this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2024
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I mean you're right but your expectations on political freedom are indeed unrealistic in the current order. The US isn't functioning very well as a democracy but even in countries where democracy is mostly working the options aren't all that much better.
In Sweden we don't have first past the post. I don't see any major issues with our voting system. Any party that gets at least 4% has a place in the parliament. The left still struggles immensely and seems kind of bewildered. Our alt right party just keeps growing.
I agree that it's unrealistic, and it's sad that having good democracy is seen as unrealistic. The thing is, I'm not going to back down on my desires for a better democracy, since it feels more achievable to me compared to other issues I care about, such as stopping the climate from collapsing. I know that a lot of other democracies are struggling, but I don't feel that a representative democracy has enough resilience to withstand abuse when the powers that be are accountable for only one day every 2-6 years.
As for your second paragraph, I'd love to get rid of first past the post voting, it's a good thing IMO. I'm not fully on board with a proportional representation, I do think it's one of the best schemes. I know it would give a voice to some truly fascistic groups, but I hope the pros of having real leftist groups could outweigh that, but whether or not it would happen, IDK.
As an american, I see the same thing here. I get that there is a rise in fascism everywhere, and what I have seen in other places, such as italy, is terrifying.
In the US, there is a history of left wing oppression and infiltration, such as COINTELPRO, and I know that for some groups, especially older groups that have gone through it, there's a lot of paranoia and disorganization that comes from that. Even harmless groups like Food Not Bombs have had some organizational problems caused by COINTELPRO. I just hope someone smarter than me will be able to figure things out, since I've got no ideas on how to organize in the face of this shit.