6610 and all that: Extracts from a future history

Of Democracy

... actual meaning is not quite clear. Even if it were, it would be dangerous to draw definite conclusions from the literal meaning of the word. Our present system of government is known as complicotic malamitism, but it would be a remarkably bold commentator who would claim that the literal meaning of the words had much to do with the system as actually practiced.

Nevertheless, it may be useful to examine the word democracy for any potential clues with which it may furnish us. Because of the devastation wrought upon human civilisation by the so-called "quest for democracy" some four and a half thousand years ago, many generations of Antegnosticators believed the word to be a Greek formulation related to the word demon, or destructive spirit. It is certainly true that religious ideas, including the nebulous concept of evil (at present tentatively translated as "tending to engage in sexual practices without official license and displaying a predilection towards terrorist acts") were fashionable during the Precatastrophic; but it is quite clear from the records that the people of that era did not regard democracy as either destructive or a breaker of sexual taboos.

Others have suggested that the word may be related to the ancient Japanese term daimyo, meaning a feudal master. This is a rather more convincing hypothesis, given that the "quest for democracy" seems to have involved the imposition of feudal regimes over a large portion of the population of the world. Towards the end there also seems to have been a substantial erosion of liberty for those in the democratic states themselves. This in itself is enough to dispense with the idea of Antegnosticator Vliss and his followers, that the practice of democracy had anything to do with the personal liberty of the masses.

The trappings of democracy remain mysterious and unexplained. The placing of marks on papers was obviously highly important, and a great deal of currency and effort was spent in ensuring that the marks were made in the correct place. Large bribes were dispensed to the populace on certain pre-ordained days in the calendar (the so-called "candy dates" and "political party broadcastings"). Vast rallies were organised and large numbers of balloons released into the air so that none could be left in doubt of the symbolism of the occasion. Unfortunately, the symbolism of such occasions is completely lost on present-day Antegnosticators and even Psychorecombobulators...