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The Death Of Democracy

T. SHER SINGH

 

 

 






Winston Churchill famously immortalized a long-held and realistic appraisal of Democracy by regurgitating it thus:

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time …”

It was well put. And so true.

Yes, it was true … then!

But the statement, witty though it still sounds, is true no more.

I’m afraid that Democracy too, as a form of government, has been corrupted to such an extreme that it has now become, like each of its predecessors -- monarchy, dictatorship, oligarchy, communism -- a fast-track to exploitation of humanity and a facilitator of pillage and plunder.

I don’t believe it stands out any more as a lesser evil. You can no longer point to any example of it being practiced anywhere where one can say, “It works!” or “It can still work …” Each and every claim today of adherence to the great democratic ideals of yore is a hollow one, ridden with dishonesty and subterfuge.

This does not mean that I believe it is time to bring back any of the hitherto rejected forms of human governance. All I am saying is that we’ve managed to corrupt yet another great, civilized and civilizing institution until it too has become rotten to the core.

And, I feel compelled to add, there’s no turning back. I don’t think the damage is reversible. Democracy is no longer redeemable because the very tools that could’ve pulled it out of its life-sucking morass have brought about and have guaranteed its death-knell.

Just look at the current election cycle in the Unites States of America, the very same land which has been widely touted by several successive generations as the bastion of democracy … its brightest lighthouse, its finest example, its strongest protector, its greatest promoter.        

The last few months have witnessed a groundswell of protest -- real, sincere, heartfelt, passionate -- against the status quo, which has roughly been identified as The Establishment.

The ’revolution’, as many call it, is against the politicians. All politicians, of every ilk.

The likes of Hilary Clinton, they say, are symbolic of what’s gone wrong.

That’s true.

Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, et al, we’ve been told in high decibels, represent the rot in Washington, DC.

True, also.

So, the masses have turned to … Donald Trump.

And to Bernie Sanders.

First, let’s talk about Trump.

Few, if any, will hesitate to acknowledge that Trump, as a human being, a businessman, or a politician, is the lowest of the low one could come up with. He has indeed been scraped off the bottom of the barrel.

Having gone through FOUR bankruptcies, now ready to be President of the United States?

A fraud, a liar, a brute and a bully, a foul-mouthed bigot, a racist, a sexist abuser, a man with NO principles, no sense of loyalty, no integrity, one who flips on a dime and for a dime … I could go on and on, and I can see all of you nodding your heads in agreement.

So … he’s going to be the antidote to our rotten politicians?

Then, there’s Bernie who markets himself as the anti-establishment candidate.

Anti-establishment?

He’s been the very embodiment of The Establishment for almost FOUR DECADES now … as Mayor, as US Representative, as US Senator, etc., etc. He did absolutely NOTHING worth writing home about to further any of the great ideas he is now trying to sell to the US electorate … that is, he did nothing when he wielded power during those decades to effect anything that he claims he wants to implement NOW!

Who cares what he says he will do in the future if and when he is elected President, when he can’t even show that he at the very least tried to do those very things when he DID have power?

Is Sanders the best revolutionary we could come up with to save the world?

Sure, all of the other ’establishment’ candidates need to be shown the door, but to bring in some one equally bad (Sanders), or some one even worse (Trump), to replace them?

How did we get to this point?

Easy.

We have, in recent decades, systematically stripped away all levels of accountability from the media to the point that they can now sell their souls to the highest bidder.

Enter, a billionaire who fully understands how the media freely prostitutes itself, and then proceeds to manipulate the system. He himself escapes scrutiny because, a) he is using his own money and therefore does not have to abide by any election-funding rules; and b) being the one who pays the piper, he, Trump, calls the tune.

He claims he hasn’t bought any media time. I don’t believe it. One would have to be terribly dense to think that the fact that Trump has saturated the media coverage from DAY ONE is a pure coincidence or merely the result of his insane ramblings.

Next, let me turn to his other ‘strength’: the so-called Social Media. It’s the perfect vehicle to control the lemmings in our world … and he has done it so masterfully, as they careen themselves, and the nation, towards the cliff-edge.

We as a society have turned the media into a monster. And we have created another monster in social media. There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle!

These two tools -- one, actually, not two, because they collectively constitute the Media today! --  are perfect for a marauder to come along and run roughshod over everything in sight.

