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Down With Democracy. Long Live Democracy?
Perhaps that title is confusing, so, let me explain. Democracy is dead. It is, and has always been, a system by which people with privilege (whether it be gender, ethnic, economic, or some other personal identity or life circumstance matter) govern over the rest. Not nearly enough American citizens, especially ones who vote, would vote against things such as the genocide of Palestinians or civilisation, or vote for returning the land to the indigenous people. For anyone determined to do 'the right thing' from a revolutionary or socialist perspective, democracy has and almost always will fail them. Authority, however, runs entirely counter to the principles of socialism, in ways very similar to democracy: both authority and democracy strip the workers of their autonomy, both as individuals and as communities. When leftists wish to create real improvement to the world, they are held back every step of the way by not just governments controlled by capitalists, but fellow community members who do not share the same vision. Take, for instance, veganism. While scientific studies, ethical considerations, and some historical evidence (such as the concept that most indigenous diets consisted mostly of non-animal products, whether gathered or grown, which likely contributed to the sustainability of indigenous lifestyles) have all shown that a vegan, or, at a minimum, meatless, lifestyle would significantly aid in the mitigation of climate change and eliminate directly caused animal suffering and trauma. There would be no means to enshrine such a vital thing in law under a democracy except a constitution, but if they could simply vote for the constitution to be changed, it would not matter - they would vote in the interest of their own pleasure, given the current mindset of the human species as developed from their subjugation by capital. The same would go for indigenous autonomy - the moment the indigenous would get in the way of their land claims, their autonomy is destroyed. In order for the world to improve in the way I see it needing to be improved, I must be anti-democratic.
I am anti-democratic in the sense that I am going to go through with revolutionary acts, with radical acts, whether or not the broad nor local populus agrees with those acts. This sense both conflicts and aligns with socialism as a system - a system in which everyone is roughly equal, and in which everyone under socialism has a say in their life. But that, there! If it is not the desire of the common worker to live under socialism anymore, then why try to make them live under it at all? Let them see our glory, and come and go as they please. But they shall not, cannot control us, just as we shall not, will not control them, but in necessity for the well-being of the worker and of the earth. The anti-democratic becomes democratic through the rejection of dominance. In allowing the free choice between joining a new world and clinging to the old one, what will they choose? It does not matter, for it becomes their choice, and in that sense it becomes a new form of 'democracy' - democracy by (free) association. It does not follow the standards of normal democracy, necessarily, as it does not try to reach a majority consensus with everyone. And yet, it is a system that is inherently democratic, in that it is governed internally by a form of democracy.
This should not, however, mean that we should give up on the project of spreading socialism and democracy across the lands of the earth. While, in our actions, we may reject appeasing a broader collective, so too through our actions shall we prove that our goals and creations are preferable to the ones of capital. That is to say, when socialism is enacted through a part of the land, other parts may become convinced to socialism and join us in our socialism, thus proving its capabilities further and spreading it further - an idea that could be applied to anything with the goal of creating a better world. This is simultaneously a passive and active form of propaganda through action, in which friendly relations are developed with the world around us as we assault capitalism from every angle, spreading socialism and mutual aid throughout the lands. Thus begins the creep outwards, and as more and more land is absorbed into this liberation, the quicker it becomes, until the system as it is now is either reformed through collective action, or replaced entirely through the victory of socialism over the old world. This is, as some may refer to it, grassroots organisation - through action, we may prove ourselves, marching through the fire of the apocalypse into a new world, offering a hand to those fallen so that they, too, may join us in our march. We can create a better world here, we can create a better world now, and may the whole world watch it form, that majestic beauty of a world of socialism shining a light upon a world of tragedy. Let them listen, now, and rejoice in our victories, and sorrow at our tragedies, and live them through their own action.