And we cannot admit we are thinking this way
In case you are new to my writing, I am an inventor of an alternative democracy. It is called Tiered Democratic Governance (TDG). Much of my Medium work is dedicated to explaining this new democracy to you, including its many great advantages. In brief, the TDG will be the kinder, wiser democracy many of us yearn for.
But there is a catch: we will have to put some effort into this project.
Well, maybe that is the main disadvantage. We have been inculcated that we can bend the will of our elected politicians to do what we want. We need only just vote, protest, put stuff up on the internet, maybe donate. The THEY will come around to our way of thinking. This is so much easier than putting in the effort I seem to be asking for.
After six years on Medium, I have concluded the willingness to put in the effort is not there. I am still a bottom writer. This article probably won’t have 10 views.
But the TDG effort is not the “disadvantage” that titles this article. There is a bigger disadvantage that we will have to endure when the TDG is fully implemented. It is:
A loss of entertainment value
As former political junkie (who may or may not be cured), watching and reading the news was a favorite pastime. It was interesting to watch people move up the political ladder and down again. The ebb and flow of power changing hands was like another soap opera. We could claim that we were only becoming informed to be better voters, but our minds were not going to be changed by watching more news. We have to admit that we were entertained.
And Donald J. Trump has been the most entertaining politician of all.
Look how quickly the mainstream media glommed on to him during the 2016 Republican Primary. They took all the oxygen away from the more sensible Republican candidates like John Kasich and Jeb Bush. Trump was good for ratings and advertising revenue.
And then he got elected as President. Do you know the most common search engine request in 2017 was “Donald Trump news”? It seems we could not get enough of what he would say or do next. We could claim that we were only trying to be better voters to later hold him to account. But we were also entertained by his antics. We were hooked. And I am just as guilty as the rest of you. Reading 100 Donald Trump articles would not change our vote, would it?
Unlike previous fallen politicians, Mr. Trump did not disappear from the limelight. He continued to fulfill the entertainment role after losing in 2020. He is still fulfilling in that entertainment role today. He is governing by executive order, which is entertaining for both friends and foes.
We want this entertainment so bad that we can easily dismiss an idea that could ameliorate many of the concerns we are complaining about. I am speaking about my alternative democracy: Tiered Democratic Governance.
Donald Trump or the TDG?
It seems if we have 10 extra hours a month, we will put those hours into watching Donald Trump — even if we don’t like him and his political decisions. Building a new democracy seems to be out of the question.
For sure, the TDG will be a loss of entertainment value. I think we can get that fix somewhere else.
Published on Medium & Substack 2025
