(This is a re-run Classic Poltical Warrior Post)
James Madison might not ever imagined Bayside High School, but he described it perfectly when he wrote Federalist No. 10.
In his effort to promote the ratification of the Constitution, Madison helped write the Federalist papers to describe the theoretical underpinnings of this unique government.
Besides describing how the concept of Separation of Powers (Federalist No. 51) would work, he also spoke of how this new government would help to contain the archenemy of democracy: factions.
Madison argued that cliques are a natural part of society but were particularly detrimental in a democracy where the majority faction would naturally try to punish the minority factions. He argued that this oppressive situation was most likely to occur in smaller regions.
For instance Bayside High School-- with a student population of 10 -- had a majority faction led by Zac and the gang who ran the school. They led the football team. They ran the school newspaper. They even dictated the policies of their principal Mr. Belding...never considering the impact on the oppressed minority--the Geeks.
A large republic is like a large high school. No one faction can ever dominate. In a large republic, multiple factions have to unite behind common interests to enact public policy.
For instance, in order to win the electoral votes in a state like Florida, candidates vie to win support from the elderly, from Cuban-Americans, from African-Americans, and from the NASCAR crowd. Thus, candidates must tailor their message to unite groups that might have widely different interests.
So, when are asked to read Federalist No. 10, you should sure to also watch a re-run of Saved by the Bell to gain fuller appreciation of the system that Madison was trying to prevent.
The Evolution of Zack Morris' phone
Saved by the Bell WVHS style
While the size of Waubonsie Valley, Madison would maintain, has kept any one faction from succeeding in a power grab, several sub-groups of Warrior seniors have tried separated themselves from the rest of the student body. No less than four "Senior" T-shirts have been worn by faction models in year's past. Senior Mean Girls, Senior Princesses. . . then there's the student council senior T, and the many AP faction statements.
Screech and his crew would be all about making the best T-shirt. It would probably make Madison simply want to scream. Linked is Federalist No. 10 for those of you want to get ahead of the bell.
Federalist No. 10
This will be your first blog assignment (posted prior to Friday's test): Read Madison's Federalist No. 10 and in the comment mode, summarize and to teenage life (TV) and real (WV). Federalist No. 10 will be covered on Friday's test.
43 comments:
Madison promoted the idea that a complex governments is the best way to ensure the rights and liberty of all citizens in a large population. In a small democracy, it is easy for one person to assume control and dominate. With a large republic, a representative has to jump through more hoops in order to get elected. It allows for corruption to be filtered out of authority. That is why Madison wants a large, diverse population that will prevent factions, but unified enough on ideals that states can stick together. It's true that small groups can be susceptible to factions. Look at T.V. shows like The Office. Those who work upstairs have a higher status and respect by Michael Scott, the manager, than those who work in the workhouse. He belittles those in the warehouse to remain superior and seem more powerful than he really is. Here at school factions are formed in things like the music department with the different levels of levels of a music group being split up. Only top groups get to perform at certain concerts. There's division. While music is suppose to unite, with groups that are tied to skill/status,factions destroy groups that could have foster strong communities.
Madison is practical in his evaluation of the existence of factions- they will always exist because of our nation's promotion of liberty and freedom of speech. Liberty is to factions as air is to fire. However, the government can attempt to control its effects. MTV's Awkward takes the stereotypes of high school and magnifies them , especially in regards to cliques or factions. The cheerleaders and the football players only date each other until one "loser" catches the eye of a football player. Then the institution is altered! The "powerful" cheerleaders attempt to put crush her to bring order back to the school. It's a goofy show but sometimes we all just need time for our brain to melt. Our school isnt exactly like Awkward, until homecoming comes around. The girls of the school are divided over whose in what group. Fights break out, jealously, twitter wars, whatever. People want to be with the bigger group so it seems like they have more friends, but the group doesn't want to add people, etc. Geesh. With all those factions, the WV can not be united!
