After Democracy (Chris Kijne, VPRO Backlight 2010)

Can democracy still be saved?

Can we address the shortcomings of representative democracy -- failing political parties, increasing distrust of government -- within the current system or are we set to embark on a journey across a border where nobody ever dared to go? Should we explore a new political model in order to overcome the current multicrises? In After Democracy this urgent question is addressed by Fareed Zakaria, John Keane, Hilary Wainwright, William Dobson and Cheng Li.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• politics
• freedom
• human
• rights
• democracy
• west
• western
• china
• grassroots
• community
• crisis
• represantation
• transparency
• red
• pepper
• hillary

[undeadpresident]

Democracy is rule by propaganda. Whoever holds the power of mass media determines which issues are in the public's mind, as well as what the spectrum of acceptable debate is. Coupled with global capitalism and unaccountable intelligence agencies, it has become a form of secret autocratic governance guised under the illusion of spontaneous popular will.

[RKarshenas]

When Fareed Zakaria talks about there being too much transparency, I wonder what the hell he is talking about. He wants to blame transparency, yet gives not even a single example of what he means, nor points to evidence for this claim.

[PrometheanRunGood]

@SerotoninRush Well 'conspiracy theorist' is a convenient pigeon-hole for the mainstream to put dissenters in. It's an easy way to discredit an argument or insight. It stops people questioning the role of a largely closed society play in our world.

See even as I was writing that I felt a little bit afraid I would come across as paranoid. It is this kind of social stigma that stops a lot of people from thinking hard about it. But yeah, an enormous amount of power is welded behind closed doors.

[PrometheanRunGood]

Fareed Zakaria is our equivalent of a Soviet apparatchik. Servant of the state and power. Why anyone would take him seriously...

[55ella2007k]

Fareed Zakaria made completely contradictory statements: He critiques the unelected elites in China, whom he believes cannot possibly bring about more social justice and harmony, yet he applauds the unelected elites in the EU and in Brussels, who are carrying the water for the financial oligarchs + banks, who do not give one iota about people. The entire project is designed to stamp out democracy for good, including representative democracy + it is succeeding.

[donniesgotu]

Nothing he says ever really makes sense and if it does it is usually anti American. He should go work for Al Jezeria.

[sheldonknowsall]

This is fantastic, thank you!

[Ka0Z86]

@LoveBringsTruth quite frankly, you're an idiot, Mister!

NOT everyone who doesn't look like you is a muslim.... you know.. this world is big!

[traditionalsmith]

oh, this is in Flemish. I thought it was in dutch

[flowmaster45]

These are the greatest thinkers they could come up with lol?

[Dealornodealmadtv]

@LoveBringsTruth What does it matter if his Muslim theres barely any difference between him and a Christan besides their religion

[DeathKorps94]

@jeebersjumpincryst It isn't a different Fareed so please stop trying to obfuscate the issue. This man doesn't belong in this country and should be deported back to whatever shitehole he hailed from.