The short answer is no. The long answer starts with a brief history of groups and power.
Many tens of thousands of years ago, we humans lived in small groups. We made small group decisions together and for the most part, everyone in the group got a say in those decisions. This is the first version of voting. Voting itself implies a degree of power. If a group has 20 eligible voters, then in theory the power inherent in the group is split evenly over those 20 people, because they all get to vote equally. All those years ago, there was no money, because there was no surplus. We were hunter gatherers and hadn’t started farming yet, so no one could have accumulated wealth. There was no wealth, there was only the power in the group – in their ability to do things together, often by making the right decisions.
At some point a bigger group came and killed that little group. They had surplus, they had tools, and they had more power. And if your little group didn’t want to get killed too, you had to hook up with another small group to form a bigger group of your own.
This is when voting became more complicated. So complicated in fact, that it left the door open for strong men to come in and just take over amongst all the indecision. Welcome the dawn of the supreme leader. Goodbye voting and goodbye power to the little guy. But hey, at least they were alive to complain.
Fast-forward to modern times and both Democratic and Autocratic governments have had their moments in the sun the past two thousand years. The United State of America, arguably the most successful society ever, fits the broader definition of a democracy. The modern Scandinavian countries, considered the most healthy, happy, and liveable societies ever, are also democracies. Despite their size, the people make decisions together and are able to prevent take over from autocrats. But sure, we all seem to agree they could be more efficient and serve the people better than they currently are doing.
What role can the citizens take to help these democracies do better? A simple answer (among others) is vote better. But apparently this is not as easy as it sounds.
As I listen to discussions of issues (and there is a lot of discussions of issues) I find that there is an almost intentional effort to confuse people and keep them from making a solid decision about anything. The people in power aren’t supporters of the truth, they want to win, and keeping the masses dumb and confused is their way to do it.
But that’s obviously just part of the picture. The other part is simply that the world has gotten so complicated that it’s getting harder every year to make an informed decision about anything.
So, again no: we are not smart enough to vote in 2024. I mean most of us are individually, but all of us together are not. We need help. We need help in cutting through the noise and getting educated by those who have a deeper understanding of the issues. Sites like Politiq are hear to help on both fronts.
As it often is, there is not much we can do in the short term about the systems and institutions that govern us. So, we need to focus on ourselves as individuals and try to adopt some good habits. I urge everyone to limit the amount of news you consume. Most of it is garbage and is simply trying to fill up time between ads. Try to get the relevant news you need in a limited amount of time – like 5 minutes a day should be enough. And every now and then go for a deep dive into the issues that are dear to you. Staying away from the junk is hard work, but you’ll be smart enough to vote in 2024.
What are the chances we all will do it? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Hold on to your hats this election season.
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