The Perils of Democracy
Democracy is the universal constant for most successful Societies in existence. Those who have it flaunt it as a personal virtue, and those who don’t are joining revolutions to obtain it for their political systems. Then there are those who have it, and believe it to be so critical of human happiness, that they go to great lengths in “helping” others achieve democracy. (The methods may be questionable but the intent not so much. Keep in mind though that the best of intentions do not justify the worst of actions.)
In 1835, a French diplomat by the name of Alexis de Toqueville discussed some brilliant observations about the failures of Democracy in a book titled as ‘Democracy in America’. In this article, I discuss de Tocqueville’s forecast of the perils of a democratic system and if they still hold true today.
1. Democracy Breeds Materialism: Since when we first achieved independence (1947), the Indian society, much like almost every other society, has become more and more materialistic. In fact, no one can challenge me if I point out that your worth in Society is now judged by what you earn, what car you drive or how expensive your clothes are. Not by how honorably you behave in society, or how truly you adhere to your personal principles. Being a man of one’s word, or giving a gentleman’s promises means nothing to us anymore.
Unlike the ancient (or even medieval) times, it is not the norm to celebrate the most intelligent, or the kindest person in the room. Scholars and scientists are largely ignored by the mainstream masses, their achievements overlooked over and over again. Now, our heroes are celebrities: athletes, sportsmen, rappers, stand-up comedians, and actors.
The most followed Indians on Instagram are Priyanka Chopra, and Deepika Padukone. And what do you know them for? Unbearable good looks, flashy vanity cases, and photo-shopped (possibly surgically achieved?) jawlines. And how depictive are any of these of what can truly be called a good life? Modern day happiness is a flawless picture indeed, but not only is it disillusioning, but also impracticable, even by the most lenient standards.
2. Democracy Breeds Envy and Shame: I consider myself to be a moderately successful person. I have a decent career, a strong passion, creative outlet, and good relationships. In fact, I have a personal designation for this; I’m ‘your average above-average person’.
Regardless, some days I spend my entire day enduring an existential crisis. On that day, I am a downright nihilist. My mind keeps questioning if anything that I am doing is worth doing at all. I forget gratitude. Somedays, I get this panic attack — like everything everywhere is all a waste. I’m pretty sure a lot of you go through the same thing too.
Why do you think this happens? It’s because for most of us, the basics are sorted. So, all that remains is to go out and realise our dreams. A democratic society gives us all equal opportunities to shine and make our mark. Basically, it tells you this: If you work really hard and make personal sacrifices, there are very high chances that you will succeed.
But then consider this: while it may not have made your happier, but it would have been all that much easier to simply succumb to your fate as a ladies’ maid or a shoe maker, because you were the daughter of a Victorian farm hand or the son of a cobbler. If your place in society were determined, eventually you’d learn to accept it and get on with your life.
In a democracy, however, equal opportunity is guaranteed to everyone (at the very basic level, atleast). My point is, when the playing field is more or less levelled, the spotlight is on you to ace the race. Equal opportunity plucks the responsibility out of a rigid social hierarchy or chance of birth, and places it squarely on your shoulders. If you fail, it’s on you. The pressure to make the best of it is amplified, and the slightest of failure cuts that much more deeply.
We set for ourselves lofty goals only because the current system allows us to. This breeds a perpetual state of envy — at those who have apparently ‘made it’ in our eyes. In today’s world, we have so much to compare ourselves against, that we are bound to find ourselves lacking in some way or the other. We can’t all be intelligent and beautiful; witty and pretty; luscious and angelic; creative and analytic.
3. The Tyranny of Majority: If that phrase isn’t self-explanatory, watch any Vidhan Sabha(Legislative Asembly) session for thirty minutes. You’ll get what I’m talking about.
Democracy has been touted as giving the power to everybody. To vote, to choose representatives who would then, again by majority come up with the rules applicable to a society. But the million-dollar question remains: how do you know if the majority isn’t a bunch of morons who don’t know what they’re upto? Who says majority is wiser?
