Words are important for communication. We use words to communicate a message thinking that the other party (the receiver of the message) will give it the same interpretation we were trying to render. However, here lies a fundamental problem of communication, the receiver oftentimes interprets the message in a different way or gives words a different meaning than what the sender was trying to transmit.
Therefore we normally have dictionaries that try to give unified sense to words. Wikipedia has been challenging the scientific society and generated a popular enciclopedia that many times has excellent descriptions of words. So let's give it a try and let's see what wikipedia means by the term politician before I go deeper into my understanding of politicians:
A politician, political leader, or political figure (from Greek "polis"="city") is someone who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, inheritance, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest, divine right, or other means. Politics is not limited to governance through public office. Political offices may also be held in corporations, and other entities that are governed by self-defined political processes. (Source Wikipedia)
Browsing through the definitions in different languages they all seem to agree with the english definition.
"A politician is somebody who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making or who makes part or wants to make part of the political system."
This could accurately define actual politicians although I would call the first part, politicians and the second part a better definition for bureaucrats.
Anyway, this is our reality and we can agree that the definition responds to the perception of the contemporary politicians...... and that is my problem.
We don't need politicians/administrators we need visionary leaders that influence public policy and decision making. We don't need politicians that influence public opinion and decision making enforcing what they have been trained to.
Our politicians have been "kidnapped" by corporations and financial institutions. We live in a fascist system where the politicians impose pain, austerity and fear on populations. Our politicians are "Fear Prophets" blackmailing populations with disaster and armageddon if they stop voting for them, or don't support the system at any cost.
What happened? Where have we gone wrong? Where are the leaders that used to be respected and guide folks for a better tomorrow?
It is actually a good question and I don't have enough space on this blog to deepen into the question but have to accept that mediocrity has invaded politics. Today's politicians are the ones that always wanted to be the class spokesperson and never made it. The followers that sheeply followed the cool guy in class or the hottest chick. The losers of your youth.
They found in politics their perfect playground where flip-flopping and asskissing is rewarded with a rising career.
How can we expect these people to lead us? How can we expect these people to develop a vision for the future of their people? Simple: WE CAN'T.
That is why the best thing these elected citizens can give us is falling in alarming and disaster rhetoric, injecting fear in the population for the breakdown of the system. Some of their favorite prophecies:
"The end of the Euro would have disastrous consequences"
"Either you vote for me or we are out of the Euro"
"Austerity is the only way out of the crisis"
"Either you vote for me or the IMF is not going to keep giving us money"
"We have to save the banks otherwise the economy will collapse"
"The new parties are anarchists, communists, socialists"
These are their projects, these are their arguments to influence decision making?
Well, I might be naive but I had a different opinion about the objective of a politician.
I confess: I was mistaken in my idea that politicians were visionaries, had plans and motivated those ideas to people. I was under the wrong impression that they had ideologies. I was wrong when I thought they had an idea about economy. They don't.
Today's politicians are nothing more than "Fear Prophets".
Politicians have become puppets paid by the system to keep the system going.
Politicians, don't you feel ashamed? Don't you have any dignity at all? Don't you dare give an audacious opinion, or just your very own humble opinion? Of course you don't you never had one in the first place. We should ban teleprompters or even better, turn off television, stop reading or listening to your propaganda and like minded media.
Conclusion:
Don't expect politicians to lead us out of the situation or guide us into the future. People your are the only one that can do that.
James Tector
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité
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