The Democratic Deficit : Titulia and Iran a common future.
by Gerry Brady
Don't be shocked by the headline Admin hasn't gone Muslim, theres no need to worry about the future of your hands, and girls don't wait around for your man to accompany you in public. It is just that I was looking at something earlier today and it struck me that the great experiment in online democracy, the Internet oasis that is Titulia has developed in many ways into a mirror image of post revolutionary Iran. That comparison may seem stupid on a lot of levels we have free speech, civil rights and all the other bastions of basic ideals of a "modern" society but hear me out on the counterpoint; we are as a political structure a lot like the great American fear the cradle of society gone wrong Iran.
-We have an autocratic ruler which is necessary because of our net based existence but who's level of power and functions are reminiscent of the Grand Ayatollah.
-We have a presidency and executive who's power is limited and what powers he has must be "accepted" by our Ayatollah much like Iran.
- Before this turns into an anti Admin rant which it most definitely not comes the final and largest comparison with Iran. Hold on to your IDs because we have a democratic record which is worse than the troubled Persian autocracy, in fact we have a comparable democratic record to former "Saviour" to of Africa Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe. ( Why is Google trying to make me put "saviour" in capitals?)
To quote many beautiful women "Heres the science bit":
We had 58 voters in the last election.
I regard myself as an up to date guy and of the voters I had heard of about 24 of those voters(or seen them vote or post before)
That means that in our last election 50% or for the non binary of us exactly half of the voters in that election, our grand showcase for democracy, are people who don't for all intents and purposes exist.
Exist you say? For the purposed of this I am regarding people who log in, vote on props or polls, comments, blog or in any way contribute or take part in Titulian life as being in existence.
That means in reality our votes are only half a vote, our elections are undemocratic shams and because of it the site is a sham for us and any new citizens who immigrate. Why take part in a democracy where half the votes in an election are from people who do not exist in the society? The fact remains that we all know a large proportion of these votes are clones. We need to bring in the UN inspectors because they would find our elections worse than Iran, Zimbabwe or any other despotic outpost you care to mention. Whats the solution?
CLONES, CLONES, CLONES, CLONES, CLONES. There I said it. We all know its happening yet we are all afraid to effect civil liberties to do anything about it. Well here is a theory for all these fans of civil liberties: In Titulia all votes are not equal, one man has half a vote another has six. Its time we did something about the democratic deficit our system has created and no I am not calling for a witch hunt, I am not even naming names. I am simply calling for fairness in our electoral system.
What we need to do in the interests of justice and fairness is make sure those people who contribute,who log in every day and put forward an agenda, who entertain us, frustrate us and make Titulia a place worth visiting are rewarded by out democratic system.
If these silent voters wish to choose a president to represent them they should first represent themselves!
If you support the idea that a person must try to contribute to society or at least try take part in it before they have a right to be represented by that society then please vote here http://www.titulia.com/index.php?page=topic,id=2514
Delacruz said
Outstanding post! You are right on target.
We dont want or need multiple accounts. Its anti-democratic, its anti-republic, dishonest and misinforming. Its time to create a solution and I think youve done just that.1 citizen 1 vote!
Gregory Hock said
There is nothing petty about the Bill of Rights or Constitution. I take these very seriously, but I hold the voice of the people foremost. I have joined this Republic to engage in debate and to participate in our democracy. As an active citizen, it is dispiriting to see my vote and others diluted because of clone accounts. I have no problem if the population is 25, 100, or 1000. I welcome all that have the interest in joining us. But I seek activity and engagement by others, not groups of inactive citizens that "come alive" once a month to vote. I am one citizen with one vote. If you are a person that needs multiple accounts to achieve what you cannot with only one account, then perhaps you should take a step back and rethink how you can better achieve with one citizen, one vote. There are such novel ideas as working with others, forming alliances, and gaining the respect of the people. In the times we are at right now, you will be amazed at the votes you can obtain through positive enthusiastic activity and constructive insightful postings. I respect and applaud the people that I know are 1 citizen, 1 vote. Through their perserverance, the future of Titulia is with them.
Gerry Brady said
James, As a chief benefactor of one of the practices above I wouldnt expect anything less from Titulias chief political supporter of silent avatars who only log in for elections.
James Matthews said
We find common ground on one item, Ger. Indeed all people in Titulia are not equal. In previous posts one would find this is not the first time you have attempted to abridge the Bill of Rights or the Constitution. Let's not debate such petty documents, for in the end Titulia will become exactly like Iran. After all, any such moves would only be an extension of what previous governments have tried to achieve. I salute you: you've summoned the courage to enact this intrusion into law, at last.
Alex Pijanowski said
Great blog post! We desperately need to have accountability in our democratic system, and I'd say this is a necessary fix. We don't need a Chicago-style voting system where dead people vote, lol.