There are between five and seven basic arguments against democracy and they all fall flat for me…except for one, which was on display more than ever the last few days.
As a rule, I will always side with freedom. While there is no such thing as absolute freedom, America, for the most part, is as close as the world has ever seen to such, and in my opinion, that’s a good thing…until I am reminded of the one argument that always makes me rethink my commitment to freedom and democracy.
The most popular argument against democracy is that the constant change of leadership leads to instability. This is asinine. America isn’t a company that needs the same CEO for decades; democracy thrives with constantly new ideas, people, and directions.
Another objection is that consulting more people leads to delays…seriously? More ideas are a bad thing? More perspectives and life experiences are wrong? Get a life
My “favorite” (sarcasm) complaint of democracy is “Ordinary people don’t know what is good for them,” which is the most elitist thing I have ever heard. The idea that there is some sort of council of elders who know better how the rest of us should live is beyond disgusting. https://brainly.in/question/4848474 https://www.dpsbokaro.com/dpsi/docs/econtent-2020-21/senior/21.04.2020/IX/HISTORY.pdf
The case against democracy that always gives me pause is that it ultimately creates such stupidity, that the society is no longer able to function. It sounds like a comedy bit, but it isn’t; in fact, it’s backed by centuries of examples of free societies finding themselves so comfortable that they simply become ignorant, lazy, arrogant, and apathetic. No doubt we saw endless signs of that over the last 2 years with covid, and, some would argue, the last 6 years, ever since the 2016 presidential election. Nothing is more lazy and childish than aligning yourself blindly with a ”team,” aka political party, and following any and everything that group does, regardless of how astoundingly wrong, extreme, or stupid it is, and yet that’s where most Americans find themselves these days. https://theprint.in/world/democracy-devouring-itself-people-too-stupid-to-sustain-it-academic-paper-creates-furore/297989/
The most recent example of American stupidity came just this weekend. It will seem to many as though I am simply exaggerating the facts to support my own personal hatred for this particular institution, but I’m not; I’m deadly serious, because of the entire premise that this society is completely ignorant and blind to.
Tens of millions of Americans spent the last four days drooling over something called the Platinum Jubilee, the 70th anniversary celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s reign over Great Britain. While it is true that the royal family has almost no official power any longer, they continue to hold an enormous amount of sway over the people of England, and the idea that anyone in this country reveres that is despicable.
Over 245 years ago this nation went to war to become a nation. At the time, we were ruled by a king thousands of miles away who imposed his ideals onto us. He was unelected and had been deemed to be from a family of better genes than any of the rest of us; that was his claim to power, and at some point, European Settlers in America had enough and revolted, creating the United States of America. And yet, for some reason, Americans from near and far, east to west, spent the last four days entranced by a ceremony not just honoring the royal family, but worse, honoring the very idea that we fought to have independence from. The Platinum Jubilee is entirely about worshipping royalty; acknowledging that those from the gene pool of the Windsor family are, in fact, better than everyone else, and are to be revered. It’s beyond disgusting, and yet so many of us don’t see that…and that’s where the stupid comes in.
What could be more idiotic than deciding that the very institution your ancestors fought and died to escape should in any way be acknowledged, let alone celebrated? This is literally no different than gleefully attending the family reunion of the man who mass murdered your entire family generations ago, and yet we do!
As a society, we have become more tolerant, accepting, understanding, and compassionate, and for the most part, that’s a great thing. We don’t have to also become the inevitable trope of stupid, ignorant, arrogant and apathetic in the process.
To dismiss any of this as some sort of American anathema towards its own history and/or education is absurd. This is the very definition of self-loathing ignorance and stupidity, and it is a wonderful argument against democracy. While I will still always choose and advocate for freedom, it does offer pause to consider that perhaps people are better served with more structure, more rules, and more forced compliance as it relates to their nation’s own history. After all, we live in a country that willingly complied with the most asinine demands of its’ alleged leaders as it related to stopping the spread of a virus; no doubt they’re more than willing to take a test every few years reminding them of the founding of their nation. Until then, long live the Queen…apparently.
