It is quite evident that all systems of government have the possibility to abuse their power. In many systems, the government acts as an authority figure over the people. This can lead to authoritarianism which creates an environment that is similar to the dystopian structure where the people experience an abuse of power, mass surveillance, and suppression of speech and knowledge in some fashion. This can occur when there is a concentration of power that belongs to a single individual. In order too force the citizens to agree with their views they limit civil liberties which allows for the leader to reign free of any accountability. While a utopian government may be an unrealistic idea, it can be argued that a democracy is the most well-constructed for preventing dystopian tendencies. A democracy, ideally allows the citizens to control their wellbeing by selecting officials through civic engagement such as voting.
An ideal democracy provides protection of the individual rights of the people through a system of checks and balances. For example, in the US there is the judiciary, legislative, and executive branches who each operate independently. Yet, to ensure that their power can be limited in some way, each branch has control over another. However, this democracy is far from being a true representative of the people. Some leaders use populism and misinformation to manipulate the public into supporting them. These elected officials then use their positions for personal gain. In addition to corruption, money plays a powerful role in who’s elected. Money allows those who contain extreme wealth to shape policies to their advantage, thus undermining the core principle of a democracy, which is equal representation.
On the other hand, the shape of a democracy allows for the citizens to speak up on social injustices and elect officials who do have their best interests in mind. Those who are ideal elected officials prioritize economic growth, civil liberties, and social justice. Whereas corrupted officials focus on maintaining inequality and distributing needed resources to only to those who can afford it. This creates the delicate system of checks and balances in a democracy; balancing the interests of the people and the interests of self, also known as corruption.