3+-+DEMOCRACY+&+GLOBALISATION

**a. What is the main idea or message of the song?**  **b. List the issues of contemporary society that are highlighted by Leonard Cohen.**
 * DEMOCRACY AND GLOBALISATION** ** The answers to all the questions on this page have to be posted till the 28th November, the day of your test. Then, the page will be locked. THANKS :)) **  ** A. Definition of DEMOCRACY **   **a. Did any country invent democracy? Does any country own it? Is democracy, as we know it, an end product, created, perfect and done? Do we have to make our governments work better? What needs to be changed?**   **B. "DEMOCRACY", by Leonard Cohen**   media type="youtube" key="vHI9BTpGkp8" width="296" height="245"
 * ** It's coming through a hole in the air, **
 * from those nights in Tiananmen Square. **
 * It's coming from the feel **
 * that this ain't exactly real, **
 * or it's real, but it ain't exactly there. **
 * From the wars against disorder, **
 * from the sirens night and day, **
 * from the fires of the homeless, **
 * from the ashes of the gay: **
 * Democracy is coming to the U.S.A. **
 * It's coming through a crack in the wall; **
 * on a visionary flood of alcohol; **
 * from the staggering account **
 * of the Sermon on the Mount **
 * which I don't pretend to understand at all. **
 * It's coming from the silence **
 * on the dock of the bay, **
 * from the brave, the bold, the battered **
 * heart of Chevrolet: **
 * Democracy is coming to the U.S.A. **


 * It's coming from the sorrow in the street, **
 * the holy places where the races meet; **
 * from the homicidal bitchin' **
 * that goes down in every kitchen **
 * to determine who will serve and who will eat. **
 * From the wells of disappointment **
 * where the women kneel to pray **
 * for the grace of God in the desert here **
 * and the desert far away: **
 * Democracy is coming to the U.S.A. **


 * Sail on, sail on **
 * O mighty Ship of State! **
 * To the Shores of Need **
 * Past the Reefs of Greed **
 * Through the Squalls of Hate ** || ** Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on. **


 * It's coming to America first, **
 * the cradle of the best and of the worst. **
 * It's here they got the range **
 * and the machinery for change **
 * and it's here they got the spiritual thirst. **
 * It's here the family's broken **
 * and it's here the lonely say **
 * that the heart has got to open **
 * in a fundamental way: **
 * Democracy is coming to the U.S.A. **


 * It's coming from the women and the men. **
 * O baby, we'll be making love again. **
 * We'll be going down so deep **
 * the river's going to weep, **
 * and the mountain's going to shout Amen! **
 * It's coming like the tidal flood **
 * beneath the lunar sway, **
 * imperial, mysterious, **
 * in amorous array: **
 * Democracy is coming to the U.S.A. **


