The “mirage” of democracy comes from widespread misconceptions about this political system, despite clear misgivings from the most illustrious political thinkers of the past. The most important fallacies about democracy are that elected representatives are generally loyal and honest, and that the electorate is generally informed and rational with regard to politics. Though democracy might sometimes seem to work well, the never-ending economic, social, demographic, and technical changes to society make such impressions short-lived. Additionally, political tensions also arise if the ruling minority pushes a political agenda that disregards or even antagonises the majority. Thus, democracy, in particular, is subject to constant swings of political tensions due to its inherent lack of fairness: the losing side of an election is not represented.

Source: The Nation October 13, 2024 02:50 UTC