POLITICS | OPINION
America Is Not Democratic
Please stop saying “America is the land of freedom and equality”
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I am from Middle East, where most of the leaders are agents to either USA or Russia. Our countries suffer from political injustice and crimes for the last century. America always tell us we need to be more democratic, and its foreign policy fund our countries with this claim, but the question is “is America democratic?”.
Democracy (Greek: δημοκρατία, dēmokratiā, from dēmos ‘people’ and kratos ‘rule’) is the belief in freedom and equality between people, or a system of government based on this belief, in which power is either held by elected representatives or directly by the people themselves. ~ Oxford Dictionary
Based on this definition, America is not democratic. let me explain why in this article.
Trump vs. Biden
Everyone believe he has the power and choice in a democratic country, but watching the current political talk about the next elections you can state that there is no freedom. Trump is an existential threat to many countries not just America, but who said Biden is a better option?. Americans believe they have the freedom to choose by how competitive the media makes the elections sound, but believe me there is no freedom in choosing between two bad options, even if one of them is worse. You will hear many people choosing Biden just assuming that he can’t be as bad as Trump. It’s okay, but this is not freedom of choice, you are forced.
Money runs the elections
We all know how Trump is ruling USA now, it is all about money. Millions of dollars are raised and spent with every election. The competition is on who spend more for this campaigns. It’s not people’s choice that let the candidate win, it is just money in USA.
In 2016 elections, FEC report shows Donald Trump laid out $94m in last push for White House while Hillary Clinton spent $132m and cemented herself as biggest fundraiser. In total at least $226m is spent, not to make this world a better place, or help America to be better, it is just to see who can win this race. This race is a money game in USA where real good people can’t join.
America is racist
Reading the news daily we all know America is racist, not just as a government but as a culture as well. I am not talking about old events, George Floyd was just killed by racism months ago. America’s racism is not just against black citizens, it is almost against everyone. America’s Thanksgiving is celebrating a day of mass killing of millions of Native Americans. American wars and foreign policy in other countries.
Americans don’t have power on America’s decisions
America claims their citizens have the power to rule, or at least the majority of them. Americans didn’t choose their war in Afghanistan that is still ongoing, they didn’t choose their war on Iraq that killed more than 1 million of Iraqis and caused the destruction of their country. Americans didn’t choose the aids that USA gives to dictators around the world to oppress their people more. For example, America gives Egypt $1.5b a year in aid, and we all know USA know Al Sisi is a dictator even by the words of Trump.
“Where’s my favorite dictator?” Mr. Trump addressing the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi
America’s decisions were never the choice of the Americans, but sadly that doesn’t make them irresponsible, especially when they claim they are the land of democracy.
America does not have freedom of press
America claims they have freedom of press, but that’s not true! Media is like elections controlled by few people with the power of money. You can know this by just observing how the same ideas and concepts are broadcasted through different channels of media, but I will give you an example instead.
Americans didn’t know where is Iraq before the war, all what they knew is what the Media kept repeating. They thought that Saddam had acquired nuclear weapons, while the war itself proved the opposite. They were told about how Saddam is a dictator, and America needs to help Iraqi, and the results of the war proved that this was just a lie. Americans also believed the lie promoted by Donald Rumsfeld that Saddam was involved in the attacks of 9/11.
“We’re going to go in and we’re going to liberate this country in a few weeks and it’s going to be over very quickly. No, it’s going to be over very quickly. And what I’m going to tell you here is, you’re going to find, I predict, mass graves. We’re going to open up those — hang on, let me finish — those gulags and those prisons and you’re going to hear stories of rape and torture and misery, and then we’re going to find all of the weapons of mass destruction that all of you guys on the left say don’t exist.” — Hannity, On a February 19th, 2003 episode of Hannity & Colmes, on Fox News
Media fuelled the war on Iraq, but pushing Americans to believe that it is the right thing to do and that it is their choice. After the destruction of Iraq, we all know today it was all about capitalism and oil.
“No doubt many factors are involved — some strategic, some political, and some economic. But it is hard to believe that US leaders would contemplate such an extreme act without very powerful motives — and the pursuit of oil has long constituted the most commanding motive for US military action in the Persian Gulf region.” — ‘Washington’s oilpolitik,’ Salon.com, 18 July 2002; and idem, ‘Oil and empire? Rethinking the war with Iraq,’ Current History, 102(662) (March, 2003).
Last, I believe America is not democratic. Yet, if you believe America has democracy, it is time to reconsider democracy.
