Andiamo a comandare

Editoriale italiano

Abstract

One of the reasons for the “democratic fatigue syndrome,” as Van Reybrouck calls it, might be an extreme and paradoxical form of “dis-intermediation.” The latter would consist not in the endorsement of a (real or alleged) leader to the detriment of some intermediary units (churches, unions, parties, etc.) but rather in the coveted elimination of the duality of representatives and represented. The elimination would only minimally have to do with forms of direct or deliberative democracy and would instead be, to a much greater extent, a matter of an individual desire to be the leader. What would emerge would be the democracy of leaders, where everyone is moved by the will to rule alone or to rule without assumption of responsibility. Such a will could receive only (and aporetically) vicarious satisfaction through current leaders. The satisfaction would ultimately be always dissatisfactory, and hence the endemic discontent of the voters and the crisis of the electoral system would ensue.