FAKE-DEMOCRACY
“… of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues, and ending tyrants.”
— ALEXANDER HAMILTON, 1788
INTRODUCTION TO THE FAKE DEMOCRACY
Democracy is my reaction to the "new democracy", this mix between Master Chef and Big Brother. What should be an exercise of ethics, legality and exemplarity has become a media show of geeks trying to advertise themselves based on lies, hyperbole and soap opera populism.
And here we are, not looking to the future because it scares us. Because deep inside we know that the "new democracy", this #fakedemocracy in which we live in, can only provide us with poor economic management, hate towards the neighbor and reality shows with crazy politicians.
BASIC GUIDELINES FOR AN ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN
HOOLIGAN, VOTING VERY STRONG, CONVINCED THAT THIS TIME HE WILL WIN .(detail)
31 X 31 inch
Glicée Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308
Signed numbered limited edition 30
The Vulcans check out the political market and support the party that in their opinion offers the best solutions to the problems they consider important. As in Star Trek, they are rational, thoughtful and, above all, they are not moved by passions.
They are informed, they doubt about spectacular news and inform themselves even more. Vulcans enjoy arguing with other Vulcans who have a different point of view. They love to counter opinions and different points of view. They respect each other, they know how to win and accept dialectical defeats.
HOBBIT VOTING WITH TRUE LOVE TO HIS NEW LEADER
Glicée Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308
Signed numbered limited edition 50 CLICK to enlarge
Jason Brennan defines three types of voters in his book called Against Democracy :
Hooligans, Hobbits and Vulcans.
The Hooligans think of politics as a mass sport. Their political party is their team and whatever happens, whatever the party says, whatever they do, they will always vote for them and they will always be their followers.
They are immune to false or true news about their political parties and they are very sensitive to any barbarity thrown at their enemies.
VULCANIAN TRYING TO DEFEND HIS BEAR WITH VOTE OF HIS REASON
Glicée Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308
Signed numbered limited edition 50
The Hobbits have neither a political party as a reference, nor ideas or ideals. There are Hobbits that have never voted and there are those who always vote, they are united by their lack of definition and, above all, their political vulnerability. They are not informed nor they pretend to. They are like Ortega y Gasset’s mass-man: "The mass-man does not affirm his foot on the immovable firmness of his fate.... Never like now these weightless and rootless lives are carried away by the slightest current… For the same reason, more than ever, rhetoric triumphs”.
The Hobbits are willing to vote for a funny character or for 3 amazing fake news. They are the perfect target to manipulate elections. 4 blurred ideas, 3 stupidities disguised as news and generate fear. Let them be afraid of the neighbor, foreigner, unemployment, banks or pensions and you WILL GET the presidency.
BASIC GUIDELINES TO DISMANTLE DEMOCRACY
Now you can start dismantling whatever democracy is left in your Country.
In his book How Democracies Die, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Zibblat show us 4 possible behaviors that identify an authoritarian:
· Rejects, by word or action, the democratic rules of the game
· Denies the legitimacy of their opponents
· Tolerates or encourages violence
· Indicates the will to restrict the civil liberties of their opponents, including the media
And what tool do you have to carry out this plan? The fear.
They manage fear to justify every cut of freedoms, every legislative change, every insult or threat to his opponents.
Regarding fear, there is an interesting book called Exercice de la peur : Usages politiques d'une émotion, written by Patrick Boucheron and Carey Robin. The dialogue between the two of them is as interesting as the presentation of the political scientist Renaud Payre. There is an interesting sentence in the presentation that reminds us of what the subject is about: Fear reveals the extremely thin border between authoritarian power and liberal power, between tyranny and democracy.
POLITICIAN WITH FEAR OF BEING DISCOVERED IN RAINY DAY COSTUME
Glicée Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308
Signed numbered limited edition 50
CORRUPT POLITICIAN AIMING FOR THE BEST DEAL.
40 x 40 inch
Glicée Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308
Signed numbered limited edition 50 CLICK to enlarge
And finally, what can be done with a frightened population? Protect them! In his work titled Politics as a Vocation, Max Weber reminds us that the State has the monopoly on violence and means of coercion.
And this is how the strategic circle of the good dismantler of democracies is closed:
1 Win democratic elections based on Fake News, with fear as the main axis of motivation to move the Hobbits.
2 Once you win the elections, you continue with the campaign of misinformation, delegitimization and dehumanization of the opponent, and the dismantling of democratic institutions. Preparing the ground for the next elections.
3 And so, little by little, our democracies are weakening and losing their illusive and transformative character. Every 4 years, more Hobbits and political parties willing to > GOTO 1
HOBBIT VOTING CONVINCED THAT, AT LAST, HIS PROBLEMS WILL BE SOLVED BY A HEAVY-HANDED LEADER
31 X 31 inch
Glicée Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308
Signed numbered limited edition 30
Ciudadano de izquierdas votando con miedo a un populista de derechas.
78x78 cm Glicee Art Print
