I’m old enough to remember when both political parties believed in democracy and even fought for it. Disagreements between the parties were focused on who had the best policies and who would do the best for the country as a whole. As you know, political power for each party has waxed and waned over the years.
It is now clear that not all of us favor democracy. Many, but certainly not all, believe that all people should be treated equally and should have the right to vote. Many of us also believe that all people have value regardless of race, color or creed. But autocracy can be a lot easier. You get one person who has complete and total power and control; it’s much faster and you don’t have to spend time voting, counting votes, holding town meetings and all that other stuff those who believe in democracy want to do.
So which way will we go? An autocrat will probably favor wealthy white men, although many autocrats are not always consistent with their loyalties. Since they have total power, they can change their minds whenever they want. But should he — almost certainly the autocrat will be a he, not a she — just be appointed dictator? Call him what you will, but of course an autocrat will use violence or at least the threat of violence to keep those who believe in democracy in line. Many of his followers will be OK supporting that role.
Laws that the autocrats support, applied to people of color, seem not relevant when applied to his supporters. Is that what we want for our reality? The days of all of us believing in democracy may be gone. Will we let them go forever?
John Richards
Peterborough