Direct democracy

Democracy Means Having the Chance to Learn and Grow

December 6, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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For people who live in democratic countries, democracy probably isn’t something they think that much about. They’re just used to it, and it’s how they live their lives. For people who live in other countries, though, democracy might be something that they haven’t even heard much about, don’t understand, and aren’t sure how to get. They may not understand how it works, and they may not know how to get it for themselves. Naturally, that’s frustrating for people who see that democracy is a good idea and can’t get it to the people who need it. There’s little that they can do.

If you live in a democracy, you have the opportunity to think and choose for yourself, which is a lot more freedom than some people are given. You can attend school, make choices about your health, get insurance information so you can make a wise decision, and decide what you want to do with your life. There are many countries where these kinds of things are not options, and it’s very difficult for some of the people who live under those types of conditions. Of course, not everyone has a problem with living in a place that’s not a democracy.

Everyone is different, and has opinions about what’s good and bad for him or her. Democracy isn’t about telling everyone that they have to embrace democracy. It’s about making sure that they understand there is a choice. If they don’t know the choice exists, they really can’t be asked to make a decision that’s based on all of the available evidence. When you understand what democracy really is, you can use that information to make better choices in your life. It’s a great way to move forward with life and continue to learn and grow as a person.

Filed Under: Computers, Democracy, General Tagged With: Abraham Lincoln, Choice, Decision making, Democracy, Direct democracy, Form of government, Politics, United States

Participation: Internet Democracy

November 30, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

It is the most unavoidable of truths – words are not enough to form a message. The once infallible black and white rows have now been deemed dull. Their meanings are understood but kept solitary, unable to be passed from mind to mind (any attempt would result in smeared sentences and confetti bursts, the clumsy tears of clumsier paper). Information is noted but offers no reward. It is merely read, tucked away in thoughts and left to hide there. There is no call for participation. There is no need for debate. The facts are merely absorbed and then abandoned.

This must change – and it slowly is.

Through utilization of Internet Democracy (where information is filtered through all avenues of social networks: blogs, live feeds, online radio broadcasts and more), individuals can achieve a far more satisfying level of participation within their politics. Instead of merely tossing newspapers onto tables, hoping articles are found by ones who share their interests, they can send links and web pages to all of their contacts. A petition can be flung across the world, with the needed signatures begged for. Video files – embedded with campaign speeches and unexpected gaffes – can be uploaded for all to enjoy. Even the impending votes within local governments can be noted, explained for all of their complexities. The access is immediate… and so is the response.

Internet Democracy is founded on the principles of active encouragement. Individuals are to understand the world and then share their findings with others through the easy use of forums, sites and email. Information is able to bound from screen to screen, allowing it to reach millions instead of the fortunate few who glimpsed it in an editorial. It becomes a collective effort, pushed through by all who read it; which
allows for it to then be fully understood.

And this is vital.

Filed Under: Democracy, Internet Tagged With: Activism, Criticisms of Democracy, Democracy, Direct democracy, Open source, Politics, Social network, Voting

The Value of Access: Internet Democracy

November 28, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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It is an all too familiar scenario: a man is without time or patience. His evenings are devoted to his family; his mornings are burdened by a career. All concerns are offered to the daily obligations, the middle-class worries. He is overwhelmed. And, even when a blessed pause in his schedule is achieved, he finds he does not have the energy to sit through the lagging channels, the anchors and their false smiles. Information is offered too slowly, with commercials injected between every truth. It is a cumbersome presentation of politics; and the diligence it requires for a too late hour is simply impossible to summon. He would rather sleep.

And so he does… and a loss of knowledge occurs.

The modern age is one of swift decisions and swifter demands – there can be no hesitations as few can afford them. Facts must instead be offered with immediacy, access to them granted without a force of useless asides or irrelevancies. All things must be given freely. And this is why Internet Democracy has become such a value.

By simply searching for favored sites or blogs, individuals can find precisely what they need (without having to suffer through the commercial inanities). Policies, laws and governmental changes are found quickly. The information is presented to all and does not require waiting on midnight to achieve it. It can instead be discovered when the time is best for those involved.

And through this comes a resurgence of political awareness. No longer is the common man (defined always by his hectic life, the needs of his children) unable to understand the world around him – not because of a lacking interest, but simply because there were no minutes to spare for it. Internet Democracy allows him instead to earn the information easily… and without sacrificing his few moments of privacy. Convenience is now the intention. It succeeds.

