Yapping Session 04 - Democracy

Right now we have a voting time in Czechia for parliament. And I find myself with a lot of issues about this process. I do not like voting for what people call “the lesser evil” because that is just choosing “a little less suffering.” Still, the voting calculator app helped me narrow down a choice. I am not happy about it, but it is the best I can do with what I have.

The most problematic part for me is the voting system itself and democracy in general. Democracy works only in small groups where everyone can see what is going on and hold each other accountable. This is how I see things right now, and yes, it is just an opinion. But the voting system feels as transparent as an underground concrete bunker. Even from the outside, I can imagine ways to cheat it, and I am not even involved. I put my vote into a box and then have no control over what happens next. For all I know, someone could change it during counting. It could even be lost due to human error. And when the time comes to ask “where is my vote,” there is no objective way to verify it.[img:/img/inserts/blog/image_2.png]

It gets worse when you look at what happens if you do not vote at all. I have argued with people about this and never got a clear answer. The general belief seems to be that non-votes somehow get spread among the existing options. That sounds idiotic to me. A vote that is not given should not count for anything. I stand by that.

Another issue is how democracy scales. In a large state it turns into idiocracy, because everyone adult gets a vote. The general voter is not particularly competent. Statistically, only about 20 percent of people have an IQ above 110, which means most are not making logical decisions. I can understand letting the average person vote, but I do not see why we let very old people vote. This will sound mean or even morbid, but since elections decide policies for the next 4 to 10 years, why do people who will not be here anymore get to decide the system for those who will still live with it?

With all this, my trust in the process is almost non-existent. Still, I am a skeptic not only of the system but of myself as well. For my peace of mind, I will throw my vote in the least harmful direction and hope for the best, maybe even pray to Zeus or whoever listens.

Democracy feels obnoxious and broken to me. I do not believe it truly works. A possible alternative might be some kind of enlightened monarchy, where a capable ruler leads with reason and responsibility. But the flaw there is obvious too. If the ruler is not enlightened, then everyone suffers under their bad rule.

So in the end, I remain skeptical. I will vote, but without trust. And my overall feeling about the system can be summed up in one word: meh.