Answer:
He meant that democracy is not perfect, but rather susceptible to huge and harmful failures, which must be tackled.
Explanation:
George Takei is an American actor of Japanese descent. His family was forced to abandon their home and all their possessions to live in the Japanese concentration camps, formed by the American government during World War II. This was an extremely shameful moment in American history, as it shows the great level of instability, prejudice and intolerance towards immigrants and descendants. These factors are totally against the concepts preached by democracy, which is one of the great prides of the American population.
George Takei's father, as one of the great failures of American democracy, shows that this democracy is imperfect and capable of absurd cruelties, contrary to what it should be.