Really quickly I'd just like to note that this guy used the words "desideratum" and "opprobrium" in one sentence. That was awesome. Anyway, Madison starts off by saying that factions create conflict within a Union, but a successful Union will be able to suppress them. So basically, he wants to make the best of a bad situation. He says that a large republic would be more effective in doing so, because the majority will not be nearly as significant as a small democracy. Thus, they would not be able to exploit the minority with quite as much ease. Or at all, if we want to be optimistic about it. I don't know, maybe he was a really dandy guy. I like this "If men were angels, no government would be necessary" thing. It's really convenient for understanding the whole conflicting factions thing. Apparently people like to fight each other, or we just really like being right. Or both. Probably both. Yeah, both is right. No need for a failed argument. So yeah, connection to television teenagers. Quite frankly, I find them all annoying. That's why SpongeBob and Seinfeld are awesome. No teenagers. We're just too dramatic of a people. Anyway, let's compare the factions with the show Family Guy. Just for kicks, and because I'm watching it now. So Meg is in a bit of a faction struggle. She so desperately wants to be popular, but the popular kids won't accept her. But she refuses to befriend the people who would be considered in her faction, because she's arrogant. Nonetheless, she's placed in a faction with the "losers" (pardon my diction) and the popular childrens torment her relentlessly for like maybe 4 episodes. Nobody really cares about Meg. But the majority faction was given power over Meg and Neil and the other kids, and they chose to oppress them. Moving on to here at Waubonsie. Our wonderful little land of the free and home of the Warriors. I don't really think we have factions or at least conflict among factions. None that I know of. Maybe it does exist, but I prefer to live in my own peaceful little world. No fighting. I don't really know how to speculate. I don't see a relationship. So yeah.
Madison begins by saying that factions are a dangerous vice-inevitable in a democratic government. He feels that a huge, diverse population, like the one at Waubonsie Valley High School will prevent factions yet, allow there to be centralization on a few key ideals. Madison is correct in saying that as long as humans have liberty and free will , they will coagulate into factions based on similarities in taste, religion or passions. At Waubonsie Valley, it is hard to have a "popular crowd" with such a diverse group of students with diverse interests. Unlike the show "Glee" where the high school is drastically divided into stereotypical cliques (jocks, nerds, choir kids), I feel that at Waubonsie, people are able to fit into a variety of factions without judgement which is really unifying to our school culture. Yes, there are small factions but I feel that our school is united, we all have separate interests yet there is a large enough population that we are able to unite on key ideals such as school spirit,a commitment to academic excellence, and a goal beat Neuqua at everything by any means necessary.
Madison believed that the only way to protect the rights and liberty of the citizens was a complex government in a large population. In a small population, it becomes easier to monopolize and dictate. Therefore, even though factions are inevitable, in a larger population these factions will not be able to rise above and become a majority just because of the sheer fact that in a large population, there will be more factions. However, in a large population since there are so many factions, these factions are still unified enough to stick together. A classic example would be the movie Mean Girls or the MTV show Awkward. In both of these, the stereotypes of high school are exemplified and cliques are evident. To some extent, our school is like this too. On the first day of school during lunch periods, students divide among friends and tables because where they sit will somehow now define their status. All waubonsie warriors no matter which clique they may belong to are unified at the most basic level though. But one small faction can disrupt the entire unity of our school. If you aren't part of the highest orchestra, you are not allowed to play a certain piece in a concert. Waubonsie is like a game of snakes and ladders. Just when we move towards unity, something will pull us own and divide us. While we're all united on the first space of the game board, factions will always find a way to divide us.
Madisons idea is correct about factions. And no matter how bad we want this to "go away" they always find there way back. And once again we get caught up in these factions. MTV's Awkward is a great presentation of that. Were you have the star football player. The head cheerleader, and that girl that never says anything. But there are even shows like the Hills or laguna beach. This faction was a group of typical california beach life teens and the typical teenage drama. And were you have the mean girl and the so called "cool guy". Waubonsie is a great representation of this. Even though we are not that extreme as thoes shows. We still know how to seperate ourselfs as factions.
In class you told us that Thomas Jefferson was more pro-state while Madison was all about the federal government; that was evident in Federalist No. 10 (the states being factions). Madison is for whats best for the majority and factions, he believes, will not allow that. He believes that a large, diverse population prevents any single fraction from gaining power. That is also true for Waubonsie Valley. Because there are so many students of so many different cultures, what's best for the majority is usually what surfaces. One faction doesn't dominate Waubonsie because everyone rallies behind the same thing: being a warrior. I know this isn't teenage life, but Prison Break is a great example of factions. Because it is not a huge population in the prison, there are a bunch of cliques. The cliques are constantly fighting and trying to dominate instead of all just living peacefully. So through Prison Break and Waubonsie it is clear why Madison was against factions and why a large, diverse population would help against them.
