One of the oldest criticisms of democracy is that it’s prone to degenerating into little more than mob rule, driven by the latest panic, hatred, or revulsion to consume people’s attention. When it comes to stoking such strong emotions, writes J.D. Tucille, it’s difficult to top the effect of the brutal mass murders committed at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. In the wake of that crime, the country’s government has succumbed to blind reaction by restricting speech, depriving innocent people of arms, and heightening domestic surveillance.
It’s a grim illustration of just how vulnerable the “liberal” element of liberal democracy can be, Tuccille suggests.
Under pressure, democracies have a nasty habit of acting like panicked crowds, suppressing anything frightening or just different in a search for security and conformity. That’s true in the United States as well as in New Zealand, argues Tuccille. But it’s a habit worth breaking if liberal democracies are to rebut their critics and demonstrate their ability to remain bastions of freedom.
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