Accepting at face value, or searching for the Masquerade
David R. Vandette
World History
If nature teaches us anything, it’s that life in every form, given the right environment will thrive.
As I look around to various countries including our own. I often ponder about the historical footsteps of
how we came to be. I can’t help but wonder what got us here. To a time when governing forces,
conglomerate companies, and financial institutions make up the “so-called” Democratic engine that is
our governing entity today. I’d argue that the cautionary flag should have been raised “Many” decades
ago. This is a world where the rich get exponentially richer, and the vast majority of the population
desperately searches to find balance. Many of which are malnourished and riddled with disease and
cling to life by a very thin thread. In the wake of the Great Recession much of the middle and lower
class families in the U.S. are struggling to keep their homes. As you was walk around the streets of any
metropolitan city, you will inevitably see the homeless sleeping on park benches, storefront doors, and
hiding in alleyways. Is this really the best we can do?
Democracy is a term that originated from the ancient Greek city-states most notably Athens
from back in the 5th century BCE, which in whole means “rule of the people”.(4) Led by Cleisthenes,
the Athenians established what is considered the first democracy more accurately in (508 – 27 BCE).
Cleisthenes has since been referred to as “the father of Athenian democracy.”(4) The initial Athenian
democracy was considered a “direct democracy”.(4) This was because the men who were citizens were
directly responsible in all decisions political. They would meet together to discuss all political matters
and cast their vote on issues. Since only men could be considered citizens the system excluded all
women and additionally all slaves from having involvement in politics.
1) Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics Vol.1 chapter 5. Athens, Greece.
2.) Ellen Gould, Ingrid, & Dastrup, Samuel. Housing and the Great Recession. Stamford, CA
3.) Higham, Charles. Trading with the Enemy: Expose of the Nazi-American Money Plot 1933-1949. Delacorte Press 1983,
2007
4.) John p. McKay, Bennett D. Hill, John Buckler, Patricia Buckley Ebrey, Roger B.Beck, Clare Haru Crowston Merry E.
Wiesner-Hanks. The History of World Societies. Vol I Ninth Edition. Boston/New York.
5.) The One Percent. Directed by Jamie Johnson. 2006
6.) Nations, United. Human Development Report. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)2012 General
Assembly.
7.) Smeeding, Timothy. Income, Wealth and Debt and the Great Recession. Standford, CA
8.) Center for Responsive Politics, Http://OpenSecrets.org
For a long time in American history, Greece was an example of what not to do. The founders of
America liked the idea of the republic of Rome. The idea of pure democracy where common citizens
could have a role in government regardless of class and education was shunned. The Roman Republic
from (509-527BC) took some of their governmental ideals from the Greeks.(4) But their government
was a representative democracy. Which had representatives from the nobility in the Senate and
representatives from the commoners with the Assembly. Governmental power was divided between the
two branches and they voted on various issues.(4) One could see a common thread between American
government and The Republic of Rome. However, the common citizens had a way of directly voicing
and voting on political issues. Here in America we don’t vote on political issues, we elect someone
who will hopefully vote on our behalf.
Are we truly a democracy, or is our government something completely different. The United
States has clearly taken steps to implement an Ancient Roman inspired government for a reason. Some
say it’s because they idolize the fundamentals within that political system of checks and balances that
creates stability. I feel it’s more likely to allows the government to make decision without the actual
vote of its citizens. By giving people the power to elect representatives into office. But separating
them from the actual voting process of the actual issues. It gives the population a sense that they were
involved in the decision making process without actually having any say on the current political issues.
This problem is a point of venerability or weakness, which is clearly being exploited beyond the
theoretically, I’d say it’s being taken full advantage of..
1.) Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics Vol.1 chapter 5. Athens, Greece.
2.) Ellen Gould, Ingrid, & Dastrup, Samuel. Housing and the Great Recession. Standford, CA
3.) Higham, Charles. Trading with the Enemy: Expose of the Nazi-American Money Plot 1933-1949. Delacorte Press 1983, 2007
4.) John p. McKay, Bennett D. Hill, John Buckler, Patricia Buckley Ebrey, Roger B.Beck, Clare Haru, Crowston Merry E.
Wiesner-Hanks. The History of World Societies. Vol I Ninth Edition. Boston/New York.
5.) The One Percent. Directed by Jamie Johnson. 2006
6.) Nations, United. Human Development Report. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)2012 General Assembly.
7.) Smeeding, Timothy. Income, Wealth and Debt and the Great Recession. Standford, CA
8.) Center for Responsive Politics, http://OpenSecrets.org
9.) Encyclopedia Britannica, Pericles
This system gives hungry CEO’s an opportunity to sway the political agenda in their favor. The
image of the businessman taking out his favorite politician for a round of golf really isn’t a stretch of
imagination. Maybe it was talk of future campaign contributions, financial kickbacks or other
incentives. Whatever the case may be, it is here where the voice of the population majority that has
been forever lost to the masquerade of our government and ruling elite. The citizen is no longer placing
his direct vote into the box. This is not a true democracy.
Let’s face it; a vast majority of those making political decisions are among the group of top
income earners. As of last year there were 245 millionaires in Congress, 66 in the Senate and 179 in
the House of Representatives.(8) So while we are forced to elect people to represent us, the people we
have to choose from can’t possibly have the same motivations as the common American.
In the United States from 1962 up until the great recession of 2007, we saw the most
unprecedented increase in material wealth and prosperity among the 99th percentile this country has
ever witnessed.(7) Their wealth grew a staggering 452%!(7) This machine was carefully re-designed
back in the 80’s around the interest of big business and wealthy individuals, in which the idea was that