Madison believed that a complex government in a large population was the only way to protect the rights and liberty of the citizens. Madison defined faction as a number of citizens (minority or majority) who are united “by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.” He describes two ways of removing the causes of factions: one way would be to get rid of their liberty, which is the worst way; second, to give everyone the same passions and interests. But that would be impossible due to the fact that all men do not think alike and have different self-interests. The show Drake and Josh is an excellent example of faction. In the earlier episodes, Drake is a extremely popular teenager in high school and Josh, his step brother, is an “nerd”. Drake refuses to be seen or associated with Josh in public due to his embarrassment. The popular people in their H.S. looked down on nerds like Josh and treated them with distaste. At Waubonsie Valley, the same is true. In the cafeteria, you will rarely see jocks or football players entangle with the “nerds” or geeks. There is an invisible barrier separating the two classes. Unification of our school can only be achieved if we tear down these barriers and truly become one.
Madison believed that any faction that rises to power will subsequently dominate all other factions in an all-out struggle for power. I support this theory, as evidenced by real-life cliques and social groups in our very own Waubonsie Valley. Just in time for Homecoming as well. It is through the various Homecoming groups that social cliques are identified the easiest. The athletes, the musicians, the scholars, the dancers, the cheerleaders, the teams, etc., all form their own unique homecoming entourages. This societal habit is almost verbatim with Federalist 10, which states that factions, that are formed by people who share a common want for power, can effectively render any democracy inert. Hence the need for a republic, where the law is the ultimate power, with a Constitution at its head. Madison would shudder if he could see what society has become. People separated by hobbies, jobs, and sports are divided over the simplest things. Its a good thing we have a Constitution to keep society in line. Thanks Madison!
Madison believed that factions were impossible to avoid due to freedom of speech and liberty. However, Madison also believed a large, diverse population, like the United States, could greatly limit the affects of factions through a republic as opposed to a democracy. This is because in a republic, government is insulated from "mobocracy" through the use of delegates. The modern social form of a faction is a clique, which are everywhere at waubonsie. They are the music clique, the football clique or the ______ clique. While there may be a lot of cliques at waubonsie, it is almost impossible for any one clique to gain a majority because of the large and diverse population.
Madison addresses the question of how to avoid factions where interests of specific interest goups become superior to the interests of the America people as a whole. He promoted the idea of a large republic, because it increases the probability of the election of competent, capable representatives. He did, however, acknowledge the inevitability of factions in America because of our country's value of freedom of speech, which allows those of common interest to band together. This is similar to high school, where students with similar interests always stick together and put their interests first, such as the "faction" of AP students who all value knowledge and the rigor of a heavy courseload. We all stick together, and we (mostly) befriend each other because we relate to each other. We understand each other's interests and goals, just like members of political factions.
Factions are always present in society. People automatically gravitate towards others with similar interests and opinions and these groups often do not align with each other. Madison claims that there are two ways to break apart factions: remove the causes or control the effects. Although it is impossible to remove the causes as differences in opinion cannot be changed or controlled, it is possible to control the effects. Madison proposed that a republic would serve better to control factions rather than a democracy because of greater diversity among representatives. At Waubonsie, we are constantly trying to display the fact that we belong to many groups. It is not deemed "cool" to be an independent student. Even groups of friends go so far as to give their group a name to be referred to easily. In Perks of Being a Wallflower, the groups were very easy to distinguish between. Charlie belonged with the other misfits. Brad the jock had to hide his relationship with Patrick, a misfit friend of Charlie, not only because being gay was not accepted, but also because they belonged to completely different social groups and could not associate with each other.
Madison tells us that factions are inescapable since we are free to express our thoughts and ideas through liberty and freedom of speech. It is natural for people of common interests and passions to come together. The issue, however, is that one faction may overpower minorities and lead to changes in the classes that would "probably [be] neither with a sole regard to justice and the public good", and would allow the majority to grow more powerful and rich while overburdening the minority. This is obviously a looming problem which Madison desperately tried to come up with a solution to-- a large, diverse population in a Republic. Yet as we are well aware, factions continue to thrive in America today, despite the fact that we are such a diverse country. This is demonstrated in the TV show, Gossip Girl. Taking place in the Upper East Side in Manhattan, the daughters of the richest, most powerful families form a clique-- almost cult-like, to rule their high school (they literally chose a new queen bee as the senior 'queen'graduates). In Waubonsie, we see this faction mentality as well. Though not as extreme as the geeks/jocks cliche we are well-learned on, there is still a separation between people from different activities. Most choir kids stick together, most AP students stick together, most football players stick together, etc. It would be naive to say no factions exist at WV, that everyone is friends with everyone. It just really isn't true. Though I don't believe there is anything wrong with having a set group of friends whom you trust and enjoy yourself with, I believe that many of us put up barriers to those who seem weird or different-- whatever your standards of weird or different may be.
