Is Democracy Really Dying?

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• This is one of the most informed posts and excellent in presentation. Thank you.

  Joanna

  • Your satisfaction is our motivation.
    Thankyou for the grateful words.
    ASPIRINGBLOG.......

• Yes you are so right. So often those who have power use it for their selfish gains instead of the good of the people. For a long time the West has considered itself superior and civilized but we are really just as corrupt as anywhere. A good heart in the leader is what is needed regardless of the system of leadership and governance.

  • Well said, a leader should be so honest that he will maintain the dignity of the constitution as well as a well thinker of the citizens of his country. And treat the citizens as his family members. But money has make everyone blind...they forget the real meaning of nationalism..
    Aspiringblog.....

• ◇ - Diamond Hard - ◇

  ◇ Ask The Ancient Romans who Ditched Their Emperors in Favour of "Democracy" EveryOne; it's Crystal Clear Clarity that History is The Best Teacher about Senates, Congressional Groups and, of course, The Mother of ALL Our Houses of Parliament Being The British Empire

  ◇ - Diamond Hard - ◇

  ...◇◇◇...

  • And that's how the sun is set on Roman Monarchy.
    Long live democracy

    • ON DICTATORIAL EMPIRES LACKING "DEMOCRACY"

      ◇ - Diamond Hard - ◇

      ♤ Roman Empire
      ♤ British Empire
      ♤ Indian Empire
      ♤ Chinese Empire
      ♤ Russian Empire
      ♤ American Empire

      ...no NEED!!! to Go On EveryOne; it seems to Me that ALL of Us Desire POWER!!!...

      ◇ - Diamond Hard - ◇

      ...◇◇◇...

      • ♤ "Democracy" is an Illusion; from Family to Government there is ALWAYS!!! Rigid Control from Authority

        ...♤♤♤...

        • Illusion for those who afraid to speak against wrong and monarchy.
          At last population is mightier than government.

• Thank you for your post. You defined Democracy beautifully. You also gave a good assessment of its flaws. I worry it might be dying, but even more concerning is what will be put in its place. I believe the issue is we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water. Democracy needs to get back to its roots.

  • Indeed , Democracy can’t be replaced but if this will continue, so soon there will be no difference between dictatorships and democracies
    And Thankyou for your appreciation.

• Wow..You have covered almost every detail pertaining to the topic and presented it really well. Democracy is definitely in the declining path, but how to get it back on track? Is it even possible for that to happen?

  • At first We are glad that you love the post, and second a
    I will try to clear your doubt, yes everything is possible if you have dedication towards making a change, like for Democracy it can come back in track by proper implementation of law, and free and fair elections also a honest government should come into force so that they will have secure the democracy and the most media has to be more sincere and should present true picture..
    Thanks

    • Yeah...Hopefully, we would get back on track real soon.

      • We can pray only,,as per the current situation it seems very tough..

• Great post, really well written and informative - thanks for sharing! It feels like there has been a huge shift in the way peolle think and are influenced by social media, who knows what the future holds.

  • Indeed , future is uncertain but as per current scenario Democracy is in danger, what a single social can do?if the parent media is biased.

• Our democratic republics were flawed from their beginnings. There have been high points and low points regarding these systems. We are at a low point now that plutocracy has largely hijacked the official tools of our republics. It will take concerted effort of the citizens to regain control of the democratic aspects of the countries. I don't know whether or not we can overcome trends of apathy, denial, and disinformation to do so.

  • Well said ,,it could take massive efforts and some sacrifices as well but nothing is impossible we can revive our democracy with a bit dedication and support.
    Thanks for coming

• Great post: interesting and informative

  • Thankyou luisa for your continuous support

• You are so welcome 🌺 🙏

• A well written post…. and I agree… We are under the illusion we have a democratic society…. When it suits those to use their powers for their gains… When we become aware that those gains are not in ours, and see they are not in alignment with societies best interests, then the rules of their game changes… As our Human Rights of expression are taken away, and we are labelled being Extremist or Activists… When we expose the truth to how those who rule do so only by control… Fear being a major player in keeping the masses submissive..
  Many thanks, and thank you for your travels and clicking the likes of various comments I have made here and there.. I came to repay the compliment…
  Kind Regards. 🙏

  • Its my pleasure to do so Sue..
    And yes you said right, democracy is just under the hands of some powerful people, that they silently change the scope of democracy, its our bad luck that we already come under the trap of them.

    More interesting writes are on their way. Keep visiting

    • Thank you... Keep up the great work of informing people.. :-)

      • My pleasure 🙂

• Very sweeping and thorough thoughts on democracy. Thank you!
  I think democracy, though, along with many other principles, ideas, philosophies, movements, and beliefs that rise and fall with civilizations isn’t immune to the whimsies of time. Nothing lasts forever. But everything comes back around again, it seems, eventually.

