I
call it TV democracy. People spend years watching superficial and foolish
things on their TV screens – most of the channels are just light on substance
and short on comprehensiveness – and then acquire a simple and biased view of
public life. They are therefore ready to vote for people like Donald Trump or Jair
Bolsonaro, meaning, for simple minds that speak to the most common stereotypes
and views. Those elected have the legitimacy the polls give to the winners. But
they do not possess the knowledge and the experience that are required to lead
a country. They know that. They react to it through arrogance and a fighting
stance. And they keep implementing demagogic and inflammatory policies, to hide
their weaknesses and respond to the primary feelings of the TV watchers. Their
leadership is based on showmanship, on theatrics, and on headlines.
This
ends up by eroding the democratic institutions and creating deep fractures
within the nation. These leaders are expert dividers, specialists on managing people’s
passions and instincts.
TV
democracy is a serious threat to national progress, social cohesion, and stability.
Unfortunately, in many countries, we seem to be moving in such a direction.
No comments:
Post a Comment