Understandably, human nature works very similar to Madison's ideas of factions. As beings with opinions, we are drawn to communicate with people who have similar ideas/interests as we do, and in such case this propagates factions through generations. Madison understood that when he critically analyzed the constitution, and called for a ratification. Due to a larger population, and the nature of factions, a complex Federalist government would succeed through the test of time in comparison to a smaller democracy, where corruption and deceit are inevitable. Madison argues that with a ratified constitution that promotes multiple spheres of powers, the conception of factions will slowly decrease in the political scene. Therefore, those who are left after this constitutional verification will prove to uphold the values of democracy and liberty. In popular culture, the concept factions exist in movies that portray teenage cliques such as Clueless and Mean Girls. Cliques often portray their power with numerical values and imagined success. At WV, we have intellectual factions where students organize themselves by what classes they take and who to associate with.
I agree that in a society there will always be factions, however, no matter what government or size of that government, a person can sway the positions and beliefs of multiple factions influencing policies within different factions. In a small democracy it's easier to take the power, if the leader is very aggressive and steadfast in his decisions he can gain the majority and take over policy. As long as there is someone who is willing to take responsibility, people will follow him/her because people do not want to make decisions and have responsibility in general. And for that reason a faction can take over a large democracy, however it will be more difficult. The leader must have ties with higher majority of factions and be aggressive and sway the minds of the faction leaders. As long as you know who to talk to, you can take power from anywhere by taking charge. This was demonstrated in the Bush vs Algore elections, Florida was the swing state, and Bush's brother was the governor. So Bush got his brother to sway the faction's in his state and have his brother link the people with him. This power control by one goal is also demonstrated in Waubonsie senior skip day. One person well connected with several majority factions can persuade leaders of "cool" cliques in order to spread the word and gain support.
James Madison wrote of factions in society in the late eighteenth century because he feared their power in a democratic society. Political factions were first mentioned in American government when President George Washington gave his final speech as president. Many saw these developing factions as being special interest groups organized by a group of politicians who shared similar beliefs. The ongoing battle between Federalists and Anti-Federalistsultimatly lead to this split belief in the American governmental system, and it would never be the same. Madison's ideas of leadership and factions are also relevant in a high school setting. In high school there is often cliques of jocks, nerds, hipsters, etc. Crews develop and often people become locked up to only one social group. Many times, one social group will dominate others and be able to control the norm of a particular school. Examples of how they would do this would be by functions they attend, clothing they wear, and other people who they do not associate with. I feel this is similar to what madison is saying about true democracy and how factions destroy the beauty of individualism. Many people will often get wrapped up in a clique and not think for themselves or try to stand out. Comparing this idea to madison, if politicians were control by a political faction there is less room for the individual to truly voice their opinion rather than what the majority of his party wants. Altogether, its simple to say that we wished everyone could just get along and be their own person, but frankly people like to feel organized and a part of something. With that being said, Politics will always have factions, and high school will always have cliques.
In Federalist 10, Madison states that factions are mainly formed as a result of similar interests. People with these common interests would get together and try to change/control things around them (such as government)in their favor. Madison says a government where a faction can take control is a hard thing to do when the population is large enough. The only way for a faction to rule is in a small population. Now Waubonsie may have a small population in comparison to our local, state and federal government, but that doesn't mean a faction could take over WV. The fact of the matter is there are too many factions or "cliques" at Waubonsie that there could never be a chance of one becoming dominant. Not everyone has the same interests, because of this people form smaller faction-like groups based on their interests. With multiple small factions and not 1 larger faction the possibility of a faction "running the school" is slim to none.
Factions are an ever present part of society, sometimes they are dominant in a setting, while other times they are close to irrelevant. Some cliques at WVHS are the "popular kids" or the "jocks" or even the "band geeks". While none of these are as clear cut as tv portrays them, they are still present. However the cure to factionalism is to unite the factions in something bigger than themselves. My personal example would be my youth group, there are people from pretty much every social group, and yet we're all great friends, because we have the youth group in common.
Madison's Federalist No. 10 focuses on factions and how they are an inevitable part of society, but how there is a good way to limit their power without being unreasonable. He knew that it wasn't possible to force everyone to have the same ideas and opinions, so it was expected for those that did agree to want to form groups together. The realistic way to combat factions from gaining too much control is to have a strong and elaborate democracy, that keeps any person or group from gaining too much political power. Some groups will have stronger influences, but this at least puts limits on it. Factions are all around our school and in some ways they can be positive. Although the seniors may seem to be an elitist group with our senior shirts, we are setting examples of school pride and involvement that will encourage the underclassmen to do the same. It also gives them something excited to look forward to when they become seniors. Our school is also divided by interests, sports teams, music groups, clubs and even classes become "factions" due to the fact everyone has a similar interest or investment and people are spending time together. Groups like this are inevitable when you spend such a large amount of time with the same people and like the same things. While they may come across as exclusive, there are so many to join that it is hard to find somewhere you wouldn't fit, and when you do find the right one, you are able to find a home there and feel acceptance. They aren't without faults, but there is a lot of good that can come with factions.
Madison starts off by saying that factions in the United States are dangerous and inevitable. He stated that in order to destroy factions, you must destroy the liberty which is essential to its existence and give every citizen the same interests. However, the latter of the two is impossible because everyone has different interest and that's why there are different factions. This is also represented in Prison Break season 1 where The Big Bad Brad Bellick and the other guards belittle the prisoners and physically harm them to show his superior position. Students in our school also have different interest such as different sports and clubs and music groups that we all take part in which leads to different small factions. However, the majority of the schools population comes together to show school spirit at the football games and other events.
Madison published federalist 10 as an add on to Hamilton's federalist 9 about the negative affects of factions, something the founding fathers clearly did not want American politics to fall into. His argument was that because factions cannot be removed all together, their effects must be controlled as much as possible. This can be done through a large republic where the probability of corruption and the negative effects of factions are minimized. The pertinence of this in Waubonsie is clear, especially in my Virtual Enterprise International class. As students begin to decide which job they want to run our virtual business, factions have emerged as certain people want to be in control and rally others to support them. Like Madison points out, this can be devastating to my class because it is small and only about 25 people. The disunity and jockeying for power will only hurt our business in the long run. That is unless a strong leader can come forth and unite the factions.
Madison argued in his Federalist 10 that the causes of factions cannot be alleviated; however, the effects can be controlled. Instead of having a small government ruled simply by popular vote, a large representative government was in order because there would be the constitutional principle of checks and balances to equalize the power of each faction/branch of government. In the movie, "Clueless," Cher is the rich, popular Barbie. However, after a the new girl, Tai, comes to town she realizes there is a lot more to life than being a controlling, self-centered queen the entire time and is finally able to accept people for who they are, not for how their stereotypes define them. At WVHS there are some cliques, but they are only relevant in certain settings. As Madison would argue, when the majority (meaning the popular kids) want something they will show off their status; for example at football games, the popular kids are always up front because they want to be the center of attention. However if it's just a regular school day and someone needs help with homework, most everyone would stop and help no matter what social group you belong to. Sure, there will always be factions but at WVHS they are pretty manageable.
Madison argues that factions will always be part of human society. We as humans want to band together with other people who think like we do and share our interests. Factions cannot be prevented. They can only be limited and controlled. The best way to limit factions is to have a large society where no group is stronger than any other. In the show Drake and Josh, there are many different stereotypical factions at play. There are the nerds, jocks, goths, and skaters. None of these factions have any control over the others. The same is true at WV. There are many social groups that are all equal, and yet divided.
Madison believed that the development of factions, although inevitable based upon the liberty and diversity of the people, were detrimental to the Union. It is unreasonable to attempt to stop the two causes of factions because of this natural diversity and the inalienable rights of a population; however it is necessary to curb the effects of these factions. According to Madison, factions can themselves be a source of oppressive government in the case of a smaller government based upon majority, where one faction can gain full political power. To alleviate the effects of factions, Madison supported a larger republican or representative government that would counter the ability of a single faction rising to power through checks and balances as well as the majority vote. Under a strong republic, there exists essential limits that prevent a single party from gaining power at the expenses of others. Within Waubonsie there exists a number of factions from Seniors, to Band groups to AP classes that segregate themselves based upon mutual animosities. These groups, especially the Senior faction, are most evident at sporting events and in the hallways. At football and basketball games, the Senior class differentiates themselves from the other students and asserts there dominance to the front. Madison would believe that this action at football games is detrimental to the experience of the public during the game. Although factions are evident in some events at Waubonsie, overall there exists a large enough population with enough diversity that no faction has the control to dominate political power. Therefore Madison would argue that Waubonsie represents an effective republic in which the effects of factions are curbed.
