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The Future of Democracy
“The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and take orders later; in a dictatorship you don’t have to waste your time voting” — Charles Bukowski
Beyond the constraints of agrarian polarization and the gender roles it created, we also need the freedom to transcend the bipolar nature of our political system. While it is largely billed as the world’s most successful democracy, it is high time we recognize the government of the United States of America for what it truly is. Though it started as a republic with occasional democratic processes by the 6% of white, male landowners that wrote the rules, it has since become an oligarchy run by the richest 1%.
Although the United States often likes to tout its democratic successes, its voter turnout is a testament to how many Americans don’t actually have faith enough in the system to participate, leaving much more opportunity for the financially obsessed to take the lead and influence the remaining voters. In November 2016, 64% of adults over the age of 18 reported to be registered voters. Yet, in one of the most hotly politicized presidential races in history, only 55.7% turned out to vote, allowing Donald J. Trump to take office with ballots cast by less than 19% of adults of voting age.
