Is a Misinformed Democracy Dangerous? 2020 Seems to Think So

Neil deGrasse Tyson made some startling and important points in the video Science in America. He spoke on the dangers of widespread denial in scientific reality, especially when this denial is started and spread by people in power. Specifically, he said, “when science deniers rise to power it is a recipe for the end of an informed democracy.” This statement is important because voters and everyday citizens turn to people in power for answers and information, and even if this information is false or misleading, many voters will take it as fact, consequently leading to a terribly misinformed democracy. This is further troubling because if the people in power do not believe in science, then the science related problems which need to be discussed will be pushed aside by these powerful deniers. This will keep possible solutions from being listed on voter ballots, which will continue to keep the citizens of this democracy misinformed and will delay the progress necessary to fix these environmental and scientific problems. With a public this misinformed, our democracy will not be able to deal with these evidently important issues.

Furthermore, this threat has become especially apparent in our present democracy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, it is the opinion of many that the virus is simply a political stunt and that the seriousness of this virus has been exaggerated for political reasons. This is dangerous because it is near impossible to fight an issue which requires the support of everyone if many refuse to believe the problem even exists. This struggle is evident in the controversy regarding the mandatory wearing of masks because even though science proved how necessary and preventative masks are during this time, people feel that their rights are being violated and continue to refuse to wear them. While both these beliefs sound startling, the truly startling fact is how quickly they were able to spread and become the opinion of many due to the media. While I have seen many TV advertisements that encourage mask wearing and hand washing, news stations have the greater power of informing the public of whichever “facts'' they choose, which further leads to the misinforming of individuals. Similarly, people in power have been able to utilize the platform of social media to spread information, or more dangerously misinformation, to their followers who will take it as fact and spread it even further. I personally have seen many Facebook videos of people explaining why masks should not be worn with such conviction as if they are being backed by science. This is dangerous however because individuals who are science illiterate will believe this to be science since it is the only point of view they have been exposed to by turning to social media, where anyone can say practically anything.

Another example of the threat which misinformation poses to our democracy was provided with the 2020 Presidential election. Due to the pandemic, many voters chose to use a mail-in ballot rather than voting in person, which would clearly cause a delay in counting the final election results. Even so, this did not stop former President Donald Trump from announcing on social media that he had won before all the mail-in ballots had been counted. Many of his followers believed him which led to unrest once all of the votes were counted and it was officially announced that Joe Biden was the true winner. This unrest evolved into the new year when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building on January 6, 2021 in resistance to the election results and the change in power which was soon occurring. Many people participated simply because it was encouraged by Trump, and this misinformation and abuse of power lead to violence and unfortunately death. 

The misinforming of individuals during this pandemic and election by people of power has come at the cost of people’s jobs, well-being, and even lives. This is a prime example of what Neil deGrasse Tyson was talking about because we now see clearly that only disaster follows when “science deniers rise to power.” It is now our job as voters to become scientifically literate and to elect people who listen to science and will use their power to work towards solutions. This is the only way we can keep a sustainably informed and progressive democracy.