They help to switch off the brains, so that the masses can then dance to any tune and follow any Pied Piper to wherever he wishes to take them.

So what are we ordinary citizens left with? Always, only a choice between the frying pan and the fire! 

If this was an isolated example, I wouldn’t be ringing the death-knell of Democracy. Therefore, let’s look at another example, the other ’great’ democracy in this topsy-turvy world: India.

The Indians finally, after an entire-lifetime of trying to do so, got rid of the gangsters who had taken over the newly-minted country. I’m of course talking about the Congress Party.

Along comes an even worse bunch of thugs who, with the help of the media, wow the country Trump-like and win the election in a landslide.

The country has now, in less than 2 years, gone to the dogs. Rather, been taken to the dogs.

How? Easy.

India’s media moguls had long ago shed every shred, every string, that in any way tied them to any morals, values or principles, and became the willing ‘savaari’ (ride, vehicle) for the new brigands who took over the land.

[The ’savaari’ is an old Hindu concept which the Hindutva crowd understands perfectly. Each Hindu god and goddess has a ’savaari’: Vishnu has the swan, Shiva a snake, Durga a lion, and Ganesh a mouse.]

So, that’s how democracy works today. The new hand-maidens prostitute themselves -- again, a potent metaphor for Indians because of the great Hindu tradition of ‘devdasis’ (temple prostitutes) -- and facilitate the advent of an even worse crop of rogues than the one just ousted.

I have given you only two examples. Look around the world and tell me if you can find any place where this doesn’t happen anymore.

I have heard the pundits -- here, I mean the vacuous talking-heads that plague the media today -- say that Corporations have taken over and replaced democracy.

No, they haven’t. They’ve merely usurped the tools of democracy and are using it as a front while preying on society. No longer are there any restrictions or limitations on what mischief they wreak on the world.

Pray, why would they willingly allow any new form of governance to replace the current one which now serves them oh so well? Democracy is now little more than a convenient façade for crimes against humanity.


March 2, 2016           

                
 

Conversation about this article

1: Kiran Kaur (Chicago, Illinois, USA), March 02, 2016, 1:48 PM.

Harsh words. But it is the truth and this truth is not going to be easy to swallow for many of us. Thank you for getting us to think about this mess from outside the box.

2: Onkar Singh (Los Angeles, California, USA), March 02, 2016, 4:21 PM.

I agree with most of the points you've raised, and share your concerns. But, what is the solution? Would love to hear readers weigh in on this important subject.

3: Manjit Kaur (Maryland, USA), March 02, 2016, 4:29 PM.

Welcome bck! Indeed harsh - but clarity defined.

4: Arjan Singh (USA), March 02, 2016, 5:19 PM.

Media is 'buyable', that is true without a doubt. It is also true that media has a disproportionate level of impact on the masses. Most folks do not have the time/energy to dig down to the truth. The answer lies within us. We all have to express ourselves, using all available media outlets, i.e., blogs, newspaper articles, facebook, instagram, twitter, etc.

5: Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, USA), March 02, 2016, 11:13 PM.

Most of these men, particularly in the Republican Party, who are running for the presidency of USA, suffer from ills which are outward manifestations of inward crises. They routinely ignore the spiritual and moral principles of their faith. It seems that in their whole lives they have been engaged in various forms of dishonesty. Unclean souls lead to intolerance, divisions and corrupt practices.

6: Kulvinder Jit Kaur (Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada), March 03, 2016, 3:16 AM.

I share the views and sentiments expressed in this article. Every kind of questionable government has been formed in several countries under the garb of Democracy. Mobs are incited, manipulated and exploited under the banner of Democracy. It will be more appropriate to name it now a 'Mobocracy'. People and groups who want to control and rule can twist any political ideology to suit their agenda, whether it is Communism, Democracy or any other. I find that Dictators are at least honest about their brand of government, they at least don't fool the people in thinking that the government is "by the people, for the people and of the people."

7: Gursevak Singh (Canada), March 03, 2016, 4:08 AM.

I'm sorry, Sher Singh, though you make a strong if somewhat emotional case, I do not see how Bernie Sanders is not a viable candidate. The voters who see him in a positive light understand that him being a political outsider is a result of him remaining steadfast in his principles and not let the political atmosphere of the time change his opinion, which in my own opinion would make him truly anti-establishment.

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