We grow up being taught that the United States is a bonafide democracy. The idea that democracy is superior, the Nirvana of political regimes, is inculcated through media, education systems, and word-of-mouth. Recently, I have been questioning the veracity of these claims. Why should untenable and unsubstantiated arguments be accepted at face value? Alternatives to democracy, while varied, diffuse, and at times, radical, are important to consider, especially at the cusp of a symptomatic election.

Marxist and anarchists ideologies urge for a moment toward egalitarianism, which is characterized by equal rights within society. While Marxism exclusively concentrates on the bourgeois, or the working class, and setting viable economic standards, anarchism seeks to eliminate the perpetuation of classes and the state. A less extremist set of principles than society portrays it, mostly to cover that anarchy’s demonstrations are justified, anarchism may be an idealistic replacement of America’s flawed, corrupt, venal indirect democracy.

Anarchism is a progressive set of ideals, undefined by a governmental system, excoriated by some scholars as too idealistic in its lofty goal to attain utopia. Yet, contrary to inflammatory literature against anarchism, it retains realistic standards. Author Saul Newman pens the fluidity inherent in postanarchism, and expounds upon its alacrity in certain principles and behaviors as the times change. Anarchism and postanarchism are willing to serve the people, unlike most democracies. With democracy, we see a perpetuation of asymmetrical power relationships.

Democracy absconds any backlash from its corrupt execution through the insistence that its controlling actions are committed in the name of security. Our liberty and equality is contingent upon democratic implementation and imposition of security measures. In order for citizens to be free, we must be supervised in order to prevent disorder, chaos, and crime. Security, however, is used as an excuse to further levy authority and power over people.

Democratic manipulation of values is further substantiated by its capitalization and monopoly on property, economy, law, and politics. As empirical evidence suggests from recent years, criminal justice is riddled with all-encompassing injustices. Economic inequality directly ties to social inequalities. Our presidential race proves that corpulent and affluent bureaucrats are spotlighted, and indeed celebrated, by their colleagues, yet condemned by the people. These representatives misrepresent the interests of the common American—man, woman, African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, or otherwise.

Our renewed sense of diversity is not delineated in our current governmental system. Anarchism calls for the dissolution of identity politics, or essential identities, in which identifying factors separate and classify groups according to cultural and external factors. It promotes heterogeneity and the destruction of stereotypes. With anarchy, there is less opportunity for discrimination and prejudice.

While anarchy is not perfect, it differs from contemporary democracy in its evolution and adaptability. Power would be evenly distributed, and people would be equally represented. Conflict could be more easily absolved because the people usually affected by conflict would have a voice in how to resolve it. The devolution of power to the individual would ensure individual rights are preserved. Anarchy does have potential problems in that the institutionalization of power is difficult to avoid, but its maintained prospects offer promise in a chimerical and dark political climate.