Watch the videos below and answer the questions that follow.

The U.S. Department of State recently held a video contest that challenged participants to create a video short that completes the phrase "Democracy is…" Winners of the contest were treated to an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., New York and Hollywood. They were also provided a screening of the winning videos, exposure to filmmakers and the U.S. film and television industry, and meetings with democracy advocates from government, the media and civil society. The video contest was designed to encourage young people to think about the meaning of democracy and its expressions throughout the world.

Democracy Video Challenge

What is your definition of democracy? Do you feel that this definition of democracy is visible in American political culture today? Why or why not?

American political culture has changed considerably in the twenty years, particularly with regard to American foreign policy and its relationship with the rest of the world. Your text discusses the debates surrounding the issue of “exporting democracy” to other parts of the world - this debate centers on the humanitarian, economic, and political ramifications of the spread of democratic regimes. The changes in American political culture over the last twenty years have impacted this debate, and have had larger effects on the role that America plays in the world at large.

Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International, is one of the foremost proponents of creating a further shift in American government and political culture to reestablish our relationship with foreign countries that are growing in economic and political power. In the following video, from a speech at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco in May 2008, he criticizes American political culture for ignoring global issues, and for focusing on short-term political benefits at the expense of long-term prosperity.

Fareed Zakaria The Commonwealth Club May 27, 2008

Do you agree with Zakaria that American political culture needs to reconsider foreign policy in the future and change our interactions with foreign countries? Do you feel that American democracy is strengthened when the U.S. government forges better relationships with other countries? Why or why not?

Your text discusses the role of comedy television in shaping the political knowledge of young people - the text cites a 2007 Pew Research Center survey indicating that the audience of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report tied with the audiences of major newspaper websites as the most knowledgeable about politics and world affairs, with 54 percent of their audiences falling into a “high knowledge group.” While these shows have drawn criticism from journalists for not providing “real” news, they are good examples of how American political culture is reflected and shaped by American pop culture.

To illustrate this, recall that several candidates in the run-up to the 2008 Presidential Election discussed the changing nature of American political culture using a theme of different “Americas.” Most notably, John Edwards used his “Two Americas” theme early in the race to discuss growing economic differences and diverging political attitudes that he witnessed throughout the country, while the Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin famously remarked about the warm receptions that she and John McCain received in parts of “real America.” Palin’s remarks created a stir in the media about the meaning of these remarks, and prompted further debate about the nature of American political culture.

Watch the following clip from The Daily Show and answer the questions that follow.

The Daily Showwith John Stewart - “Quiz: Are You a Real American?”
October 20, 2008

Do you feel that there are considerable differences in American political culture in different geographic parts of the United States? If so, briefly characterize those differences.

How you would describe the political culture (in general) where you live?