Filed Under: Democracy, Internet Tagged With: Africa, Criticisms of Democracy, Democracy, Direct democracy, Human rights, Park Chung-hee, Politics, United States

Understanding Information: Internet Democracy

November 24, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

There is one truth within the realm of politics: it cannot be understood when burdened to its technicalities. The common man has no time – nor even desire – to learn the many meanings and subtleties. Such phrases cannot be applied to daily life. They are therefore considered useless, heard only when elections appear and vanishing just as quickly. But there still remain the mornings when reforms and policies dominate all news. Information floods editorials and channels, with unfamiliar words being tossed about with baffling ease. These, naturally, confuse the masses. There is no understanding of them or what they could represent. Instead there is only a feigned recollection and an ever fading interest in policies.

There can be no hope for the future of democracy if it is not understood. Individuals can no longer be content with vague comprehensions. They must instead be offered explanations – and these can be found online.

Internet Democracy, simply defined, is the expression of political concerns through virtuality. Web sites become devoted to truth; social networks send out constant reminders and links; and videos are presented with near overwhelming frequency (allowing all to see the many candidates and their promises). This becomes an open forum, fueled by those who use it most – the public.

Those without experience in reforms can then become involved with them. Information is made accessible, convenient and – most importantly – easy to recognize. Terms are defined (or even simplified). Facts are presented without pretense. And there is an endless offering of opinions, each given without practice or censoring. The consequence is therefore honesty.

And this is invaluable to the masses. It allows them to be fully emerged in politics without having to suffer the usual confusion. Truth is filtered through common sense and explanations are given.

Internet Democracy allows all to then understand what they are reading and how it will effect them. And this is as essential as it is wanted.

Filed Under: Democracy, Internet Tagged With: Criticisms of Democracy, Democracy, Direct democracy, Political party, Politics, Representative democracy, United States, Voting

The End of Prejudice: Internet Democracy

November 22, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The intention of democracy is understood to be one without public divide. The masses are to be elevated as equals – with all decisions made to support human rights, not just the supposed elite. These intentions, however, are not always achieved. Prejudice is as common as breathing within the world. Individuals battle over ideologies, social status, wealth and ethnicity. First impressions are made with suspicion (and with little concern given for reevaluations later on). Personal bias shades most debates. And opinions are immediately discredited when offered from the ones most hated.

And this has led to a stagnation of politics. Too often are individuals lured by candidates who offer similar backgrounds and experiences, rather than the ones who provide the most sensible ideas. Trust is granted to those we can recognize and is snatched away from those we do not. This is not productive within the search for a strong government, however, or the subsequent strong changes that come from that.

Internet Democracy has therefore become the alternative to the dreaded assumptions. The online world is one without identity. An individual can shape himself into a secret, offering opinions that must be judged purely on their merits. There is no chance to form unfair impressions. There is instead only the opportunity to be met by full expression. Anonymity removes bigotry.

And this is vital within any government. Reforms are to be made wisely, not simply through supporting candidates who represent what we believe ourselves to be. This is the removal of prejudice, replacing it with a far more appealing notion – understanding.

Through the Internet individuals can discover an endless variety of opinions, debates and social connection. Information is absorbed earnestly and can therefore be offered with good sense.

Democracy is changing – and such a change is for the betterment of all.

Filed Under: Democracy, Internet Tagged With: Advocacy Organizations, Africa, Democracy, Direct democracy, Human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, Politics, United States

The Reaching of the Masses: Internet Democracy

November 20, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Advertisements are disposable things – forgotten in newspapers, tossed away when presented as fliers; muted when appearing on the television screen, ignored when sprawled across a sign. The information they present is momentary and often unabsorbed. They are deemed as little more than fleeting truths, seen but ultimately unrecognized. Their purposes are lessened by the virtue of attention spans. The public simply has no time (or need) for them. Their interests have been shifted to other avenues.

And it is only by understanding these avenues that politics can become a more interactive thing – which is vital to its future. The presentation must be revised, shaped to modern sensibilities. It must therefore become an online experience.

Internet Democracy is the promotion of reforms and social change through virtual alternatives. The ever popular networking sites, blogs and forums are filled to individuals and their opinions. These posts do not simply disappear from consciousness once read. They instead inspire debates and exchanges. The purpose is to encourage all to understand information and then offer it to others; creating an always moving truth.

This is essential to ensuring such truth is learned by the majority. Too often is it ignored within daily life, unable to impress with the slick magazines or crinkled papers. It blurs together with all other news and becomes just another headline, just another page. Online, however, it becomes part of a collective chain – with each link an argument for policies and law. The public becomes involved with the process instead of simply being told of it. This allows for it to have more meaning and therefore conjure stronger interest. This is then sent out into the world for all to see.

Internet Democracy works by approaching individuals within the arena they have chosen. This makes it relevant, easy to understand and easier still to reply to.

Filed Under: Democracy, Internet Tagged With: Criticisms of Democracy, Democracy, Direct democracy, Feudalism, Government, Philosophy, Politics, Social change