this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2024
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[โ€“] VeganicTankie@lemmygrad.ml 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yet somehow most Americans think they are a democracy

[โ€“] dessalines@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago

Someone defending the US few weeks ago said: "decisions are made by those who show up and vote".

No, decisions are made by those who hold economic and political power. That is NOT the citizenry of capitalist dictatorships. Having elections also serves a lot of ideological functions like:

  • Building consent / subservience for the capitalist dictatorship.
  • Creating the illusion of democracy.
  • Being an entertaining and distracting theatre piece.
  • Serving as a platform for capitalist ideas and talking points, making everything else seem "illegitimate"
  • Being used as a tool of western chauvinism, labeling any other system (even substantive people's democracies) as "undemocratic".