In 1831, while gathering information about the American prison system, a minor French aristocrat documented the raucous, messy, energetic young democracy emerging here. With shock and fascination, Alexis de Tocqueville observed New England town hall meetings, noted the conflict between our values and reality, and remarked on our complete disregard for European-style hierarchies. Random people could eat cheese and get drunk in the White House! de Tocqueville predicted that this American form of government and society was the future, and would soon sweep throughout Europe. 

When I was a young graduate student at the University of Chicago, I became enamored by de Toqueville. My master’s thesis compared his ideas with the philosopher, Hannah Arendt, who championed the idea that people are happiest when publicly stating their views and working together as a community. 

Thirty-five years later, I’m considering putting theory into practice. I’m weighing the pros and cons of running for our town’s Board of Education, readjusting various work commitments, and reevaluating my social media footprint. Modernity has made political participation much more complicated.

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