Granted that I can’t think of a better, or perhaps a fairer solution, than relying on the vote of the majority. But does the lack of the development of a better political system (as of now) prove that deciding something on the basis of majority is still the best way to go about decision making?
It has been proved time and again that little to no wisdom has ever resulted from getting a bunch of people together. (Brexit, Kashmir, Syria, Iran-Iraq, United Nations, okay I’ll stop now.) More people does not mean more sense. It usually means more chaos, and more conflict. Yes, you could do it in most sophisticated way possible. You could impose a dress code, ask everybody to make a sophisticated speech, and place microphones in front of everybody’s chair. But, does that still guarantee the best solution to any of the World’s problems? If that were so, then the United Nations would have been the most successful organization in the World.
4. Democracy Turns Us Against Authority: Authority — the words itself makes us want to rebel. As democratic citizens, most of us perceive authority as a kind of ‘call for servitude’. We simply put up with authority for the sake of seeming appropriate in a gathering, but secretly it fills our heart with contempt. The Constitution guarantees us fundamental freedom. “Hell, I won’t give in; I’m a free citizen. Hey! I’ve got rights.”
We openly criticize political figures, question regulations, protest against police tyrannies, and debate on national television. Because a democratic society allows us to do so. Our opinions matter, and we believe that the citizen is the pivotal foundation of our society.
That’s the upside. The downside is that Democracy pulls us farther from the ultimate truth that somebody else may (and most likely does) know better than us on most topics of any importance. It feels inherently unfair, almost like a moral subjugation to admit that we don’t actually know what the hell is going on, and that we, may not have the desired knowledge, experience, maturity or wisdom to speak on certain important matters of life. That someone else might be more intelligent and thus, have more authority to deal with issues and it would in our best interests to listen.
5. Democracy Undermines Freedom of Mind: A Democratic society is perceived as a free society. Free in the sense that everyone can produce, exhibit, sell or buy whatever they like. In the quest for advancement, a lot of products today are developed not for our betterment (in the real sense of the word), but for our distraction.
Technology has tapped into the fundamental ways that a human mind operates, and has leveraged the same knowledge to make us act on our inner desperations and insecurities. A bunch of scientists did lengthy researches on how the human mind works; then the market players used this information to develop products that simply make us superficially happy, and keep us distracted enough to keep us from arriving at our personal truths.
The advertisers sell all sorts of junk duping you into believing that the having your coffee at a Starbucks is indeed a much better experience than having it in the comfort of your home. Or buying an upgraded mixer grinder will solve all your problems.
Mark Manson puts it succulently in his new book, ‘Everything is Fu*ked’: having ten types to cereal to choose from does not mean you have more freedom. It means that you have more variety. And the more options you have to choose from, the more lost and ultimately unhappy you’ll be. Ergo, you hate deciding where to go for Sunday brunch with your group. Ergo, you spend more time browsing movies than just picking one and sticking to it. A consumerist society survives on the stupidity of its citizens. They need us to be insecure enough to be pliant. Otherwise how could we be convinced that we need do a pair of brand new thigh-high suede-lined boots in purple. Or anti-ageing creams. Or plastic flowers. Or scented stones.
There is no freedom of mind in a democracy. Your narrative is always under attack. Something or the other is always affecting it. Be it fashion trends, relationship clichés, YouTube Ads, pop culture, billboards, social media or the news — everything is pitted to convince you to give into somebody’s narrative.
In that sense, the citizen of modern day democracy is much more likely to give in to the social and personal narratives of those around him, trusting her Society to know the best and happily toe the line.
Having said that, I still believe Democracy to be the harbinger of economic progress, and social justice which has resulted in the collective comfort and elevated levels of happiness across the World. Go back a couple of hundred years, and you’d probably find me morosely braiding a rich lady’s mane or sticking buttons on my mistress’s blouse. So, ask me again if I love Democracy — I’d say hell yeah!
P.S. The critique of Democracy has been taken from The School of Life’s video ~ Socilogy — Alexis de Tocqueville. Here’s the link:
