Lately when I go out I see many people outside their house sitting and talking with others. They left their house and start socializing and this is not because they decided to do something about the alienation in the big city. They are there with a cause: winning votes for the municipal elections that will occur.
Everyone is so social lately and nice. They come to you with their business cards and ask you to vote them. There are young candidates that have started talking with this wooden language as if they are in politics for years. They come and they promise so many things that they can not deliver to the point that it gets ridiculous. But somehow many people believe them. Maybe it’s the hope they have, their arrogance or their blind support to a political party.
The slogan lately in the advertisement campains is directed at youth and asks them to vote because their vote counts. Does it really count? I have never seen anybodies vote making a difference because all the candidates are the same. No matter what believes they say they have (right wing, social party, left wing, ecological parties) when they get elected they act in the same way. Greed for power, money becomes their only drive. They try to exploit their chance of gaining easy money, they get rich and then the next one that gets elected does the same.
In theory in the municipal elections a person that loves their town could make a difference by making a few things that are needed like making parks and reconstructing roads. However, the candidates of the municipal elections always have the support of a certain political party. Even those candidates that are supposed to be independent ask the support of both big political parties in order to get elected because they are clever. And they all pretend to strive for their town problems and say that they are ideologically flawless.
The illusion of voting for me at all kinds of elections is that your vote really counts. I believe that it only points which individual or party is going to get rich at the given time. Nothing else. Hypocritical people, empty words and promises and fancy suites are what elections is all about. They want you to think that you are actually having a freedom of choice when you actually only can choose the same thing. The illusion of living in a democracy.
8 comments:
to a (very) good extent what you are describing is unfortunately true: in greece politics has degenerated to a race for votes and then nothing. however, in well-functioning democracies this is NOT happening, and this where one's vote really counts. How healthy is democracy in Greece?
Easy question to pose, difficult to answer. The regime per se is consolidated, and thanfully so I must say. To me the problem is not about democracy but about the political culture of Greece. Our political culture is premature, based on beliefs of who-wins-the-most, rooted in traditional i-do-this-you-do-that-for-me. This is to be seen both in political actors that appear 'greedy' as you say, new candidates that are 'full of promises' (and which they later forget) and, finally, in the public that does not care to instruct themselves about politics, to read policies, to evaluate based on performance etc.
Of course there is always a minority. You can find concerned politicians and concerned citizens as well. However the problem of political culture is a serious one because it affects not only politics but our lives as well. It should not come as a surprise though. Harsh as this may sound it is true. For, if we observe better society we will see similar patterns occurring: meritocracy has yet to be achieved fully in greece, personal connections get you often the job, people still look for a place in the civil service (dimosio) because of it's safety.....
Again there are exceptions. There are many people that work on their own and work well. But this widespread culture of self-comfort has yet to disappear and the more it stays, the more harm it causes to us.
(Sorry for the long comment! Your posts are always so provocative though- cant help it!)
the only answer to this "bad" members of society:
"Only when the last tree has been felt, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, will you know, that men cannot eat money."
Anastasia-certainly I am talking about the political situation in Greece.However I am certain that this doesn't only happen in our country.There are exceptions that you mention but what can they do when they are hidden behind political parties?If they dont get corrupted in the end they are forced to leave if they don't comply.In municipal elections again they get a lot of pressure from political parties.And in the state elections we know that noone governs alone.There is a team behind the man and many interests.But I agree with what you say, there are exceptions.The question is what can they do.As for the citizens there are definately concerned citizens like me and you.This is why I write this.Thank you so much for you comment!
Unclejack I am afraid that this is how things will end up.
dear Pixie, you are right in pointing out that Greece is not the only country to suffer from such phenomena. And I also agree that minorities are marginalized. And of course big parties are behind candidates. But allow me to point out two things that I disagree with.
First -and I know this may sound bad- concerned citizens in Greece are a minority. I am not suggesting that people are apathetic; people are deceived I believe (for all the reasons you mentioned). Regardless of whether it is due to apathy or deception, lack of active involvement in politics (through civic organizations, local politics, community and voluntary associations) is detrimental to democracy, and is part of the problem (of course not the principal factor).
Second, it is true that Greece is not the only country facing such problems. What is paradoxical however is that a country like Greece faces this sort of problems. What I am trying to say here is that a country that has over 30 years of consolidated democracy ought to have greater transparency, better institutions and more serious politicians and civil servants.
Example: Greece is ranked in the 47th place in the Corruption Perception Index. This is very low by any standards. Chile is 23rd and Botswana 32nd. But let us take Spain and Portugal. Two countries that can be compared to Greece given their geographic proximity, membership in the EU and parallel democratization. Spain is 23rd and Portugal 26th.
Corruption is just one example but it can be very enlightening. And we shouldn't look at corruption just as the fact that 'some people get bribes etc'. There are far worse consequences than the purely economic ones. Corruption shows that the trust level is low among people, it shows that meritocracy has yet to prevail, it shows that democracy is pray to an elite that can control politics.
This is alarming.
Pixie, our vote lost its power just because we restrict our political action to one time every four years (or 2 years if you count municipal elections).
We have to impose our power to the politicians every single day of their administration with strict control over issues that matter, not supporting them with a piece of paper every four years just to receive a favour.
Anastasia I agree with you.We just say the same thing in different words.I like in particularly the points you made on the corruption!I would have thought that Greece was higher in the rank for corruption.But high enough for such a small country like Greece.
Stormrider for sure we have lost our voting power and its a clever suggestion to have elections frequently and excercise this power!If only it could happen!In order for this to change it needs a politician that should suicide politically and change things.But in this corrupted system they are too confortable to change anything.
But don't you hate peoples hypocricy that now with the elections they come to you seeking for votes and promising stuff?Do you think that people care enough for this suggestion that you made to happen?
There is though one think I believe.That the "revolution" is that of everyday life.On what we choose and how we live our lives.We need to take control of our lives!
Thank you :)
yeah I hate them, and I know exactly what you mean 'cause I am living it the last 5 year in my polytechnic school.
there are people who approach me exactly 1 month before the student elections, try to stick with me and my friends so when the election time will come, I will consider them as friends and vote them!!!
disgusting people...
we have the illusion of believing in a better day... we have to. is the only way to continue... instinctively.
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