Are Politicians Puppets? Who Really Runs the World? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 week ago by NobodyIsPito@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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We vote. We debate. We argue over politicians like they’re the real decision-makers. But are they really in charge? Or are they just well-dressed puppets, reading from a script written by those with real power?

Behind every election, there are corporations, lobbyists, billionaires, and hidden networks pulling the strings. Policies aren’t always shaped by public interest but by those who fund campaigns, control the media, and influence economies.

The question is: Who truly holds the power? The government? The wealthy elite? Tech giants? Intelligence agencies?

And if politicians are just the face of a system much bigger than them, does voting even matter? Or are we just choosing between different masks of the same machine?

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[-] Binx85@lemm.ee 3 points 1 week ago

Your take on genuine democracy is fair, especially if we’re referring to the US (as per my assumption). According to this Wikipedia article on The Economist Democracy Index:

In 2016, the United States was downgraded from a full democracy to a flawed democracy; its score, which had been declining for some years, crossed the threshold from 8.05 in 2015 to 7.98 in 2016. The report stated that this was caused by myriad factors dating back to at least the late 1960s which have eroded Americans' trust in governmental institutions.

The question we’re facing is, if we make it through Trump’s term(s?) with a functional federal gov’t, how can we begin to return to a full democracy, and is that even possible given the trajectory of our economic system.

[-] NobodyIsPito@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

The downgrade to a "flawed democracy" highlights the reality of a system that's never truly been for the people it's always been about serving the interests of the capitalist class. A "full democracy" is a myth in a society where the economic system is designed to prioritize a select few. The real solution isn't about restoring a broken democracy but about dismantling the capitalist structures that prop it up. A good dictatorship, one that truly serves the people and removes the influence of the elite, could be the only way to actually return power to the masses.

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

A good dictatorship, one that truly serves the people and removes the influence of the elite, could be the only way to actually return power to the masses.

A “good dictatorship” in the Dark Enlightenment sense of the people skulking around the White House right now, or a “good dictatorship” in the Marxist sense?

[-] NobodyIsPito@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

A "good dictatorship" in the Marxist sense

One that dismantles capitalist structures, redistributes power, and serves the working class free from elite manipulation. Not the kind that exists to maintain power for a select few under the guise of order.

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this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2025

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