Groups Come Together to Discuss Democracy
Jaylei Davis | Sept. 22, 2026
A student, left, and professor Susan Ortiz, right, discuss the book “Democracy May Not Exist but We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone” at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, N.C. (Echo/Sophia Strominger)
Over the course of the week of Sept. 14-18, Democracy in Action (DIA) groups assembled at Warren Wilson College’s (WWC) campus to discuss their ideas on the campus common read “Democracy May Not Exist but We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone” by Astra Taylor. These groups were created to allow students to engage with the big questions on democracy in their lives and within the United States of America.
One of the main questions amongst groups was: “What is your definition of democracy?” While multiple people’s opinions differed, one idea was unanimous: there is not a correct way to determine the definition of democracy because it means something different to everyone. Democracy has changed since it was first created thousands of years ago in Athens, Greece. People use different definitions for democracy now then they would have then. Susan Ortiz, Assistant Professor of Sociology, explained that everyone’s definitions were different due to the way democracy has been presented to them.
“We have never seen a true democracy,” Ortiz said.
For U.S citizens, democracy is often represented as America’s current political system: a democratic republic . If true democracy has never existed, its definition will depend on the version of democracy that particular citizens have encountered.
The DIA groups reflected on some of the points Taylor discussed in her book and how they could affect people in their day-to-day lives, whether in class, in their work crews or the clubs they are in. Local democracy, equality and freedom were also major themes of the conversation.
Nolan Peterson, a second year student at WWC, spoke about their encounter with inequality on the basis of transportation that is not available to everyone.
“I could learn how to drive but it's kind of hard for me, especially making snap moment decisions,” Peterson said. “Some of my friends can't drive due to certain disabilities. It's a thing where it's [personal vehicles] giving people that freedom, but not everyone's able to access that.”
DIA groups discussed freedom and equality in relation to their lives in many different ways. They explored the oppression of the groups based on race, social class, sexuality and disabilities that are not provided the same “freedoms” as others within the US. The overall consensus was that, in order to have true equality and true freedom, two sides of the same coin, there would need to be give and take from both sides.
If students in the DIA group had not experienced democracy, freedom, or equality in their campus environments, they were asked to think of Taylor’s idea of disagreement and consensus: “Is too much disagreement a bad thing, and on the flip side is too much agreement bad as well?”
Alex Cunningham, a freshman at WWC, spoke about experiencing ‘in and out’ groups, as Taylor described, during their orientation at WWC. Two athletes were asked to introduce themselves. While everyone else in the group had introduced themselves using their names and pronouns, these individuals did not say their pronouns, only their names. This caused many people to speak in a derogatory way about the two behind their backs–shaming them for an “incorrect” introduction. Cunningham explained that WWC feels like it is very cancel culture based, due to people wanting to feel morally superior rather than have conversations.
DIA groups discussed democracy, equality, freedom and ‘oppressed groups' and branched into many different topics and experiences based on Taylor’s book “Democracy May Not Exist But We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone.”