Do you think the elites in your country would sacrifice democracy for higher profits?

[noname223]

I think in the US the answer is clear. Silicon Valley CEOs are bending over to Trump. Media elites turn over to him to please him. Bezos, Musk etc. all on his side now.
Not many elites are still standing up to him.

In Germany it looks better than in many other countries. But it is crumbling. Before the elections in East Germany many companies made a campaign something like united against the AfD. The right-wing extreme party in Germany which became the strongest party. These companies need workers also migrants. It is in their interest that the AfD becomes less votes. But they could have stayed silent and hope other companies might do that for them. It might decreased their shortterm profits.

Due to our history there is a strong emphasis on democracy. The system is slowly eroding though. I think the US might be the future for us and other democracies and this frightens me. A little bit I might be dead anyway sooner or later. Here is an example the disgusting and most powerful yellow press newspaper the "BIld Zeitung" arguments against the AfD. It they supported the AfD they could make way much money. And other independent outlet already do that. But there is a still a small ethos in many older Germans that it is a necessity to defend democracy. But the younger generation abandons this more and more. History does not repeat but the mistakes of history will repeat themselves if we do not learn out of them.

 

[moonlight gate]

they have. in fact the whole society is structured to achieve this goal. in my country and powerful non elected organizations make sure that everything works to accomplish this goal. for a very wealthy elite, my country is an utopia. a paradise. for the rest, it is hell. they d'ont care about the future at all.

 

[CacklingZombie]

This ends with drone sky patrols, robot armies, and thought police. Shit.

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

This ends with drone sky patrols, robot armies, and thought police. Shit.

Literally. I don't think it's too far fetched to believe, at some point, we may achieve an Orwellian-like dystopian life, which is terrifying.

 

[Depressive_Thoughts]

Your statement, "history does not repeat but the mistakes of history will repeat themselves if we do not learn out of them," is a powerful reminder. To counter this trend, it requires not just elites but ordinary citizens, educators, activists, and leaders across all levels to reaffirm the value of democracy—not as an abstract ideal but as a lived practice that benefits everyone.

It's a long and uncertain fight, but one worth waging. Conversations like this are an essential part of that process. Thank you for sharing your perspective.

 

[Pluto]

 

[CacklingZombie]

Literally. I don't think it's too far fetched to believe, at some point, we may achieve an Orwellian-like dystopian life, which is terrifying.

It's a matter of when, not if, at this point. Elon and the wealthy elites are controlling massive shares of the world's wealth.

Historically, the proletariat overthrows the bourgeoisie when inequality is too great. We know these cycles occur. We're approaching a cycle in history in which the wealthy have strength in wealth AND strength in numbers thru robots. The grip of control becomes too omnipotent and too powerful to overcome, this all just as a "elite"-enabling fascist takes office.

Game over.

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

It's a matter of when, not if, at this point. Elon and the wealthy elites are controlling massive shares of the world's wealth.

Historically, the proletariat overthrows the bourgeoisie when inequality is too great. We know these cycles occur. We're approaching a cycle in history in which the wealthy have strength in wealth AND strength in numbers thru robots. The grip of control becomes too omnipotent and too powerful to overcome, this all just as a "elite"-enabling fascist takes office.

Game over.

I feel like it's truly a matter of when will the inequality be too great, and when the robots will be useful in any sort of manner to prevent an overthrow.

Trump voters are to blame at the inequality that is going to occur over the next four years, though.

Slightly on topic, I saw a video the other day using analogies to describe wealth inequality with grains of rice. It used the average Americans salary (used 52,560, likely rounded for this analogy) and broke it down to money made per minute. For this average, it's $0.10/min. Then someone who makes a $1,000,000 a year gets 19 grains of rice. But someone like Elon (he used Jeff Bezos but Elon feels more relevant) made a huge amount of money, over 50 million per day. Elon would get 378,790 grains of rice for his wealth.

My point is, the wealth inequality is huge, I wonder when it will be too great to inspire any action on a larger scale.