In the Fed. 10 papers, Madison says that factions are inevitable, and form because people with common interests come together, and then want to gain power to make their desires realities. The only thing we can do is control them. However, he also states that a government where a faction can take control is an easy thing to prevent with a population large enough. The only way a faction could gain control of a government is if the population was small enough. At WV, there are several different factions,or "cliques" as they are more commonly called. With as many people as WV has, there are going to be TONS of small cliques dedicated to many different things. There are so many cliques that there is no way one clique could rise up and take control of the school.
Madison's observations were on point when he described the dangers of factions- Washington even mentioned the dangers of these in his farewell address. However, factions are extremely difficult to avoid, especially in a federal government like ours. Sometimes, albeit rarely, they can strengthen political fronts. When it comes to TV, however, factions have a completely different role. In Suits, for example, Harvey Specter's faction rules the entire law firm, but that's simply because they are the best-looking, most intelligent, richest, and most ambitious lawyers in the firm. In our school, there definitely are factions but they are less defined than they are on TV and in our government. I mean, teammates generally stick together, but that's usually during their season and they usually all have their own group of friends. You could argue that "AP Kids" stick together, but there's too many of them to create a distinct group of kids. There is too much diversity to create solid factions, which is what helps many high school students get along.
Madison says that factions are inevitable in a free and democratic society. People who have common interests will come together and argue that their interests should be vindicate. For example, people who loan money will want laws passed to make it easier for them to collect on those debts. People who borrow money will want exactly the opposite. The only way to prevent factions from forming is to cut off people's freedom which would change the nature of this country, or to give everybody the same opinion, which would change human-nature. The first is not desirable, the second is not possible. So, Madison says, you cannot prevent factions, you just have to control its effects. Madison says that in a pure democracy where a small number of people all get together to govern themselves, the effects of factions cannot be controlled, the majority will always win at the expense of the minority. But in a representative democracy (like ours), the effects of factionalism can be can be controlled. The representatives of the people are more likely to act for the common good than the people themselves. There are many examples of factions seen at Waubonsie. For example, on Fridays during the football season, the football players wear their jerseys in order to unify and separate themselves as a group. They share the same passion and interest about football, and wear their jerseys to associate themselves together as a team, separate from everyone else who does not play football. This however, is not exactly the sort of faction Madison was talking about because they do not oppress the people, or have any authority, but it is a small, relatable faction that is seen in our school.
Madison explains that with liberty comes factions, and there is really no way to stop this from happening, without infringing on the people's liberties. Rather than stopping the cause, we need to control the effects of factions. To do this, a strong, central Republican democracy is best. This is because rather than have small democracies for each state, one big democracy would prevent one group from having power over everyone. By electing the best people from each states, aka the wisest, the people can ensure that their interests will be preserved because no one group will be able to rule in the new government system. Madison's ideas of factions can be seen in the show Glee, where at least for the first season, the cheerleaders and Jocks run the school, and "slushy" anyone who goes against the norm. This is an example of how a minority factions rises up and controls everyone else. However, the factions controlling the school doesn't exist as much at waubonsie. There are many different interest groups at waubonsie, but when it comes to our opinions about the school, we all wanted the Gatorade machine, and the new water fountains. Although the 'nerds' and the 'jocks' have different interests, I feel that waubonsie has so much overlap between every group that we are more of a Republic than a democracy.
Madison believes a complex government is the best way to preserve the rights and liberty of its people in large populations. In small populations, the ability of one faction to take complete control is quite easy, however in large, diverse populations, factions are prevented from rising above each other. This is evident when you look at Waubonsie. When I look at the different cliques, I don't see any one group that is considered "above everyone else." Are there more popular groups? Yes. But I don't think anyone feels threatened by them or that they have more power over everyone else. This is a benefit of going to such a big school. However, if you look at smaller populations, such as in "Grey's Anatomy", there are people that feel superior to others. Obviously, doctors always feel like they are the best thing since sliced bread, which leaves the nurses and other hospital workers feeling insignificant (It's sad that this kind of mentality doesn't mature out of adults). I remember watching an episode where Derek was making fun of a nurse because she went to Syracuse ("a party school"), while he and his colleagues went to Ivy Leagues. Another example can be seen in "Friends." At the museum where Ross works, the scientists and tour guides never associated with each other. The scientists thought they were so much better than the tour guides, that they wouldn't sit with each other at lunch. So although there are factions, the United States will never be as bad as those in "Grey's Anatomy" and "Friends" because of our large population.
Madison said that it was inevitable for factions to form because people with similar interests would come together, and as they come together they will gain power. The only thing we can do is make sure there isn’t one single group with the most power. However, he also states that as long as there is a large population one faction can’t take control very easily. The only way a faction could gain control of a government is if the population was small enough. In WV’s case there are a large amount of students in the school all with their own interests. Many of these interests meet up with others and then they become a clique (faction). With the large “population” in WV no single clique can gain control because there will be so many smaller ones that would “rebel” or reject the single cliques idea.
