Democracy in the United States is at risk and William Greider, author of "Who Will Tell the People?" would likely agree. In his book, Greider stated, "American Democracy is in trouble, more trouble than most people realize," and it's true that major challenges to democratic system of government lie ahead. The rise of a divisive mainstream media, the slow degradation of constitutional rights, and the reduced separation of branch powers are compounded by the shrugs of apathetic youth - and in all likelihood, will result in a long-term collapse of individual liberty, economic well-being and societal prosperity.
Media Division.
While it may not be the only source of national youth apathy, the modern mainstream media is definitely an amplifying factor. Bombarded by worthless news articles, trivial celebrity gossip and reality TV, many of today's youth care little to nothing about politics and world events. A majority of those that do are condemned as either 'radicals' or 'fringe groups' by the very media their peers worship. This duplicitous relationship between worthless information being promoted, while at the same time, important information is being either soft-censored or discredited, should be frightening. .
This considerable trend means that there is a larger push toward keeping the masses uninformed. While the question as to whether this is because of natural trends or design is highly debatable, the end result is still the same. Entertainment, it seems, is the main goal of the modern mainstream media, keeping us pacified and at the same time divided. And as a famous bearded president once stated, "A house divided cannot stand.".
Constitutional Rights.
Since the beginning of the War on Drugs, and through the War on Terror, there has been a unnerving push for more police state powers. Vague trigger terms in law such as "in extraordinary circumstances" or "in issues of national security" have become almost commonplace, rationalizations for everything from warrantless wiretapping to the confiscation of property.