Dictatorship with a Smile

If you need to double check the exact definition of democracy in Google search (like I did), then you're probably not in one. At least, not really.

A democratic society is one where the governing body is chosen by the people, to represent the people. It is supposed to reflect our voice, respond to our needs, and act in our best interest.

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Is anyone else hearing the chirp of crickets? Does any of this sound familiar? No?

That's probably because you are not a member of the represented elite—you just don't fit the bill, sunshine.

Here are a few reasons why democracy is a tale as tall as a beanstalk.

Money, Money, Money

"When money speaks, the truth is kept silent." —Russian proverb.

Money doesn’t just talk, it shouts, and boy does it have some lungs on it. We only have to look at the presidential elections in the United States to realize how much our "democracy" relies on the dough.

According to the New York Times, President Trump’s expenses totalled a whopping 322 million dollars, whilst Hilary Clinton’s expenses reached a migraine-inducing 565 million dollars. Where on planet Earth does this money come from?

Undoubtedly, a few coins will be dished out from the candidate’s own pocket, but the majority of it will come from donations. A donor can be anyone, from an average Joe to a power-house organisation, and it would be naive to think that the larger of these donations aren’t given with a cheeky little arrangement and a pantomime-worthy wink.

So if you've got the money, you'll be represented no problem.

Smoke and Mirrors

Politics is like a magic show which excels in the art of distraction. Every venture for the truth is answered with a slur on the opposition, avoidance, and a helter-skelter detour down a path they feel more comfortable with.

A classic case of this is the antisemitism row currently happening within the UK Labour Party. Regardless of whether Labour is guilty of antisemitism, it seems a little too convenient that this news exploded at the exact same time the Conservatives were working on their Brexit deals.

It makes one wonder, does it not? How can the people form their own opinions with the "look at me" circus acts performed by our very media?

Population (Out of) Control

The human race is historically tribal—they band together, form their own hierarchy, rules, and ways of living. That much hasn’t changed.

What has changed, however, is the size of our tribes.

With an increasing number of people comes an increasing diversity of need, needs which are quite often in conflict with one another. If democracy revolves around the representation of the people, how is it possible to represent so many cultures, religions, races, and genders under a single governing body?

It’s not. You can’t please everyone, so in true survival-of-the-fittest style, governing bodies choose to represent the truths which are most beneficial to them.

And so the show begins...

Education

One of the biggest problems in today's society is our lack of understanding, and a lack of understanding leads to fear, resentment, and distrust.

When things go wrong, it is human nature to make scapegoats of the people that are most unfamiliar to us, and some news outlets and politicians have no qualms about snapping up those fears and running away with them. Unfortunately, the truth doesn’t sell well.

Only through improving education on the differences that exist and developing a media that doesn’t thrive on fear, can we grow into more democratic societies.

Terminally Human

As much as we would like to consider ourselves otherwise, we are animals first and foremost, and our instinct is to survive.

Those who are in power have the current system to thank for their success, and it is in their interest to remain precisely where they are. In order to remain where they are, things would have to stay as they are, leaving little wiggle room for anyone to rise from the ashes.

After all, why would they want to change anything about a system that has enabled them to rise to the top?

That's It—I'm Moving to Mars

So what do we do, with all these things stacked against us? How can we uproot a way of life that has cemented itself so deeply into society’s core?

Perhaps we are overshooting with the number of people being governed under one body. Maybe we should enforce a ban on campaign donations to lessen the threat of bribery.

Whatever we do, one thing is for certain—to achieve a true democracy, we’d have to break the wheel.

Does anyone have Daenerys Targaryen's number?