Download or read book The Lonely Activist written by David Demers and published by Marquette Books. This book was released on 2013 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Democracy. Free expression. Due process. Accountable government. Individualism. Americans and their institutions love their civil liberties and the activists who promote them. Or do they? This book, which is the first in a trilogy, follows the life-story of journalist-turned-professor David Demers, who discovers that three American institutions most expected to defend civil liberties -- universities, the courts and news organizations -- often fail to practice what they preach. Some of the anti-liberty actions are attributable to conservative politics. But the lion's share, Demers argues, can be explained by increasing bureaucratization of everyday life. In fact, bureaucracies often discourage individual activism and encourage consensus decision-making, even fostering an "other-directed" need for approval from others.