Well, this is going to be a rant I pounded out in 5 minutes. Not going to be particularly refined.

Actually, that's probably not going to be true. I haven't even started writing this yet, and I already know it's going to take at least 30 minutes and I'm going to be revising/editing this heavily. Whatever. Maybe I'll surprise myself and actually pound this out in 5 minutes.

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Democracy can't save us now.

What can save us when we don't want to be saved - or are unable to comprehend our salvation? Democracy can be described as 2 wolves and a sheep voting for what to eat for dinner, illustrating the tyranny of the majority. Problem is, those who highlight this analogy often suggest an alternative where the minority can overpower the majority - often devolving into a rant about the necessity of the 2nd Amendment. However, my initial response is - what if it's 2 sheep and a wolf voting for dinner? What if the wolf decides to overpower the majority, so to speak? It seems that the alternatives proposed would replace a tyranny of the majority with a tyranny of the minority.

Democracy can't save us now.

The only way for this American Experiment to work(In case it isn't blindingly obvious now, this blog is made in the context of the US) is for people to understand. We have to have a populace that can grasp the complex issues facing us today and make informed decisions that drive our country forward. Problem is, that requires education, and education isn't exactly a very well-run institution in the US. Teachers are consistently overworked and underpaid, while the education budget is neglected in favor of some more fighter jets or something. Worst of all, only the educated will recognize the value of education, and without education, there will exist no educated. Stupidity begets stupidity, and Asimov put it best - the American people have a misguided notion that "my ignorance is as important as your knowledge".

Democracy can't save us now.

The US has lurched off to the right end of the political spectrum, with a right-wing mediasphere creating an echo chamber for polarization and reinforcement of beliefs to occur. Demagogues such as Trump didn't get here on their own - in Trump's case, tens of millions of Americans voted for him, and a good chunk of them continue to support him. This degradation is happening from the bottom up, and it is a vicious cycle of abandonment of education - Betsy DeVos completing the transformation from unsettling conjecture to horrifying reality. We have experienced the "dumbing down" of America for decades, and the fruits of this poisonous tree has come to bear upon us all.

America cannot be saved if America does not want to be saved. Democracy cannot be our savior now.