All the mud slinging in the race for US presidency, isn’t exposing the candidates as much as it is the flaw in democracy.
Blind faith and fan love, may make for a fun segment on a late night show,
but when voters begin to believe that the only truth is what their running candidate states, such social experiments are no longer amusing.
Distrust in the economic standing of one’s country and it’s leadership, despite numeric and factual proof is a disturbing trend, and one that is fueled further by candidates with vested self interests.
In a recent poll , released earlier this month it was found that more than 4 in 10 Americans somewhat or completely distrust the economic data reported by the federal government – among Trump supporters this share is 68 percent, with nearly 50% stating that they don’t trust government economic data “at all.”
Can the essence of democracy survive and thrive, when the facts do not matter?
Can democracy serve well, when widespread suspicion is spread by hopeful POTUS candidates?
Repercussions of such data suspicion do not need election outcomes to trigger an effect.
Rather, such suspicions become self fulfilling as soon as people start believing them. When individuals and businesses, believe that the economy is not doing well, they behave in bleak ways. They spend less, are more skeptical towards people, curb hiring to cut costs and essentially contribute towards a bleak economy.
In a paranoia driven anti-fact, anti-commonsense, anti-intellectual election, democracy faces it’s strongest opposition.
When strong personalities, go about dispensing false information, present themselves as sole saviors and the only reliable sources of information – gullible citizens respond in subtle and dangerous ways much before the day of election.
This is how a democracy falls. This is how the people fail. This is how democracy is crooked.