Comment by somenameforme
2 years ago
I'd expect in this exact case the answer might be easier. It's because fake has an ambiguous meaning. It includes everything from the gamut of completely absurd such as elections aren't even actually happening, to the improbable but possible such as elections being rigged, to the self evident such as the people being elected, and their subsequent actions taken, being completely unrepresentative of the people or their interests.
And while all these topics (and many more) can be encompassed by 'fake', they all are quite radically different.
Maybe.
Let's say an election actually was rigged - do you think that is more important than whether our "democracy" is legitimate, always?
Do you think 10% of the HN user base has the ability to discuss this question, at all, and without losing control?
The problem is that society has been exceptionally divided, again owing to fear politics. And so even if an election was rigged, the people that benefited from it would basically demand a level of evidence that would never exist, even in cases of rigging. And by contrast, those that suffered from it would take the slightest irregularity as undeniable evidence of their rightness. And so it's quite unlikely that either side could ever reach a burden of proof that the other side would be happy with.
I think an important point in general is that democracy is what people think it is. If people think elections are fair or a viable means to change their political fate, then they're going to act accordingly, and vice versa if they don't. So personally I think having as absurdly transparent and open a system is critical. Irregularities and oddities should be publicly emphasized across the aisle so (1) everybody can discuss things and be on the same page, and (2) they can be remedied and not repeated.
> I think an important point in general is that democracy is what people think it is.
I think you hit the nail on the head here - and, it doesn't apply only to democracy, it applies to everything. It's funny, because lots of people also know this, yet do nothing about it.
> If people think elections are fair or a viable means to change their political fate, then they're going to act accordingly, and vice versa if they don't.
Where "acting accordingly" is usually ~behaving on social media in the corresponding manner.
Gosh, I wonder why it seems like humanity has little control over its fate.