 

[CacklingZombie]

I feel like it's truly a matter of when will the inequality be too great, and when the robots will be useful in any sort of manner to prevent an overthrow.

Trump voters are to blame at the inequality that is going to occur over the next four years, though.

Slightly on topic, I saw a video the other day using analogies to describe wealth inequality with grains of rice. It used the average Americans salary (used 52,560, likely rounded for this analogy) and broke it down to money made per minute. For this average, it's $0.10/min. Then someone who makes a $1,000,000 a year gets 19 grains of rice. But someone like Elon (he used Jeff Bezos but Elon feels more relevant) made a huge amount of money, over 50 million per day. Elon would get 378,790 grains of rice for his wealth.

My point is, the wealth inequality is huge, I wonder when it will be too great to inspire any action on a larger scale.

I am a moderate, and can say with absolute certainty: it's both sides' fault.

They're both full of lying ass crooks who could've just as easily ended up on the other side of the aisle if it served their personal ambitions. The wealth inequality is enormous. This results in revolution.

The clock is running out on our window to take back power and money from the cold, dead hands of the ultra-wealthy (because we know they won't come up off it unless it's taken forcefully). Otherwise, drone and robot police are just the next logical progression in the control of humans, originally begun, of course, by invoking the name of god almighty to bend the world to a human's whims/prayers.

 

[Norseman]

I think in the US the answer is clear. Silicon Valley CEOs are bending over to Trump. Media elites turn over to him to please him. Bezos, Musk etc. all on his side now.
Not many elites are still standing up to him.

In Germany it looks better than in many other countries. But it is crumbling. Before the elections in East Germany many companies made a campaign something like united against the AfD. The right-wing extreme party in Germany which became the strongest party. These companies need workers also migrants. It is in their interest that the AfD becomes less votes. But they could have stayed silent and hope other companies might do that for them. It might decreased their shortterm profits.

Due to our history there is a strong emphasis on democracy. The system is slowly eroding though. I think the US might be the future for us and other democracies and this frightens me. A little bit I might be dead anyway sooner or later. Here is an example the disgusting and most powerful yellow press newspaper the "BIld Zeitung" arguments against the AfD. It they supported the AfD they could make way much money. And other independent outlet already do that. But there is a still a small ethos in many older Germans that it is a necessity to defend democracy. But the younger generation abandons this more and more. History does not repeat but the mistakes of history will repeat themselves if we do not learn out of them.

Decocracy never existed

 

[mayayo]

probably gonna happen at some in the next 4 years. i'd be surprised if not

 

[EvisceratedJester]

Yeah, pretty much. I think that's probably the case for nearly everywhere in the world. The elite don't have our best interests in mind.

 

[whitetaildeer]

they would sell my soul for 62 cents

 

[untothedepths]

make no mistake, they do. never stop thinking otherwise.

 

[WeakWeave]

We have the power to cure pretty much every disease, end world sickness, and switch to full green energy. The only reason that we're not doing any of these things is because they are not profitable. Gotta love how we're killing the planet for some profits, capitalism rocks.

 

[SVEN]

I thought here in Britain they already had.

 

[GlassMoon]

Your statement, "history does not repeat but the mistakes of history will repeat themselves if we do not learn out of them," is a powerful reminder. To counter this trend, it requires not just elites but ordinary citizens, educators, activists, and leaders across all levels to reaffirm the value of democracy—not as an abstract ideal but as a lived practice that benefits everyone.

So true! Someone shared the question "Why do we keep talking about fighting rightwing parties but not knife-stabbers, rapists and thiefs?" into a chat group which I am in. I politely asked him not to do so instead of starting a flame war. But otherwise my answer would have been: "We have the police to fight criminals. To fight the rightwing, each one of us needs to vote. Or would you like to have a voting agency or a voting police established?"

I think the AfD is driven by someone's profit. And their tax law suggestions are clearly benefitting the rich, yet they present themselves as a party for the common people.