thoughts on individual participation in imperfect democracy OR in reluctant defense of operating within a plutocratic, expansionist state polyarchy...

ONLY THREE WEEKS TO THE MOST HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED, WILDLY-SPECULATED, MONEY-DRIVEN, STAGE-MANAGED, DIGITALLY-AUTOMATED, CLASS-BASED POLITICAL SURROGATE SELECTION PROCEDURE... oh, the excitement! american 'democracy' is truly a thing of beauty--if defined as a proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory; in short, paradoxic. still, voting matters... at certain times, under certain conditions. it may not always represent 'real' or substantive change @ the most basic level (in our day-to-day lives), but brutal wars, imploding economies and natural catastrophes (among other realities) may present such a possibility. sure, corruption and injustice @ the institutional level will undoubtedly persist (as w/ any state), yet elections remain one of the few non-private mechanisms for non-elites to participate meaningfully in the organization of society (provided they are adequately protected from manipulation and falsification). after all, universal suffrage was fought for, not given. it's true, the ballot options are narrowly-limited and the political economic system is heavily-tilted (and confronting these problems is vital). yet it is equally true that choosing a leader can affect the direction of a nation and, ultimately, the policies that determine the quality of our lives and the very potential for our continued existence. of course, this process is only democratic if politicians manage to retain the most minimal moral decency (by sticking to their word and responding to popular pressure) and citizens are sufficiently educated and informed (through systems of education [schools] and information [media] that reflect the public interest) to make sound judgements. the decision to abstain from the electoral process, or the 'system' in general, must be weighed carefully (and always taking into consideration the immediate plight of others). regardless of one's final decision, the state, along w/ its flawed electoral system, will prevail for (@ least) another day. thus, political activism and engagement mustn't be reserved to election day; the struggle against illegitimate authority, domination and hierarchies must be sustained indefinitely. in the end, even the most serious revolutionary is necessarily a dedicated reformist//

*the preceding piece was written w/ apathetic youth, countercultural cynics and the canadian electorate in mind