Fear Versus Democracy

“What happens to our civic life when we’re all too scared to participate?” asks Slate. Expert witnesses have recently refused to testify in court, fearing reprisal for divulging their political views. “Expressing one’s opinions requires political bravery, and our systems of governance will not function properly if we are all convinced everyone wants to club us to death for our unpopular views. Scalia certainly agrees: ‘The fact is, running a democracy takes a certain amount of civic courage.’ Allowing ourselves to become a nation of silent, secretive, timid citizens is likely to result in a system of democracy and justice that is neither very democratic nor very just.”