We were told we were the lucky ones.
Born into democracies.
Free to speak.
Free to choose.
Free to think.
But look closely—and you’ll notice something.
The only choices you get are between curated options.
Red vs. blue.
Pepsi vs. Coke.
Google vs. slightly-less-Google.
Freedom of speech?
Say the wrong thing—and watch the algorithm choke you out.
Watch your platform evaporate.
Watch your job disappear.
You’re free to speak, sure.
Just not free from consequences that were designed to keep you quiet.
Elections?
A four-year reality show where you vote for the better liar.
And even that vote is filtered through gerrymandering, lobbying, corporate capture, and good old-fashioned manipulation.
The real decisions happen behind closed doors.
In boardrooms, in war rooms, in “closed sessions” of “public servants.”
Meanwhile, you’re given content.
Distractions.
Endless debates about pronouns, pop stars, and AI apocalypse porn.
Anything to keep your eyes off the quiet authoritarianism creeping in through the Wi-Fi.
You think China censors its people?
We just outsource our censorship to tech companies.
You think Russia spreads propaganda?
We just call ours branding.
Democracy wasn’t built to set you free.
It was built to keep you content.
A system polished enough to look fair,
and controlled enough to keep the right people in power.
Call that what you want.
But don’t call it freedom.
— Wout
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