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We're told we live in a democracy, where we are all given an equal say in how our society functions. No question that we are allowed to participate at election time, or more accurately we are compelled to participate. And with the seemingly endless polling it would seem that our wishes don't just matter every few years, but actually matter at least fortnightly. They certainly matter to a lot of journalists who would struggle to write their column without the latest polling as a substitute for real news, real debate or real discussion .
We all know that there has likely never been a true democracy anywhere in the world, not even in the time of the ancient Greeks, at the birth of the democratic purpose. We know we don't all get an equal voice, equal opportunities, equal levels of influence. We live with inequity and entrenched power structures, and bit by bit we try to chip away at them to build what resembles a level playing field. I don't think we'll ever get there, which is fine, We should never be blind to where our democracy is failing us and we should always feel there is more work to do in the quest for true equality. The real question is are things getting better or worse?
Many people are disengaged, and that is harmful and dangerous in a democratic society. 55 per cent of Australians have not very much confidence in any political party, and 12 per cent have no confidence at all. Membership in all political parties has fallen to the point where it is legitimate to ask if they are representative of the citizenry. People everywhere are concerned about (and suspect) bias, hidden agendas, veiled messages, dog whistle politics, vested interests, dogma and blind ideology, and they worry about what it is doing to our democracy.
It seems that their concerns may be founded especially when, as has happened recently, the average person does find a way to become a part of the conversation, like many did in the Alan Jones issue through social media. The reaction from sections of the media and sections of the body politic were interesting. Vocal and concerned citizens were labelled as 'cyber-bullies', or a 'lynch-mob'. Alan Jones himself quickly tried to portray himself as the victim rather than the perpetrator. Individuals, as customers or potential customers, were told they should not be making their feelings known to advertisers (as if businesses advertise in a vacuum which magically produces sales). These outrageous claims about our responses were not backed by hard evidence of nasty or abusive communication (only constantly repeated anecdotes), nothing even resembling the kind of vitriol or hate-speech that Alan Jones unleashes on a regular basis, and which we all end up hearing through the media in one way or another. Jones and those who derive power and influence from his activity have been the loudest voices of complaint. Theirs are the voices of fear, as they see their old power structures at risk as the barrier to providing public comment are eroded by social media and its ability to mobilise large numbers. Jones likely sees that he can no longer claim to speak for the 'silent majority', as we all start to speak up.
Hopefully we have moved into a new paradigm. Hopefully those who were protected by the old power structures (like Alan Jones) become more accountable. Hopefully all our voices can be heard more loudly and more frequently. While some have plenty to fear from such a shift, it would seem to be a shift closer to true democracy. Like anything it is open to abuse, but the abusers are in the minority and they can be managed much more effectively than the likes of Alan Jones. Even if our parliament is struggling to function in a civil, respectful, and professional manner, we all can.. and we do.
Our blog is a case in point. We welcome opinions from all who wish to contribute. To this point, all our contributors (whether through their posts or their comments) have maintained a high level of respect and civility. We see no reason why this shouldn't continue as it has.
Rather than discourage people from voicing their opinions, it is in everyone's best interests to encourage more of it... and in that vein, please revisit any of our posts and add your voice to the conversation. End the monologues by engaging in more open dialogues... your opinion does matter and we want (and need) to hear it.