 * Sail on, sail on ... **

** C. DEMOCRACY is... ** ** Can you think of any other definitions of the word? You may quote someone or write your own definition. ** **Apparently, it seems not only the Portuguese but also the Australian teenagers don't know what DEMOCRACY is. What a shame!!**  media type="youtube" key="v2UOFAaFqO4" width="296" height="245"   **Did the students/ youths in Tiananmen Square know the meaning of FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY? I'm sure they did.**  media type="youtube" key="dT6KskrRKwU" width="296" height="245" About this last video with studentes here, I understand they don't get an exact idea of democracy. I sure, unfortunelatly, relate to them.. Most of us, teenagers don't pay enough attention to problems the country is politically under; however, because of what we've heard from school, most believe in equality of rights and the fair distribution of money, power, .. to all people. In reality, we know that there's got to be a group that has more power, as we need some to govern the country, always being a voice of the people in general. Now, you ask if democracy is an end product, created, perfect and done. Well, even for a person like me that can be a bit mistaken about what democracy exactly is, understands that there's no flawless system, so democracy is out of the perfect, bright and clean picture for sure. However, this system we've been talking about, I think, is the one which relates more to freedom of speech and equality of rights. In relation to Cohen's video, he stands for more than one time, that there's this idea of perfect system and in opposition, that's really just an idea, in real life, there's a crack, a flaw ! WE can see that through this sentences this ain't exactly real; a crack in the wall, I love the country but I can't stand the scene. During his song, he criticises a big problem in his country: the fact that there's a long difference between poor people and rich people (the cradel of the best and the worst) - It's here the family's broken and it's here the lonely say that the heart has got to open in a fundamental way ( the best expression, in my opinion, on the lyrics). He also turns his attentions to the confusion and crimes - the war against disorder, the sirens night and day, fires of the homeless, the homicidal bitchin that goes down in every kitchen to determine who will serve and who will eat (again the contrast of the low and high classes). In conclusion, there's no perfect political system, there's only attempts to reach it. We must remember that if we feel that that attempt was a failure, we should speak up and try to change it. After all, the whole country depends on the system chosen by each one of us(+18, in Portugal). Mariana Marques  Mariana, it seems to me that you really pay attention to political issues as your answer evidences deep social and political knowledge. I agree with you when you say that there's no such thing as a "perfect, flawless system" but, as you also pointed out, we "should speak up and change" whatever is wrong with our own political system. As for your interpretation of leonard Cohen's song, you made a few interesting points:)) So, congratulations on your very good answer. Keep on being so articulate and critical! ANA  The majority of us is going to have 18 years old next year and, unfortunately, I don't see us very interested in our politics and their actions in our country. Next year, we will be able to express our opinion and, not all, but some of us don't even know what kind of ideologies to follow or which party we would like to defend. An important project is "Parlamento dos Jovens". Different subjects are choose, one for students from 7th until 9th and other for students from 10th until 12th. In order to promote the influence of youth in citizenship, students must discuss subjects of present days. The winners are able to show their ideas at the AR (Assembleia da República), in Lisbon. Here you can see the subjects for this year. [] Teresa Silva So, Teresa, if youths aren’t interested in politics, who or what is to blame for that situation? I believe that “Parlamento dos Jovens” may help, but it shouldn’t be the solution. Motivation has to be awoken and fostered but how? ANA I agree when Mariana says that it's needed to have a group of people above us to govern and control our country, but that group should be the voice of everyone and most of the times it isn't. As my colleagues said, next year we will start voting and contibuting to make Portugal a better country and to take it out of the economic crisis, but do we know enough about this subject? Have we ever stopped, during this last year, and started thinking which are the ideals we are about to follow? I'm pretty sure the most of us haven't... I'm not saying I did, because to be honest I just thought it would be easier, but when I realised how Portugal is, it was too late and now I'm aware that we are going to pass serious and horrible times. The Minister of Economy said that by this time in 2013 we will have passed the worst and Portugal's economies will be stable, but serious? Do you agree? I don't. The government is always argueing and parties are always complaining with each other. In this situations we don't need this, we need someone capable to 'rescue' Portugal! And yes, RESCUE because the way things are going some day we will be like Greece. Mariana Ferreira Right, Mariana Ferreira, a government should represent everyone and voting is definitely our major weapon if we want to have a voice. As for our political and economic situation, we do have to believe things will change for the better and that PORTUGAl will find its own way. If Europe managed to rebuild itself after WWII, how come we, the Portuguese, won’t be able to do the same. To work is surely needed. ANA  I think democracy will never be a clean concept. In fact it never was, because it's comprehensible not to know how to draw the line when it comes to philosophy. However, there are some rules that have been established and never thoroughully accomplished. Society should be founded on freedom of speech, equality of rights and duties, transparency, knowledge, awareness, the non-annihilation of minorities, respect before different cultures, beliefs, backgrounds or sexual orientation. Instead, we catch ourselves immersed in a world headed to corruption, consumerism, overfed power and ignorance. Like Teresa said we'll soon turn 18 and a great part of our generation is not ready to enter a society where we're supposed to intervene, to vote, to oppose, to scream! It will be a hard plight if we're willing to fight. That's why some of us are already involved in Associação de Estudantes developing a project, helped by JSD, in order to introduce youngsters in politics, to lead them to acknowledge our society's most harsh wounds and to make them sweat finding ideal solutions to cure them. It's vital to get mingled with social life. Here I leave my calling. Vitória Melo Very good, Vitória :)) It seems you already have a strong political consciousness and, inspite of recognising what Teresa and Mariana Ferreira already pointed out, youngsters lack of preparation to intervene, you have already found your own way into getting out of the dark side of politics. ANA  I found two very interesting quotes related to democracy. The first is “In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.”, the second is “You get fifteen Democrats in a room, and you get twenty opinions”. The former relates to what should be one of the purposes of democracy: the interests of the poor should be in first place and they should be given more power, it also means that people's voices must be heard and was a ironic way that Aristotles found to say that if the majority gets the power, the poor should get it. The latter is from Patrick Leahy. I don't know him or anything about him but he had a very good point. Although people seek for freedom and the right for an oppinion and for voting, in the end we'll find that, sometimes, there are too much different opinions. That can be messy and create conflicts even though they are trying to avoid them. But, at the end of the day, there's always a way of understanding and using constructive idea and critics. To end, i'll leave another song that portrays some realities that exist even in a democracy: [] Emilia Mota  Very good choice of quotes (although I would have chosen different ones) and song. I also liked the way you interpreted the words of those people. It seems to be extremely difficult to make a point on these issues. ANA SORRY!:(( Page locked... Better hurry next time! However, you can still participate on the Discussion Forum.
 * I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean **
 * I love the country but I can't stand the scene. **
 * And I'm neither left or right **
 * I'm just staying home tonight, **
 * getting lost in that hopeless little screen. **
 * But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags **
 * that Time cannot decay, **
 * I'm junk but I'm still holding up **
 * this little wild bouquet: **
 * Democracy is coming to the U.S.A. ** ||