Madison states in the Federalist 10 that factions control our democracy. His goal was to lessen the control of factions in society, and have them play a smaller role than they did before. The truth is, factions do play a huge role in the way people do things. It is not only seen in the real world, but through the media. In the movie 21 Jump Street (by the way a very quality film if you haven't seen it you're missing out), social factions are seen in the high school that the two cops attend, even though the power of each respected faction has shifted (if you have not seen the movie, the time change of Jonah and Channing going to high school versus when they went as cops, the social norms changed. The nicer and more genuine kids were at the top, and thugs like Tatum were pushed down). The "nice preppy kids" seem to have control of the school, while the nerds that Channing Tatum chills with are still considered at the bottom. Anyway the movie totally represents factions and how they can control a social environment. At Waubonsie, I believe we have come together a lot more as one unit than the traditional high school scene you see in movies. Yes, there are still cliques and preps and hipsters and whatever, but people have unified under our school name and spirit a lot and it's actually pretty cool. (I truly believe Stipp is a huge reason for that btw). So factions do play a role in society. It's just a matter of who leads the community and the factions in my eyes determines if that role is good or bad.
In the federalist 10, Madison believed that factions are dangerous, but they are also inevitable. We can't stop the causes that make factions form, but what we can do is limit their effects. Madison says the best way to control factions is by having a complex government in a large population. In a large population, their would be many different types of opinions, which would cause multiple factions to form. By having many smaller factions form, no one faction could ever take over and gain popularity. This could also connect to Waubonsie Valley as well because Waubonsie is a very large school with a very diverse background that has many different factions, and since we have so many factions, no one faction could ever "take over" the school. Unfortunately because of this, Waubonsie's student body can not ever be united as one.
So Madison believed that factions are the biggest threat to our democracy. It is impossible to live without factions however, so long as we value and have liberty. We can only try to control the effects of factions and ensure they don't overpower the interests of the whole. I sadly watch very little TV, however I do read alot. In the Harry Potter series, it can be commonly seen that factions separate and weaken the wizarding world. Wizard supremacists make up He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's supporters, and throughout the series his faction always tries to enforce their rule over everyone else. Unable to stop this faction led to many horrible atrocities and the essential takeover of their government. Thankfully in Waubonsie, we lack this degree of extremity in our factions. While though those most similar stick together,rarely do we see cliques attempting to spread their influence to the rest. As divided as Waubonsie is, no one faction is able to reign supreme thankfully.
James Madison argues in Federalist 10 that factions will always be present in a free society. This is shown when he writes "liberty is to faction as air is to fire" because liberties like freedom of speech and freedom of assembly allow factions to convene. However, in a large and diverse society he believes factions can be contained so that no single faction will take control and rule the others. One TV show I think of that displays factions is That 70's Show. It revolves around a tight group of friends that are essentially a clique at their high school. Eric Foreman, the protagonist, has rivalries and conflicts with other people such as Casey Kelso, who is older and belongs to a different group of people. Additionally, there is the foreign exchange student Fez, who is often the target of many jokes because he has more differences than anyone else in Eric's group of friends. At our school, WVHS, factions exist in the sense that kids usually belongs to groups based on similar interests or activities. Our school has great diversity and a large population of students (comparable to the US) which makes it impossible for one faction of students to "rise up" and be in total control. For example, if the school board had to make budget cuts, students from all factions (sports, music, theatre, film, clubs & other activities) would all fight for their program to keep their funding - no one group would dominate the others because there are too many students in too many different groups for that to be possible.
Madison could not be more correct about the inevitable existence of factions. With freedom of speech and liberty comes factions.At Waubonsie we do have the football guys, the cheerleaders, the choir kids etc., but because of the size of our school and the amount of opportunities it offers, there are never "cliques" with such small ranges of interests. In a school so big, there will always be jocks that play the violin, or an AP kid that runs faster than lightening. There are so many factions at Waubonsie that not one could ever take over. It is different in TV shows like saved by the bell and awkward because kids that get along will never be entertaining! In schools as big as ours and in our republic diversity helps us keep order, and in TV shows lack of it causes a leading faction and conflict.
