Meanwhile the playwrights work tirelessly with a horde of hired help to create the illusion of realism so that many do not even think it is a theatrical production, but instead real people debating real issues with the outcome up in the air until the denouement when all turns out as expected or there is an unexpected, but carefully scripted, ending.
The outcomes of the productions all fall into the same general pattern, they always end up with the dominant interests winning. Sometimes the non-dominant forces win small victories to give the perception of balance, but all the major issues are ultimately won by the dominating forces.
That is why they wrote the plays!
If we got back to real democracy, without the domination of an economic elite as puppet-masters, we could relegate the theatre back to one of the art forms which might make social comments without the pretense of reality, and bring back untheatrical, but real and open governance once again.
Going Underground
The very survival of democracy with its basic focus on self-determination becomes a real issue. All the existential issues of the day require the survival of democracy if there is to be any hope for not only the survival of the human race, but also of the planet itself. It means that the arrogance of the neoliberal economic model must be abandoned and replaced by a clear-eyed focus on a new humility that accepts human life as simply part of the planetary web of life necessary for sustainable solutions.
Of course, there always have been those who realized what was occurring and who fought a rear-guard action to slow the spread of the dismantling of the real force of democracy. They have been overwhelmed by the massive forces of acquisitive capitalism and the technical and electronic tools at their disposal as well as the domination of the media. There were also the quiet, but intimidating forces of the military and police, the courts, and the giant sweep of the security state.
Reclaiming Democracy
So how do we reclaim democracy and resurrect it. First, we must realize that the current political arena is so contaminated and corrupted that it offers no realistic path toward such a reclamation. It is not that the system is no longer viable but only that those who have gained power have succeeded in bending the system to serve an economic elite and not the ordinary citizens of this nation. So, instead of spending time, resources, and energy on those old elective politics, we must develop a new politics that operates outside of the old norms and begins to focus the will and intent of the people on real, democratic solutions and allow the old politics to shrivel without any support from the people.
This means that people quietly begin to work on solutions to our existential problems through cooperative and inclusive action. This means finding more workable solutions and not waiting for permission. It is like fixing the leak in the boat without waiting for official permission with all its meetings and delays, while the boat sinks.
It is about finding better alternatives and adapting them. It is about showing that we are not simply human resources to be used for economic ends; that we have not been bought and paid for but are citizens who insist on restoring real democracy to save our nation, our American spirit, the human race and the planet.
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