On January 30, 2025, Anne Morton presented her novel Wild Democracy at the Appel Salon, Toronto Reference Library, Toronto, Ontario.  It was an interesting session on democracy with a lively discussion after her presentation. The audience gained different perspectives on the meaning and practice of democratic principles and rules. 

Wild Democracy calls for a more anarchic, more courageous democracy. It is an ethic for people who know their rights and struggle to rule themselves. It is an ethic for unfinished revolutions and those who will not be mastered. It is an ethic for those who hold fast to the rights they have by nature. 

Democracy is always a risky business, full of promise and danger. The promise is the freedom to rule ourselves. The danger is fear: fear of the unknown, fear of the unruly, fear of one another, fear of anarchy. The fearful look for a strong hand, a powerful leader, a protector, a gun. Anarchy leads to courage, self-reliance, self-discipline, self-rule, and solidarity. 

Anarchy is the nursery of democracy. It is not anarchy we have to fear; it is authoritarianism. We have been taught to see people as problems to be managed. Anne Norton sees them as a source of strength. Anarchic democracy grows wild, springing from the everyday actions of ordinary human beings. Liberalism and conservatism alike have turned away from the democratic to institutions, rules, and regulations. Anne Norton turns to anarchic people who practice democratic ethics.

Source:https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/wild-democracy-anarchy-courage-and-ruling-the-law/9798212623193.html