how democracy isn't democracy

This was yet another LLA class where shocking facts were revealed. When learning about different types of government, democracy is always presented as an antonym of dictatorship or despotism. We are often given the idea that dictatorship is evil and democracy is good. For me, whenever something is associated with the word “democracy”, I feel protected and secure. For example, if I heard that a tyrant-run country is evolving into a democratic country, I think “great! Things are definitely improving in this country.” So yesterday, I was shown the “true side” of democracy, that in reality, democratic government may not be significantly different from a dictatorship. I am starting to feel that a tyrannical rule in any country is inevitable because no matter how hard the majority tries, there will always be some who put profit before the welfare of others. I feel that some people cannot be satisfied with being treated equally; there are always ones who feel the need to be exceptional. I sense this while living in Japan. All the Japanese senators contend that they do what is best for the people, but they do not. For example, the Tokyo Prefecture leader, Ishihara suddenly decided that it was important to show that Takeshima Island belonged to Japan although they were clearly more significant matters to be settled at the time.

Rab explained to us how the IMF and World Banks were made by the U.S. and U.K. and how these institutions strangle poorer countries by increasing their debts. It was easy to understand how the exploitation worked as he demonstrated the whole process by actually taking some of my belongings and other people’s and giving it to the others if we did not have enough comment sheets (which represented money). The IMF and the World Banks reminded me of the U.N. Of course, I’m not saying that the U.N. exploits poorer nations but I believe U.N. was made by the U.S. so I am curious whether they exploit some nations or not. I learned in history class that the U.N. supported the Palestine because they were Jewish people whose businesses profited the U.S., which is why the U.N. granted Palestine the more fertile land. This ended up pushing the Israelis to live in the less fertile land, causing the conflict between Palestine and Israel. “Leading” nations such as the U.S. have no right to control other countries’ matters for the purpose of increasing their economic wealth, and what I consider most sly is how these “leading” countries vacuum the wealth from other countries while manipulating them that it is for their own good. Why can’t these nations show more care for others instead of always going after profit profit profit?