Madison introduces the Federalist 10 by arguing that the most important advantage of a “well-constructed Union” is its tendency to “break and control the violence of faction.” By the term “faction”, Madison refers to any combination of citizens that are united by a common interest that is stated to be “adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.” The political order was unstable because rival actions provided superior force and overbearing majority to pass laws that would be favorable to themselves, thus violating the rights and justices of minorities. Departing from the general understanding of factions as minorities, Madison saw the organized majority as the most dangerous and common faction. This concept can be viewed as a sort of social structure, or a force that enables such. A social structure of the government and to the people. In order to absorb this idea on a level that is prevelant to the adolescent population, factions can most certainly be related to the social infrastructure that has defined and continues to define a high school institution. A population divided by "cliques" (factions) into superior and inferior segregations of what is known as certain "types" of students. The infamous collection of jocks, physically superior females, nerds, outcasts, try-hards, theatre freaks, and of course, those that choose to live "below the influence". Every high school is divided into a similar structure, that is a fact that can not be misquoted. Now based upon status, there is a certain amount of control and influence that an individual or group of individuals have over the rest of the student body. Fashion, lifestyle, habitual, and just about every other type of trend is set by the superior. Whether or not that trend is intentionally enforced is determined by the amount of power that the "inferior" high school factions allow those of higher status to hold. Although this concept of high school faction that reflects many aspects of Madison's Federalist No. 10 seems destructive and in some ways a promotion of inequality, structure is structure, and many people crave structure. Especially those of a country like America that is so heavily industrialized and inter-dependent, when it comes to market and even social affairs. We have yet to discover a more "fair" and effective approach to gaining structure. Thus, we feed into factions, despite whether we mean to or not. No matter the age or institution.
Madison argued that factions wouls always exist and be an issue. In game of thrones factions exist solely for the purpose of power grabbing and advancement. In wv there really is fActions but none that are in control. There aee also multiple people in multiple fanctions
Anna L.
Madison states that a republic cannot be ruled by factions. He argues that factions taint public administrations because they represent only one opinion and one group's values. Factions have a tendency to leave many opinions out and exclude people. For example, if the majority faction takes control then they leave out the views of the minority; but if the minority faction takes control then they exclude the will of most of the people. High school is, seemingly, like a republic; it is ruled by factions and groups that all have their own interests. One group that seems to have a dominate presence is the AP student faction. The faction consists mostly of your stereotypical hardworking, straight A, student who takes pride in their school work. For the most part, these students cause little disruption in school; however there is one catch. These students tend to be elitist. They walk around in their AP shirts with their heavy books and stuffed backpacks, all the while keeping their noses high in the air all because they have a shirt that shows they were in an AP class. Yes, it's true that this faction has worked hard for these t-shirts, but that doesn't mean that they have to upset the rest of the student body by looking down on them.This faction causes tension in this way. Factions separate people in this way, which is why Madison was against them in republics.
WOLAK. WE LITERALLY NEVER HAD ANY GOOD DEBATES LIKE TIHS LAST YEA RON THE BLOG. hope the year is going well for ap gov and youth and gov :)
Thanks, Nadia! Hope all is well with you keep in touch....so maybe now you will follow the Political Warrior blog. Go Illini!
I think that balance is the key to many aspects of politics and government, and this is no different. In order to be successful politicians must balance their platform, not leaning too hard towards one faction. In a similar fashion, it is the balance between factions that keeps one from taking control.
WV is not big enough to lessen the influence of factions. Although these factions do not come into conflict, they often take over certain areas. For example, there's the football team, the dance girls, and the Smart-People-Clubs. These factions are obvious because when I was in my AP History class or AP English class, I had many of the same students. Or, when I was in my regular math class, I had many of the football and dance team people. So, the classes that are taken are often divided based upon what you do outside of class. But, like Maddison believes, we cannot be ruled by factions. This is obvious because we have a variety of prom and homecoming kings/queens from each group every year and these groups are so segregated via activities and schedule that they do not come in contact enough to create drama.
Cliques are an inevitable part of society based off how society's social settings work. It's unrealistic for a society to not have cliques because naturally not everyone will get along as well as other people. An example of this would be on a high school sports team. Everyone who is playing together are different ages and have spent different amounts of time with each other because some may be friends or had classes together, so there will naturally be cliques on the team. But a team ruled by cliques doesn't play as well together as a team who gets along with each other. In order to balance this out it is up to the captains to make sure that the cliques don't become the main source of drama and disagreements, and the cliques responsibility to make sure they talk to everyone and get along with everyone so they can win make sure that the captains aren't dictating the teams every move. This is an example of Federalist 10 because you need to establish a government to govern the people, but you also need to establish checks and balances for the government
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