are voting for who they want to represent them and if they win the majority vote, then they represent their people. Congress doesn’t need to look like America because then nothing would ever get passed and everyone would just be voting for their own bills to pass and it would lead to a gridlock (or government shutdown). Also I believe that men can represent women to a certain point because of proof that abortion bills get “destroyed” before they can make it even a real thing. The people in Congress represent what the majority want and something that is hated among the general public will most likely not be passed. I believe that it needs to be more proportional because on other issues, we need both perspectives. Next, I believe that whatever issues that are prevalent in society will be represented in Congress. If there needs to be something fixed for a certain group, such as African Americans, than I believe that will happen eventually, however, I believe they need more representatives to make sure things are getting done. If women or people from minority groups do not want to run or do not get elected by the people, it is due to that individual and the people in America. It is ultimately how the majority of people decide who they want to represent them.
In the status quo, Congress does not accurately represent the demographics of America- if we are only looking at race and gender. One would think that by the only way to properly represent the people as a whole and truly achieve popular sovereignty would be to make congress "look like America". However just to put this simply, congress will be able to aptly reflect American ideals without looking like America as a whole. For example, just because I am le minority does not mean I will le vote for the le minority candidate, because it's not about the skin color, but the ideals. Maybe the le minority candidate will le be neo nazi or something, yet still look like me. I would rather have today's congress than have a congress that looks like America but have the ideals of a Neo-Nazi. Granted, physical appearance and race/gender sometimes do correspond with ideals, but they are not le one and le same, and you should remember that, fellow patriot.
it is of the utmost importance that people of different demographics are represented in America. What is it if not a country full of diversity? A country by the people, of the people, and for the people. So all of the people that live there should be represented. A vast majority of the country isn't white. The white-American populace cannot represent African-Americans nor any other cultural group. They're much too different. Just like the individual person, everyone has their own beliefs and ideals. Yet whites could represent African-Americans if they chose whites to represent them. That's not the case, there's severe underrepresentation of different peoples in the government. Men could represent women if women wanted to be represented by men and hey, we're all people. But different groups feel certain ways, whether those feelings be large or small. Men are just the only options in many cases because their aren't as many women who run or win office. It's a sort of norm to expect a man to run in things. One of the many things that should change in the American government. Men can't and shouldn't be the ones to represent all of the men and women of the country.
I believe that anyone has the potential to represent anyone. Anyone can listen to anyone and anyone can vote the same way as someone else. Anyone can propose any law. Therefore all that matters in realty is how they vote. If someone isn't happy with their representation they should try get someone else into office through campaigning, voting etc. It is for these reasons that I do not care about the gender or race of congress.
Ideally congress would "look like America". However this could be a difficult task. If there was a candidate of every race running and everyone voted for the candidate of their race mostly white people would be elected. This is because currently white people make up the majority of the populous in many areas. Another possible explanation for the current makeup of congress could be that the candidates who are running could be mostly white men. Again if people have a problem with this then they should select different candidates in the first place.
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