The Illusion of Choice: Democracy as the Greatest Show on Earth
As individual citizens, as voters and taxpayers we have been so deeply, so consistently, so relentlessly indoctrinated, so blindly radicalized, and so thoroughly and easily subjugated and ideologically manipulated that, by now, it has become terribly challenging for any of us to even entertain any viewpoint or any opinion that is opposed to our own.
It is next to impossible for a single individual to find the strength of character or the moral fortitude to raise doubts, questions or objections against the prevalent dogmatic proclamations (arguments built upon the idea that any statement can be true and valid as long as a figure of authority declares it so – even if common sense or public opinion opposes it). It is nearly inconceivable for an ordinary person to defy convention and conformity and to embrace basic human instincts instead, by giving in to primal urges like curiosity, inquisitiveness, creativity and innovation. It has become unthinkable, unacceptable and even unforgivable to harbor, to foster and to pursue any original thought, especially if said thought is perceived as dissenting, deviating or dismissive towards the myriads of forced narratives and “universal truths” have been imposed upon the body politic since time immemorial.
For example, no-one is allowed to question the need (or, more accurately, the lack thereof) for a State machine or for a government or for any other kind of centralized authority. It is generally taken for granted and it is seen as a “given” that some kind of central, “top down” administration has to exist, in order for any civilized society to emerge and to function. In most western nations, it is also seen as self-evident that the most efficient and effective way to choose this all-important and all-powerful leadership is to go through the democratic process and to ascertain the majority’s wishes, to be guided by the “will of the people” and to strive towards the “greater good” – or differently put, to prioritise the interests of the many over the interests of the few, to maximize the welfare, the protection and the prosperity of the “average” voter over the needs and even over the natural rights of any divergent individual – society as a whole is seen as infinitely more important than the actual human beings who constitute it.
This kind of brutally utilitarian, entirely soulless and deplorably materialistic view of mankind is truly alarming. Looking at people as mere parts of a whole, dehumanizing them by treating them as interchangeable cogs in a machine, and denying them their basic human dignity by dismissing their individuality, the unique experiences, the choices and the sacrifices that shaped them is a dangerously reducti
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LewRockwell.com is a libertarian website that publishes articles, essays, and blog posts advocating for minimal government, free markets, and individual liberty. The site was founded by Lew Rockwell, an American libertarian political commentator, activist, and former congressional staffer. The website often features content that is critical of mainstream politics, state intervention, and foreign policy, among other topics. It is a platform frequently used to disseminate Austrian economics, a school of economic thought that is popular among some libertarians.