The Illusion of Democracies
July 20, 2025•224 words
“The most effective way to limit the scope of political debate is to confine it to a narrow spectrum and then allow lively debate within that spectrum.” - Gore Vidal
“Inverted totalitarianism reverses classical totalitarianism. Instead of the state dominating economic actors, corporate power now dominates the state.” - Sheldon S. Wolin
“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum.” - Noam Chomsky
Interesting podcast take on democracies and oligarchs and plutocracies...
The public entertainment of democracy and the naive belief that power is shared among all citizens should never entice you. Be aware, a convincing delusion.
An oligarchy, a small, crafty elite that works in the background, is always the sphere of true power. Since money has become the ultimate tool of control, this elite is typically a plutocracy in the modern democracy. They control policy and steer the political process toward their own goals through the deceptive means of campaign finance, continuous lobbying, and media manipulation.
This helps guarantee that, although the public thinks they are making a choice, they are actually approving a decision that their real masters have already made behind closed doors.
It is a solid argument
If the podcast is completely off, please refute.