@Zolkowski: heh. I suggested the establishment of a dystopian nation where poor people fight to the death for the amusement of the elite.
So, yes, I was being 100% serious. :|
Of course I was being facetious, ya crazy fellow. This is Giant Bomb. Loosen the collar a bit.
Now, on the topic, I disagree with your characterization of how many democracies are doing, but I can certainly share your concern on an uninformed electorate. Education is absolutely paramount to the efficient management of a democracy. Contrary to the focus on how ignorant many people are, I would actually posit that more people than ever actually have some inkling of what is going on today. If we look at where public knowledge was in the past, even just a few decades ago, there has been a decent increase in public awareness. In the past, you would find many more people with less knowledge of what was happening around them; now, you have people who are at least aware of events and issues. Sure, they may still be relatively uninformed or even misinformed on these issues, but being aware of a wider range of topics is still better than having little information on anything outside of your day to day job. Modern democracies have some of the most informed citizens any democracy has seen. Of course, that isn't saying much, but when talking about whether countries are sliding backwards or making progress, many Western democracies are still making progress over the past.
The present often looks worse when we don't see it relative to the past. I have heard people suggest that the United States is more divided than ever, and I would suggest that such an opinion could only come from someone born relatively recently. Even just going as far back as the 60s and 70s, you found a far more divided nation with people ardently entrenched in their own ideologies. Prominent leaders worried of another Civil War of all things. Many decry how corrupt businesses or the policy are, but then, you had horrendous abuses of the century which make most recent complaints pale in comparison.
Undeniably there are issues and areas in need of progress. When I say things have been far worse, that doesn't preclude that things today are peachy keen. On the contrary, a lot of work remains, and in an open society, there will always be work left to do. I see people condemning government like it had never done a good thing in all its days, and then I see people who believe the government can just make up more money and assume more power until society is forced to be amazing. As always, people buy into what sounds nice to them. It's that way whether people are well-informed or not. The well-informed part simply helps in deciding what sounds best to people. Even if it is messy, it is still best for the government to be in the business of selling ideas and solutions over simply imposing them over the will of the populace. Government can only do so much, and it is to the credit of everyday people that this or any other nation runs as well as it does. And it runs decently. Not in a particularly pretty way, but about how it should.
The greatest boon to a democracy is not necessarily the populace's reverence of "facts", per se, but in the quality and breadth of their discussion of the issues. As much as there are problems with how respected facts are today in a world with the Internet which often gives allegations and suppositions about as much credibility as facts, much of society still has an alright dialogue on the issues of the day. Even a side that is right on an issue needs a counterbalance which can either challenge positions or give them more credibility through the discourse itself. We may perceive our way as the only true way, and we may occasionally be right, but many different views help solidify good policy without those policies going too far. We need the contention in society that differing viewpoints provide. As you said, there is a bit of ignorance in us all, and that's why we need each other to get a clearer grasp of how things truly are. As long as things eventually get done, even uninformed views are useful to the messy equation of public governance.
Perhaps that isn't particularly helpful to those set on feeling indignant on how dumb many people can be, but the truth is that we need those people in the system just as we need those who are more informed. And despite how the expansion of mass media has portrayed it, people are actually more informed than ever. That's certainly a good direction to be moving. It may indeed be frustrating to deal with some idiots on a daily basis, but that's part of a rather diverse society. And one of the best defenses of good government is diversity of input. Helps keep government from ever getting too large it pushes out too many views or too small that it is no longer efficient or useful. Managing the reality of how informed people are and the various views held by people in society on numerous issues is at the heart of a democratic process. There will always be a majority that knows less than the minority; we can only hope and work hard to make the more ill-informed public more informed than the previous generations. In that way, the messy engine of democracy continues to function as best that it can.
Having said that, I just wanted to say that I feel for your pain over the loss of a father. So young, as well. I hope you will find some rest from the pain though it may not fully cease. I wish for you all the best as you move forward, Zolkowski.
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