By definition, a democary is the rule of the majority. In such a system, the political leaders represent the interests of the majority of citizens. And, since this majority cant statistically be made up of just the upper class, it is bound to elect leaders who put in place laws and social safety nets that protect the poor, unlucky, and ill. After all, every person who is part of this majority can eventually end up needing these safety nets themselves.
In this way, every citizen in a democratic country depends on the other. Aside from this specific example of wealth distribution and supporting the poor citizens, the principle also applies to many other areas. For example, the citizens depend on others to make wise choices in terms of foreign policy. After all, the elected leaders not only create domestic progams, but are also the face of a nation to the rest of the world. In this way, every citizen depends on every other citizen to make a prudent and moral (according to the dominant definition of morality in a country) choice for international policy.
In this way, all citizens are interlinked, depending on one another to make good decisions that affect the entire nations course. More specific examples stem from this, and include the wars that are waged, the international causes that are supported, and the foreign powers that are condemned as being evil (for example, Iran and North Korea in the case of American foreign policy).
But, the above does not always hold. Even though in general the majority steers a nations course, the web of support and agreement sometimes fails. One example is the minorities. These groups evolve with a nation, and are not necessarily the same over time. For instance, during the Red Scare in the early 1900s America, Italian immigrants and anyone associated with anarchists was disadvantanged. There was significant prejudice and persecution of the above two groups. As a result, even though the majority steered the nations course, the persecuted could not rely on their fellow citizens. Even though these minorities were technically granted all the same rights, in reality the prejudices of the day singled them out and left them disadvantaged.
In such a case, many citizens simply can not be dependent on others in a democracy. These citizens band together to form group identities, and often hide their true nature (as with the anarchists) to survive in the democratic nation. It would be a mistake for anyone in such a situation to turn to their fellow citizens or to await for others to improve their unfortunate situation.
Overall, often citizens of a democratic nation do rely on others to make wise choices about their elected leaders. Theoretically, this translates into social policies and laws that satisfy the citizens. However, when a citizen is part of a persecuted minority, he or she should be careful about expecting help from the majority. In such cases the minorities often forge strong group identities, and are sometimes forced to hide their identities from other citizens. Such disadvantaged citizens should look to others with similar problems.
