A specter called parliamentary democracy haunts modern society — wearing the mask of liberty and equality, as if the age of despotism had long passed.
Yet it is, in truth, an exquisitely sophisticated apparatus—one that conceals the old structures of power behind a subtler facade, governing the people in a new form.
“Freedom” as an Illusion
Modern people rarely doubt their own freedom.
Freedom to live, to speak, to choose, to act…
Words upon words reinforce the sense that freedom exists as something tangible.
But think for a moment: isn’t most of this so-called “freedom” no more than deciding what to have for lunch and which social network to post it on?
In his 2019 Wriston Lecture, Peter Thiel wryly observed that recent America had become obsessed with apps for “being able to tell your friends that you liked what they had for lunch”—hardly a substitute for the kind of innovation that truly changes the world.
He was right: people have become slaves to social media, mistaking such trivial liberties for the real thing. The freedom they hold is, at best, the ability to tweet their lunch photo and scatter it to the world.
In the end, thought, labor, time, and even space itself are enclosed by systems and market logic. The only freedoms truly guaranteed to the individual are the most primitive—those tied to appetite and excretion.
The “Masses” as Functional Labor Units
Democracy cast the masses in the role of sovereign.
But in reality, the masses are nothing more than labor units—functionally reconstructed by the ruling class.
By taking the form of politicians “elected” through popular vote, people are led to believe they occupy the center of society. In truth, nothing changes: they continue to work diligently for their rulers, who siphon off their wealth.
The Farce of the “First Day in Parliament”
When newly elected senators arrived for their first day in Japan’s House of Councillors, the event was lavishly covered on TV and online.
Did you see it?
Dressed in suits, smiling for commemorative photos—they looked for all the world like new employees at an induction ceremony or freshmen on their first day of school.
But we should be clear:
“First-term lawmakers” are not representatives of the people, nor agents of change—they are simply fledgling aristocrats, newly permitted to join the old ruling order.
The moment they win, they abandon the justice they once shouted from the rooftops. The mere fact of election draws a triumphant smile, inadvertently revealing their true purpose. The fiery pledges of the campaign trail fade under the camera’s flash, disappearing without trace.
The True Nature of the Structure
Isn’t it obvious from such scenes?
Parliamentary democracy deceives the masses into believing they are sovereigns. The politicians they “choose” then work to serve the old elite, currying favor and pursuing self-preservation and advancement.
From their very first day in office, the newly elected begin climbing the staircase of privilege—as freshmen of the vested-interest class.
Politics for Whom?
Society now rests on a hollowed-out framework.
Parliament is no longer a place that embodies the public will.
Politics is no longer the pursuit of justice.
Democracy is no longer an ideology for defending liberty.
It is a stage set—designed to conceal domination and make submission palatable.
Wake from this illusion.
Understand that being made to believe you are free is the deepest form of control.
And in our modern world, the specter of parliamentary democracy still roams, tirelessly, every single day.
This is the English version of the article → Japanese version