  • We also hope so seliza, hope once again everything will be on right track.
    Thanks for being with us

• Even in ancient Greece democracy was not a Panacea.
  Bottom line, a democracy it’s as good as the degree of Virtue, or lack of it of the people under.

  • Don’t know much about Ancient Greece. But I do know about Athenians Democracy, probably the first known democracy in the world. (And yes perhaps it was not a full solution)

    • Arete its a Greek word that means Excellence, or to exercise the upmost in Virtue, without it, no form of Government, even Democracy would not work.
      A society without virtue, will not succeed, and will lack honesty, and therefore Justice will be missing as well.

• Deepak Joshi, Very informative and comprehensive post. The citizens of democracies need to take back what is rightfully theirs…their voice, economic justice, and equality under the law. 🙂 it is time for the pendulum to swing back! All the best! Cheryl

  • Indeed and I know it will come back soon.
    Just Hold on for a while. The upcoming generation will be under the full and fair democracy.
    Aspiringblog

• “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” – Winston Churchill
  Until we have a society where everyone is perfect – selfless, brilliant, and powerful – every system will be flawed. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 The best we can hope for is forgiveness from the only One who IS selfless, brilliant, and powerful (ALL-loving, ALL-knowing, and ALmighty). Without Him I would have no hope. Thankfully, I am NOT without Him.

  • Very well said.
    But practically its not possible to have perfect citizen, infact there is no law ever made or will made that are admired or accepted by all the citizens.
    Thanks for sharing your views

• Excellent post!

  • Thankyou 🙂

• I'm fascinated by how amazing each an every post of yours is! Every time you come up with great topics and brilliant presentation! You guys are one of the bet bloggers I've seen here! Loved this post!

  • Thankyou Aditi for the kind words. But we are not the best we are learners and everytime we just try to give our best 😊
    Its an honor to have you in our site as a reader.
    Deepak

    • That was quite we written! Thanks, I’m glad to be a reader too.

• So... what's the difference between a democracy and mob rule? I ask this for your own consideration, because I think you're missing something very important in your description... and that 'something' is the essential ingredient necessary so that a democracy - regardless of how big or rich or diverse - does not wither and die but thrive. It was the ingredient that was missing in the Arab Spring movement and the one thing that guaranteed its demise.

  • Thanks for elaborating and making me understand.
    But I don’t know much about Arab spring movement I will definitely go through it and will make changes if required.
    Democracy is such a huge topic with different view point. And I respect your views and definitely want to know more about it.

    Please do visit again🙂

• Even the best system of government can be perverted. A government reflects the values (and flaws) of its people. Both Russia and China are totalitarian regimes, yet elections are nominally held there.

  • China has communists rule (one party rule) same as in russia they are under the control to Putin. If government tries to control the public inspite of public to the government (in democracy ) the result will be like China and Russia.

    • Exactly.

  • It's not about elections; democracy alone is not enough. Such a system is nothing more than mob rule, which brings forth strongmen and despotism. A democracy without fundamental rights and freedoms in law that holds the individual supreme and has these individual rights and freedoms enforced by the state through the courts and police and armed forces is doomed to widespread corruption, civil strife, and eventual failure. In its place rises a rule of law that holds the state supreme and this is what ends up getting protected in law and enforced by the state.

    The key to democracy is legitimate consent by the governed. This is the bedrock principle - a liberal principle - needed for legitimate consent: this consent is based on the individual granting and withdrawing power by individual vote. The individual in return for exercising this consent grants legitimacy ONLY if that individual power to offer or withdraw consent is protected by law and enforcement; otherwise, this consent is not legitimate. Legitimate consent requires the individual - not groups, not tribes, not affiliation, not blood, not honor, not family - to be the SUPREME base unit in law. If this is not done, not established, not practiced, not enforced, then you cannot have a liberal democracy; you can only have an illegitimate government that is equivalent to mob rule.

    • And this individuality is what is being manipulated by social media algorithms - gaining our individual attention and clicks - and then sold to any business that wants to do something with this individual data. This business can then tailor a message to you and slowly alter your perception of reality, of what's true. This is what is happening throughout the West to create division between individuals by competing powers like Russia and China. They pay for information about you - and a billion of your friends - and then send you content equivalent to propaganda that helps to create and increase social division. If you and I get news alerts, for example, your material will be different from my material. This helps create a silo effect where your perception of what's true, what's real, is different from mine. Over time, we see the results: an increasing political partisanship aimed at undermining the fundamental shared values of liberal democracy. These are under sustained attacks by social media paid for by interested parties that profit from the division.

      Trying to change this behaviour with regulated social media, regulations by the state imposed on every social media platform and made financially responsible for their consequences, meets up with the corporate demand for individual freedom to choose. I know: the irony is incredible. But that's why in the US, for example, a corporation is considered an individual with all the same rights and freedoms... but almost none of the responsibilities. We need to advocate for corporate oversight of these algorithms and made legally responsible for matching them not with unregulated profit but aligned with what's actually and independently true rather than fed like-minded confirmation biased 'alternative' facts to garner more clicks.

