America is an oligarchy, not a democracy or republic, university study finds

America is an oligarchy, not a democracy or republic, university study finds

America is no longer a democracy — never mind the democratic republic envisioned by Founding Fathers.

Rather, it has taken a turn down elitist lane and become a country led by a small dominant class comprised of powerful members who exert total control over the general population — an oligarchy, said a new study jointly conducted by Princeton and Northwestern universities.

One finding in the study: The U.S. government now represents the rich and powerful, not the average citizen, United Press International reported.

Link to the study: Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens.

This is really no surprise. The country has always had an 'elite class' that overwhelmingly dictated politics, at least since the rise of the 'robber barons' of the mid 19th century. The Oligarchy rose, until the 'trust-busting' era of Teddy Roosevelt, and another era of regulations/trust-busting in the 60's. Sadly, the "Reagan Revolution" sold out to the Oligarchy, and we've lost even the pretense of honest elections.

Very insightful read, of course most MSM will dismiss it as intellectual nonsense.

Sad thing is that someone paid them to figure this out.

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

Isn't this the same thing that was posted 2 years ago?

Or is this someone else coming to the same conclusion?

Wonder if there's a way to see the actual "study"?

The article points to something that has it for sale.

a reply to: xuenchen

Link to the article for anyone interested.

Article review link.

Oligarchy sure is an ugly sounding name for this countries ruling parties. Can't they give it a nicer sounding name, something that doesn't make me think of short ugly greedy creatures that are masters of deception.

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

My only response would be something in the vernacular of the youth.

"Well duh!"

Yeah, I kind of figured that out on my own, and without a grant or a university study.

I would have said a plutocracy is a better description

Plutocracy (from Greek πλοῦτος, ploutos, meaning "wealth", and κράτος, kratos, meaning "power, dominion, rule") or plutarchy, is a form of oligarchy and defines a society ruled or controlled by the small minority of the wealthiest citizens. The first known use of the term was in 1652.[1] Unlike systems such as democracy, capitalism, socialism or anarchism, plutocracy is not rooted in an established political philosophy. The concept of plutocracy may be advocated by the wealthy classes of a society in an indirect or surreptitious fashion, though the term itself is almost always used in a pejorative sense.[2] either, it still adds up to the same thing, but most Americans like it, because they equate wealth with intelligence

a reply to: rickymouse

Happy fun better than yous?

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

No surprise here, we all knew, it's old news and bla bla bla...It seems as if this is all well known according to some, which therefore somehow dilutes the importance of it, right?

Here is my question: If everybody knows that the US (as well as most developed nations) is an oligarchy, given that it is a democracy, with all the rights in the world to protest and change the status quo...where are the protests? Ahhh I remember now, the Wall street protests were pretty much ridiculed into oblivion.

What differentiates the US from Russia at the present time? I mean we see the word Oligarchy bandied about as if it were some kind of communist subterfuge on the MSM right?

It is an old study it seems, dated 2014...but the point is that it is true, and nothing has been done about it.

Nor will it be I suspect. As someone famous once said: "I'm not going to sit at your table and watch you eat, with nothing on my plate, and call myself a diner. Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate."

We aren't diners in this world, most of us aren't even waiters, we are mostly those in the alleyway, waiting in hope for the scraps.

Votes? LOL

Every University I hear discussing the US calls us a "democracy" same as most politicians and leftist hacks. As if repeating something enough times will make it a fact. Keep dreaming socialists and world government wannabes, the US is a Republic and the only form of government that I will recognize.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

I'd like to believe that we are a republic, but (maybe it's my cynicism) I fear for the future of our country. I see too many supporting legislation that is destructive to the foundation of the US.

I always thought the US was an insane asylum. That is why I fit in so well in this place. A fun place to live.

It always makes me wonder why they allow us nuts to travel to other countries.

Are those three names just types of asylums?

Like many others, I sometimes find myself thinking about how America is in decline, how we’re no longer represented by those we’ve elected to be the guardians of our rights, and how we’ve soldout to corporate America and elite foreign interests for pennies on the dollar. I think that unless meaningful change comes about, as a nation we’re heading to Hell on a bobsled. And by meaningful change, I don’t mean just policy changes alone; that’s the easy part. The most difficult, and most crucial, changes needed are societal in scope and involves our collective mindset. We are in dire need of a new perspective and common vision.

In other words, America needs an attitude adjustment. And if it don’t happen soon, I’m afraid we’re in deep yogurt.

Then again, maybe every generation says the same thing. IDK. It’s common for most of us to look back at the “good ol’ days” with rose tinted glasses. It’s hard for me to believe, though, that our political leaders have always been so thoroughly ruthless, conniving and cut-throat. Maybe they’re just getting better at it.

Oh yeah, I would have thought America would be more accurately labelled a plutocracy, rather than an oligarchy. But then I’m nit-picking.

Have fun...

a reply to: netbound

Oh yeah, I would have thought America would be more accurately labelled a plutocracy, rather than an oligarchy. But then I’m nit-picking.

Apparently the difference is that a Plutocracy is control of a nation/state by a few wealthy families/individuals, whereas an oligarchy is the same thing with a conservative agenda.

Today, both concepts — plutocrats and oligarchs — refer to the growing influence the rich – and especially the superrich – have on the national (and international) political economy. Oligarchs are plutocrats who use their enormous wealth to further a particularly conservative, if not rightwing, agenda.

Pluto and Olig

I think oligarchy fits best under that particular definition but I am being unnecessarily pedantic.

originally posted by: Asktheanimals
Every University I hear discussing the US calls us a "democracy" same as most politicians and leftist hacks. As if repeating something enough times will make it a fact. Keep dreaming socialists and world government wannabes, the US is a Republic and the only form of government that I will recognize.

You know what Joseph Goebbels said...

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie.

Looks like he was right.

Never mind, it is beyond repair.

a reply to: Jonjonj

Questioning the official story makes you a crazy person at best, and a criminal at worst. Without some sort of mass awakening where the majority of the population figures it out at once, it will just be suppressed.

Of course, unless it's on the latest TV show, your average person wouldn't even think about it.

originally posted by: lordcomac
a reply to: Jonjonj

Questioning the official story makes you a crazy person at best, and a criminal at worst. Without some sort of mass awakening where the majority of the population figures it out at once, it will just be suppressed.

Of course, unless it's on the latest TV show, your average person wouldn't even think about it.

Do you want to hear the absolutely most crazy insane thing about what you said?























Hear that silence?