By ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ (GREEK) TÜRKÇE (TURKISH)
The US election result and the enduring losses of democracy
No, democracy has not lost. It worked, in a sense, through the electoral process. After all, the losses of democracy are diachronic and have to do with the way we all understand it (or don’t understand it).
Μeasure is lost. The extremes of Donald Trump’s campaign turned toxicity into the norm rather than the rejectable behavior of a small or large group.
Εthos is gone. The style, tone and content of what he uttered against opponents, social groups, people the new President of the United States did not even know, should have been forbidden behavior that poisons an entire society and its future.
Aesthetic is gone. A caricature pretending to dance on stage, grimacing, gesticulating and swearing, it is a shame that he is the role model of a country that went through dark periods and came out into the light setting an example for the whole planet.
Reason is gone. When one needs to create an enemy to “tear apart” in order to survive, the concepts of dialogue, arguments, convergence and cooperation go out the window. Reason gives way to insanity.
Modern society is now sick. Social media, while it could have been the podium for a global productive dialogue, has become the launching pad for stupidity and all the bad traits of man. Everyone knows it all. Everyone has an opinion, not on what they know, but on the most unlikely things. Everyone is lining up in a camp to “fight” the opponent. And the next day, on a different issue, they are fighting yesterday’s “comrade”. They have to fight with someone to feel like they exist. How could Donald Trump not be a role model for all of these people?
A Greek stand up comedian captured all of this in an amazing way. I’ll try to render it as I remember it:
Pornhub, he says, gave its subscribers and visitors the right to write comments under the videos (porn) they watch.
The first one logs in and writes “I don’t like watching black people” (meanwhile, he watches it). The other replies “you’re a racist”! The first one logs back in and writes “you’re a commie, we should have taken you all out when we could”. A third person intrudes who insults Mitsotakis, another one mocks SYRIZA and the next one (having seen the video) warns “God will burn us”…
And all of them didn’t even think that just a moment ago… they were doing the same job!
This article was originally published on 06.11.24
Source: IN A SICK SOCIETY…
