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This is an interesting read about the perils of democracy, and a discussion on why direct democracy is not a great solution:
gemini://library.inu.red/document/leon-de-mattis-on-direct-democracy
After a lifetime of thinking that I live in a democracy, I was horrified not long ago to see how it really works. In the US, people's votes don't really count to elect a leader (except to occasionally break a tie). People do not elect leaders - it is the mysterious 'electoral college' that elects presidents.
It is the equivalent of the 'dark web' of politics. Do you know who the electors of your state are? Does anyone? How does one become an elector? Is it a paid position?
These people are not responsible or accountable to anyone for anything. They can vote any f***ing way they feel like, for anyone they want. In some cases if they vote against the wishes of powerful people, they may be removed and replaced, repeatedly, until the desired vote is cast -- which is even worse, because you see, someone in power has a way of getting the vote they want, regardless of what the elector wants, which is already decoupled from what people want.
So the whole thing is rigged in three different ways.
It's nice when there is a majority. Then the majority is happy, and the minority can grumble. But the current system is pretty much designed to seek equilibrium - the minority is now equipped to publically rile up the undecideds until it's 50-50, and then a lot of people are unhappy with the results. Worse yet, when results are marginal, it is easy to cheat - burning a few ballots will get you a victory.
In the end, all you can do is pick up your shit and move somewhere else. But where? Everyone is copying each other's bad examples, destroying economies, claiming doomsday unless you shut up and do what they tell you, and saying all kinds of idiotic things.
Maybe eventually we will fragment into Neal Stephenson'esque mini-states where Q-Anoners can be happy while the LGBT crowd has a place of their own. Until then, we are stuck here.
No one seems to _want_ to get along. All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.