Fringeocracy: The End Of Democracy

It was good while it lasted. It may have even advanced the cause of life on earth, though jury is still out on that one. Sure enough, monarchy and absolute imperialism had worn out their welcome - had they ever been welcomed. So when democracy’s power-sharing became a thing, the world rejoiced. There were head-severing parties everywhere, with the shrilling sound of falling guillotines heard around the world. It was one small step for founding fathers, one giant leap for political parties. Or in the case of the ones that merely put lipstick on a pig, political PARTY (singular). Unfortunately for the dolled-up pig, natural selection is not on its side. If they haven’t figured it out by now, there’s no future in evolution for China’s and Russia’s leadership charade. But I will give Snowball Jinping and Napoleon Putin this much: they have altogether bypassed fringeocracy, the terminal cancer of democracy.

Maybe China and Russia always knew something we didn’t. It’s as if they sensed our world was nowhere near ready for a government by the people. I mean, is that a joke? Have we ever stopped to take a good look at “the people”? Sure, there’s a functional middle class in there, somewhere. But that’s not your critical mass. Count your dysfunctional middle class, the bulk of your blue collar, and your borderline poor, never mind your completely disenfranchised, and you’re just now beginning to comprehend  the magnitude of the fringes. Without judging, we’re talking about millions with asphyxiating cash flow, debt-preyed finances, roller-coaster depression, touch-and-go mental illness, troll-infested information sources, rage-distorted critical thinking, dysfunctional addictions, and high levels of gullibility. But, go on, tell us how the people can tell a leader from a grifter?

Democracy as it was intended has been taken hostage by the right and left fringes for too many generations. The mighty checks and balances have been brought to their knees. Entitlement consumes both fringes in an almost perfect symmetry.

To the left fringe, things should be “free”, a God-given right. They use the word without any shame in what they are saying.

To the right fringe, predatory practices are a simple matter of natural selection, a God-given endowment. They have no conscience over their actions.

To the left fringe, empathy is devoid of accountability. As such it is a token empathy, ultimately useless. It becomes an enabler and perpetuator of suffering.

To the right fringe, “freedom” is devoid of accountability. It is code for doing whatever the hell one wants to do, including not paying taxes, hiding behind bankruptcy, idolizing mass-assault weapons without any ownership of consequences.

Life on earth cannot, will not be taken hostage by these fringes. If democracy cannot control its fringes, it is useless to evolution. Like monarchies and imperialism before it, it’s time to retire it. What comes next is not “a return” to anything. It is not free anything. It is not oligarchic power sharing. It is the consolidation of power. It is the end of rich entitlement, of poor entitlement, and the dawn of accountable empathy.