Are people growing bored of democracy ?

[-The Trade Federation-]

After a long discussion about representative democracy with my mother, I have decided to create this thread in order to hear people answer this one question: Are people growing bored and tired of representative democracy, tired of choosing the same damn parties that will lie and screw them over and over ?

I say yes.

I say that the reason behind declining voter participation is because the voters are growing bored and/or tired of choosing the lesser of two evils instead of the best. As my mother said...

"It's no longer a question choosing the best party, but choosing the least terrible."

Besides, parties that affiliate themselves to their ideologies will always end up being your usual everyday government: Voting laws that no one gives a damn about, taxes, blablabla...

My fellow NSGers, what do YOU think ?

[The Transcaucasian Democratic Republic]

Tell me when has it been different? When has the electorate agreed with a party's policy in its entirety? When have we had perfect candidates that we all love universally?

[Chestaan]

Bored is the wrong word, disillusioned fits better. People feel that their vote makes no difference.

[The Lotophagi]

It's like the anti-vaccination people. Our culture increasingly has no collective memory of anything other than liberal democracy, so the everything that came before starts to look rosier.

[Threlizdun]

Bored is the wrong word, disillusioned fits better. People feel that their vote makes no difference.

This. I made the active choice not to vote this year, not because I found it boring, but because I was unwilling to support the candidates on the ballot and felt that doing so would undermine the spirit of democracy.

[Shilya]

No, not bored, just disappointed with the choices offered.

When you can choose between one bucket of crap and another bucket of slightly differently smelling crap, then it's hard to motivate yourself to vote. Especially when, even if you can motivate yourself to vote, you still don't even know what kind of crap you get, because the election results and the actually following politics have little to do with each other.

[Olerand]

Dissatisfied and disenchanted, not bored. Also not necessarily with democracy in general, but more in the established political order.

[New Stinkonia]

Which democracy and where are you speaking of? People are tired of oligarchies and plutocracies.

[United Marxist Nations]

Bored is the wrong word, disillusioned fits better. People feel that their vote makes no difference.

This. I made the active choice not to vote this year, not because I found it boring, but because I was unwilling to support the candidates on the ballot and felt that doing so would undermine the spirit of democracy.

I agree entirely. No one on the ballot would represent me, so why should I vote for someone who only does things I find bad? And, on the contrary, if voter turnout is low enough, it would be an indication of illegitimacy of the elections.

[Escanthea]

I for one am pretty bored with just a plain old republic to the point that i've nearly started advocating monarchism. It adds...flavor. I'm just sick of people saying it's outdated. We have always looked up to other people to lead us, starting with the first chiefs in the rift valley. IMO an elective monarchy is the best system, lots of consolidation and support form the people. If a tradition of electing elderly people is adopted, they won't reign too long either.

[Shilya]

And, on the contrary, if voter turnout is low enough, it would be an indication of illegitimacy of the elections.

Like, 36.3%?

[United Marxist Nations]

And, on the contrary, if voter turnout is low enough, it would be an indication of illegitimacy of the elections.

Like, 36.3%?

Well, that would indicate to me that the majority is disenchanted with the government to not support it as representative of them. How can a democracy be a democracy when it doesn't even represent half of the people in it?

[Fortschritte]

People are generally becoming more apathetic and disillusioned with democracy. However, that doesn't mean people are becoming bored with it. But, this is happening in a select few developed countries. In much of the developing world, people are demanding greater democracy, and some countries have become much more democratic, and their citizens have become much more involved.

[Shilya]

Like, 36.3%?

Well, that would indicate to me that the majority is disenchanted with the government to not support it as representative of them. How can a democracy be a democracy when it doesn't even represent half of the people in it?

Well, I didn't pull that number out of my rear. That's the turnout of the last midterm elections in the US. Make of that what you will.

[Tyrinth]

Disappointed with the current state of it, but not 'bored'.

[United Marxist Nations]

Well, that would indicate to me that the majority is disenchanted with the government to not support it as representative of them. How can a democracy be a democracy when it doesn't even represent half of the people in it?

Well, I didn't pull that number out of my rear. That's the turnout of the last midterm elections in the US. Make of that what you will.

I know. Considering that US Congressional approval ratings are barely breaking single-digits, that would be pretty indicative of a non-democratic government.

[Chestaan]

Bored is the wrong word, disillusioned fits better. People feel that their vote makes no difference.

This. I made the active choice not to vote this year, not because I found it boring, but because I was unwilling to support the candidates on the ballot and felt that doing so would undermine the spirit of democracy.

What really annoys me is when people say "If you don't vote, you have no right to complain." I refuse to support the lesser evil candidate when I am fundamentally opposed to him/her. To vote for such a person is to support them and in the long run is bad for democracy as it gives out a signal that everything is ok and that politicians should continue as they are. I will complain though, and I will protest and do everything I can to get my political message across.

[Olerand]

Well, that would indicate to me that the majority is disenchanted with the government to not support it as representative of them. How can a democracy be a democracy when it doesn't even represent half of the people in it?

Well, I didn't pull that number out of my rear. That's the turnout of the last midterm elections in the US. Make of that what you will.

The high turnout, for presidential elections, in America is about 60%. American democracy isn't doing so hot. In fact it hasn't been doing so hot for decades now.

[Geilinor]

Well, I didn't pull that number out of my rear. That's the turnout of the last midterm elections in the US. Make of that what you will.

The high turnout, for presidential elections, in America is about 60%. American democracy isn't doing so hot. In fact it hasn't been doing so hot for decades now.

To play devil's advocate, isn't the 40% still participating by saying that they dislike the candidates?

[Chestaan]

The high turnout, for presidential elections, in America is about 60%. American democracy isn't doing so hot. In fact it hasn't been doing so hot for decades now.

To play devil's advocate, isn't the 40% still participating by saying that they dislike the candidates?

Also a lot of people in non-swing states don't vote as they are unlikely to affect the outcome.

[Olerand]

The high turnout, for presidential elections, in America is about 60%. American democracy isn't doing so hot. In fact it hasn't been doing so hot for decades now.

To play devil's advocate, isn't the 40% still participating by saying that they dislike the candidates?

Perhaps, or general idgaf attitude. Such a high abstention rate in a developed democracy is a sign of at best apathy, at worst antipathy.

Neither are good, obviously.

[United Marxist Nations]

This. I made the active choice not to vote this year, not because I found it boring, but because I was unwilling to support the candidates on the ballot and felt that doing so would undermine the spirit of democracy.

What really annoys me is when people say "If you don't vote, you have no right to complain." I refuse to support the lesser evil candidate when I am fundamentally opposed to him/her. To vote for such a person is to support them and in the long run is bad for democracy as it gives out a signal that everything is ok and that politicians should continue as they are. I will complain though, and I will protest and do everything I can to get my political message across.

^This, so much this.

[The New Sea Territory]

Bored is the wrong word, disillusioned fits better. People feel that their vote makes no difference.

..because it doesn't.

[Gaiserin]

Government filled with bunch of populist liars doesn't encourage voting very well.

[Fartsniffage]

Government filled with bunch of populist liars doesn't encourage voting very well.

So go run. Be a candidate.