      We need to talk and listen to people. Real people. We need to rediscover our shared interest and concerns. We need to get off social media feeds and stop all the alerts. We need to rediscover why liberal democracy, although a terrible system of governance, is the best one we have. And we have to step up and protect it from those who would have us destroy it in the name of something else.

      • Do you really believe Liberal democracy is that good? Today’s world provides many examples of democracies being used for authoritian ends rather than being liberals.
        United States and Uk are best example for being a ‘liberal’ but perhaps only in theories. What about the patriot act? What about the large wealth gaps? Is fundamental rights available to weaker sections?
        I do believe that liberal democracy are far better than non-democracies but still it has abundance of flaws.
        Economic system doesn’t only run with having a theoretical liberal democracy.

• Yes, I do. But it requires active defence from every generation because, as you point out, these rights are constantly under erosion and, also as you point out, they are not absolute. They must align with a greater good and, as much as possible, be fair across the board. In other words, any restriction placed on my rights and freedoms must be similarly applied to all citizens and be shown to have cause. This is not a problem for liberal democracies as long as the individual remains the bedrock of consent. It becomes a problem when it trumps (excuse the pun) necessary regulation to ensure a level playing field for all individuals. This is how political autocracies and economic monopolies are enabled in the name of equality, in the name of individual rights, but act directly against these enabled principles in practice. Regulation is a necessary tool, without which libertarianism becomes despotic and authoritarian. There is a balance and the fulcrum is every individual; place any citizen at that point and see: is there legal equality and autonomy for every individual you place there? If not, regulation is needed.

  What is sweeping the West today is a very strong anti-liberal sentiment that is trying to award privilege in law to groups in the name of justice, in the name of achieving equity, in the name of 'protecting' rights and freedoms and fairness in law. (So do the fulcrum test for yourself and see how and why this social justice movement is anti-liberal.) Altering law away from the individual to empowering 'victimized' groups is an historical recipe for either achieving a failed state or a totalitarian regime. And this is why the erosion of individual rights requires constant vigilance and defence.

  The middle ground between a liberal democracy and anti-liberal movements is the rise of populism. It is the harbinger of doom. Something is badly broken when a populist can gain public office. And I mentioned social media because this is the vehicle by which populism gains just enough democratic support to achieve public office. And once achieved, we see the legal process of thwarting liberal institutions and creating social problems that benefits the populist as the savior figure, problems unchecked that gain a life of their own, to which the public response has to be for ever-increasing state intervention... not to restrict the populist but to enable ever more authoritarian power in the name of protecting the individual from these problems but, in fact, reducing the power of institutions that can actually address such problems.

  • Well I’m agree with your facts . As u mentioned social media comes out as a big vehicle of populism in west but in india it turn to be the threat of Democracy bcz of control under the powerful parties. So if the fourth pillar is under demolish so there is no fact left of Democracy whether of liberal or illiberal.
    Thankyou for taking interest on this topic.

• DEMOCRACY CHANGES WHEN A STATES CONSITUTION IS ANULLED, OR IN TIME VIEWED NOT BY ITS ACTUAL WORDS, BUT BY IT IS VIEWED BY OPINION. THUS THE "CONSTITUTION " IN AMERICAN POLITICS IS VIEWED ACCORDING TO WHAT THE POWERFUL DICTATE IT TO SAY, BACKED UP BY JUDICIAL PRESIDENCE (DECISIONS MADE BY JUDGES OF A PARTICULAR VIEWPOINT) UNTIL THE DOCUMENT ITSELF BECOMES A INTERESTING MUSEUM EXHIBIT...BUT THE ACTUAL INTERPRETATION OF IT BECOMES AT BEST LIP SERVICE TO THE IDEALS THEREIN---ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT RUN COUNTER TO THE RULING PHILOSPHY OF THOSE IN POWER .AND CONTROL OF THEOVERALL EDUCATIONAL PROCESS REAFFIRMS IT BY OVER TIME, NOT TEACHING WHAT THE CONSTITUTION REALLY SAYS, OR IF IT IS---DOWNPLAYING THE IMPORTANCE OF THOSE FOUNDING IDEAS---IF MENTIONED AT ALL.

  • And I guess this isn't just happening In American Politics only with every State has it own constitution. This the problem with every Democratic Countries even if they have a single constitution to govern everything.

    • No---the problem on both state and federal levels is that the Constitutions have been so redefined and selcetively ignored that they are nearly meaningless .tothe current crop of arbitrary rulers.

      • Until the power only concentrates with the people with power (Whether it's federal or a state or a semi-federal countries like mine), Constitution and the words written in it will continue to be ignored.
        Arbitrary Rulers, they ignore the constitution but ironically swear by it.

        • aye-yup. Makes sense to me! :D Wish it wasn't true, though!