Democracy has existed since the 5th century BC Athens and many countries use it for their government, but is it really that good? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There are many factors that contribute to a democratic election. One thing a democracy presupposes is that all votes are equal. All opinions and votes are equal and they are all the same. However, there is a problem with this because the vote of someone who is educated is the same as the vote of an ignorant person and the vote of the law abiding citizen is the same as the vote of criminals. Another point against democracy is that it is a popularity contest. Politicians will say whatever the people want just to be voted into power. Politicians promise immediate satisfaction to the people rather than long-term reforms. Many politicians exploit people's emotions to gain their votes instead of resorting to reason and academic knowledge. Since the beginning of time, humans have used a tribal mentality to survive. In our society, we fit into groups based on certain categories. The problem with this in a democracy is that people will vote for anyone who looks like them rather than vote for the best candidate. People vote for whoever they think is on their side and don't care about the facts or what the candidate is trying to do. This can be seen in elections where a person of color runs and mostly all people of color vote for that person without even knowing what they stand for. People should look beyond the person's race and focus on the facts instead, but people don't, that's why democracy doesn't work. When the government provides a service or job to someone, the person begins to feel entitled to it. If anyone tries to stop providing these jobs and services, it angers a large number of people. In 1984 Margaret Thatcher cut coal subsidies. This caused coal miners to feel their jobs were being threatened and they became enemies of Thatcher. These people probably never voted for Thatcher again because she tried to cut off the form of payment they felt entitled to. It is when the government pays us that we start to feel empowered and if the government stops, we will no longer vote for that party. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Elected politicians only have power for a short time. Many of these politicians know that they will enjoy the temporary benefits of spending money, raising taxes, etc. However, politicians after their predecessors will have to face the negative consequences. Furthermore, many politicians tend to avoid the problems they face during their term because they only have short-term power. This is why politicians behave well. These politicians are unable to protect our borders, security, autonomy, economy or finances in the long term, contrary of course to their rhetoric. They avoid and sweep problems under the rug, buy them off by spending more money, or address them with more laws and bans. Politicians never really solve the problems that society might have.