Democracy is said to be the bedrock of modern civilizations. Ever since men understood that the power to rule doesn't necessarily run in the veins of the elites but in the hearts of the people, the concept has redefined the human civilization.
Yet we often find ourselves criticizing the very system that’s born, sustained and resurrected every 4-5 years on the foundation of our choices. The reason this happens is that Democracy is just ‘a system’ after all. A system that may get touches of makeover here and there but a system whose basic tenets always remain the same. And the fun thing about humans is- they always find a way or other to get around the system when it suits their interests.
Anything that doesn't change much, becomes predictable and in that light, manipulable. Democracy is no exception. It is, put simply, “A rule of the majority”. Leo Tolstoy once said,
”Wrong does not cease to be wrong simply because it is accepted by a majority.”
And yet what we accept plays a decisive role in shaping the life of everyone who is a part of that system. Whether we like it or not governments and politicians know this better than us and are working all the time to achieve our acceptance, to further their interests. Here's how it happens-
1. Shaping the thoughts early :
Psychologists say whatever we are or do consciously or subconsciously, can be attributed to our childhood experiences and what we learned during that time. Politicians agree. A recent example is the attempt of right-wing education crusaders to sabotage the state board curriculum in Gujarat. The books instructed students to look down upon foreigners, worship cows, die for their religion, shun “western practices” and include neighboring countries while drawing out of the map of a country.
2. Creating an illusion of choice
Many political experts believe that there is no real choice in most elections around the globe. They are many of the notion that political campaigns are a charade, politicians are all megalomaniacal authoritarians, government is completely controlled by international banking and corporate oligarchs. This, added to the fact that most political campaigns require tremendous funding which comes out of the pockets of capitalists who do not donate but ‘invest’ makes the case even stronger.
3. Citing a twisted history
People hold pride in their history and heritage. But they hold more pride in a history that glorifies them. No one wants to be associated with the crimes of the dead. The governments know it too well and exploit it to their best interests. A classic example is China and its unsubstantiated historical claims over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
4. Appealing to sentiment (not sense)
In the campaigns leading to the 2017 Presidency in US, there was a heated debate about the abortion laws. While Hillary Clinton was Pro-Choice contesting that it's a woman's right to decide whether she wants to keep the baby or not, Trump argued that personhood begins right from the time of conception and aborting pregnancy is simply a murder of an innocent baby. Though both were discussing an important legislation, the underlying aim was to captivate the sentiments of American Citizens; one targeted the notion of feminism while the other chose the broader theme of baby love.
5. Crushing Dissent
American Historian Howard Zinn famously called dissent the highest form of patriotism. Yet, some governments value loyalty more than any form of patriotism. For loyalty serves the people in power while patriotism only serves the nation. There have been many instances in modern history and even in present scenario when dissent has been subtly or even overtly crushed by the government in power. Russian governments’ protestors getting killed ‘accidentally’ or disappearing, China’s attempt to kill any protest in the Tibetan region are good examples of this
6. Subverting critical news by sensationalizing trivial coverage
Whenever there is a coverage that might prove harmful to the people in power, there is always an attempt to shift the media narrative towards a story that doesn’t actually deserve much attention of the public. Recently while there has been a serious investigation going on in the collusion of Trump campaign with Russia, certain dissidents have blamed Trump for escalating the North Korea crisis in order to divert the media attention and stay in power.
7. Blinding citizens with faith
Creating conformists requires submission. While many governments use the power of force to attain submission, there is a historical narrative advocating the power of faith. An imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor, or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title), are worshipped as demigods or deities. The concept has been a common practice in Ancient Rome, Egypt, China, Japan and many more countries. While in modern world it’s no longer possible, governments now fuel propaganda by using people’s faith for religion or any other social issue.
