To begin with, it takes a hell lot of courage to even have a title like this, in days of constant surveillance, threats and trolls and I could not have cared enough- irrespective of my political alignments- which incidentally are bang on the central line of the runway of the society- like they should be anywhere in the world- inclusive, progressive and futuristic, the fact of the matter is we are living in times ( no mater which country, state you belong to) wherein democracy has been effectively fucked and got disguised as everything and anything else but what it should be!
In this article I present you the few easily recognizable disguises (so that next time anyone tries to bull shit you with their democratic values and thoughts- you can throw a piece of cake or pudding back on their stupid faces!)
Capitalism– This has been (since the advent of the modern world- industrialization- thanks to the toil, ingenuity and hard work of hundreds and thousands of scientists who worked behind the scenes; before lab level techniques could be scaled up- in doing so majority of them- lived and died -poor and unsung (except the names that you may know!). Capitalism was demonstrated as the elixir of progress and the unchallenged and undoubted gift of a democratic society- wherein everyone could invent, innovate and sell- everything from sense to absolute nonsense. A place where meaningless consumption was made the new normal and disregard to basic values of human intrinsic development started to be disregarded..slowly as the time went by- the result- well no surprise- a divided society- divided through the ability to access the benefits of development- either through ability to purchase comfort (genuine and implied) or geographical distance from the centers wherein this new order was being created!
Well all has not been gloom and dead- as far as capitalism is concerned but given a context – like a maniac wielding a scalpel and a surgeon holding one- makes all the little big difference between certain death and enduring life! – the same hard hitting common sense goes with capitalism- it is not that capitalism that is bad- it is the intent, the greed and the screwed up agendas underlying deep within the foundations of it that screw up and fuck the whole nation and state and bring it eventually to a point of no-return- read this as great economic melt downs/ recessions/ unrest’s/ strikes/ joblessness and whatever other similar manifestations and synonyms that you can think about!
The number game- The earlier case of capitalism disguised as democracy is very evident- take a tour though the western world and across the so called develop nations! Spin the earth a bit and you arrive in a country which is home to a billion people and the largest democracy (let’s discuss!) . This is a nation which ensures that every seventh person on this planet that you count is from this country- India- my nation. Before anyone jumps to any kind of rhetoric- let me put it on record- I am absolutely proud to be an Indian and happy to have an Indian passport (although it does not help a lot!), so don’t even bother doubting or discussing my individual patriotism- I pay my taxes and agree to sensible inclusive and progressive policies which my governments come up with (as and when!).
Number-game driven world of democratic camouflage– things often take sinister turns- numbers are often clubbed into baskets which carry labeling pertaining to sensible demographics and at times absolute nonsense. The number game driven democratic drama uses sensible data to create more garbage filled data (which primarily tries to create divide on grounds of authenticity, religion and so and so forth factors which in any case are seriously counter-productive to the the all encompassing democratic umbrella! often than not it is these types of democratic set ups that eventually end up tearing to shreds every meaningful strand of the fabric of democracy- no it is far worst than the washed out and torn jeans that you would have imagined- it goes to a level of shredding people of their intrinsic belief systems and long cherished values of simplistically put- being human and humane! Democracies which practice this are distinctly evident through paradoxical numbers floating across the data universe on any single parameter that you choose to draw some sense and standardize the chaos- at times it baffles even the most rewarded brains of the world (who are responsible to create policy and implement them)
At this juncture, one is but compelled to think, if democracy is screwed up either ways- what does it mean and what is the message that we are getting through what we experience all around! Well like with everything that we as humans can do using our brilliance at times to screw up things, the true essence of a puristic and progressive democratic society has been long last in translation by centuries run and managed of and for greedy, self-serving bigots who have either lead nations into war, senseless consumption or accumulated and hoarded wealth in one way or the other- personifying the epitome of human greed and madness!
But let me leave you with a sense of comfort and hope (if that helps!). Democracy with its origins to be found in ancient civilizations, kingdoms- wherever successful and progressive years of glorious histories have been witnessed- a few things have been in common- the presence of fearless freedom coupled with a sense of duty unto the nation/ kingdom and a strong cohesive society with a singular focus on progress and development have always been the underlying and has been one of the the primary reasons for everything that has ever been done and achieved in a sensible and meaningful manner!
This according to me is the essence of democracy- freedom to ideate, share and progress in a cohesive way as a singular unit with a vision and mission of consensus driven agendas which serves the larger population with what is necessary and what is imperative rather then indulging in any rhetorical jingoism and nonsense which normally these political actors across the world indulge in(I call them actors because hardly- if any – are really statesmen/ women in power who have the courage, and guts to take systems head on and usher in change that has meaning and real human centric focus!).
To ensure democracy is not further screwed up- it will take a two pronged effort- one from the citizens by multitudes of citizen movements and the other from the elected representatives (who for the sake of the planet and to salvage some self-respect for themselves before they lie in their graves) to arrive at sensible agendas in larger interest of societies and serve the larger good! sans the rhetoric disguised into capitalistic of number-game driven compulsions!
Let me know what your take and experience of democracy has been! wherever you are and whatever you do!
An Aura of Fleeting Thoughts 