Episode 62: Democracy dies in boredom with Tom Nichols

Utah Politics

Author Tom Nichols says democracy across the globe is under threat, but not for the reason you may think.

Nichols, who is a contributing writer for The Atlantic, argues technologically advanced societies have increased their standard of living so rapidly, citizens are becoming bored, and care less about their fellow citizens.

“People just got used to the idea that if things didn’t go the way they wanted or things didn’t happen in ways they approved of, it wasn’t the fault of some government policy, it was the fault of democracy, and they wanted to overhaul the whole system and replace it with something more rigid,” Nichols said.

He says in his new book Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assult from within on Modern Democracy that this is happening across the globe as once democratic nations are abandoning protections for free speech and religion and other important institutions.

Nichols says nowhere is it more evident that Americans don’t care about their fellow citizens than in our elections.

“Our politics has become all about hurting other people, instead of trying to create something positive. We used to go to the polls and say, here’s what I’m voting for. Now we go to the polls to vote against something and we hope it makes others really mad. The idea that we could all work together toward something has become alien to millions of people,” Nichols said.

Listen to the full conversation with Nichols below.

Tom Nichols on Twitter: @RadioFreeTom

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