A Medical Student's Doubts About Society

Is today's society truly democratic and equal?

Since childhood, we have been taught that the majority opinion prevails while the minority is respected, and that democratic voting is the foundation of our society.

We are taught that everyone is a distinct, equal, and respected individual, making this the most perfect social system.

But is that really the truth?

In today's society, or simply looking at the current situation in Taiwan,

What I see instead is that whoever is the loudest wins.

What is majority rule? Put bluntly, it's just that the group with more power and deeper influence is more capable of deciding the final outcome.

However, the magnitude of a group's power is almost entirely determined by the social resources they command, yet the social resources they command do not necessarily fairly reflect the justice of their democratic power.

This is why we have social issues like the little guy fighting the big whale, or marginalized local groups opposing massive conglomerates, isn't it?

More terrifyingly, what constitutes social resources?

In this society, the power to control whether information is released, the commercial interests held, or personal relationships with those in power,

Can all be cards in one's hand, social resources that can be mobilized.

Furthermore, under the modern capitalist system, the impact of the wealth gap is not just a simple matter of economic power.

Economic power, or social class, dictates

Not only surplus consumption ability, but also time.

Without time, how can people have the extra leisure to educate and improve themselves?

Lacking time, how can people spare the extra mental energy to gather information and judge the right and wrong of the positions in a debate?

When the progress of society relies on the support of independent citizens,

Yet the monsters that hoard massive social resources under capitalism have stripped the younger generation of both economy and time,

How can you expect them to embody a democratic society and the spirit of civic participation?

The relative deprivation of economy and time further deepens

The inequality within the entire social environment.

When the government convenes committees to make decisions, who ultimately has the final say?

Do administrative measures affecting local residents actually allow the voices of those truly impacted to be heard?

If all the essential elements of societal operation are controlled and monopolized by the loudest groups,

Those who are louder, more numerous, and more demanding get the spoils.

As the monopolies of real-world political and business conglomerates are intentionally and aggressively expanding,

Can this society still be called truly equal?