The Illusion of Democracy

[John Marston]

Here is some thought:

Democracy is the most effective political system for the modern world, but it is no more permanent than the dynastic empires that went before.

Twenty thousand years ago, at the coldest point of the Ice Age, everyone on earth was a hunter-gatherer, spending nearly all their time in tiny bands of a dozen or fewer people. Comparisons between archaeological evidence and hunter-gatherer bands that survived into the 20th century suggest that while men tended to have more power than women, in most ways societies were highly egalitarian, with no permanent positions of political authority. Important decisions were normally made through round upon round of open discussion, and men who tried to lord it over others would be laid low with mockery, ostracism or even murder. These maybe were highly democratic communities.

And what we have now...

Don`t try to tell me we have a republic, I know it

[Stratego]

The population size is different now. We need to find other forms of democracy than talking about all decisions.

[eynon81]

Non's confused....is OP suggesting we return to a tribal structure of governance?

[Indy]

Can't we all agree that our democratic experiment failed?

It had a good run, but in the end we couldn't stop from plunging into plutocracy/oligarchy.

I'd say there's a few European countries now that better exemplify what we're supposed to be more than we're ever going to from now on.

[eynon81]

[Indy]

It was working pretty damn well for a while here so not sure that things not working here anymore is because of our size.

If you're wondering how I'm defining "well" I mean when our middle class was the strongest and upward mobility was always a possibility; but even being blue-collar could mean living comfortably.

[eynon81]

[Indy]

Yup.

[eynon81]

[Indy]

I think you're simplifying a bit too much as to why we are where we are. I concede that post-WWII was probably a once in a lifetime era but our present situation is almost entirely our own doing, I would say.