American 'Democracy'

Freedom is not free. It costs a lot of money. 

Democracy is in the hands of the wealthy. Therefore it is not democracy. This nation is not a democracy. It has always been a republic 'with democratic beliefs'. But it is not really a republic in practice, either.

What kind of government does America actually have?

Small but powerful interest groups controlling the nation's wealth influence policy to further their economic gains. This form of government is broadly described as an oligarchy, where a small number of people with status, connections, and wealth control the vast majority of the population. But more specifically this form of oligarchy can be described as a 'biased pluralism':

"Biased pluralism on the other hand argues that the entire system is a mess and interest groups ruled by elites are fighting for dominance of the political process. Also, because of their vast wealth of resources, interest groups of large business tend to dominate a lot of the discourse.

In either case, the result is the same: Big corporations, the ultra-wealthy and special interests with a lot of money and power essentially make all of the decisions." http://mic.com/articles/87719/princeton-concludes-what-kind-of-government-america-really-has-and-it-s-not-a-democracy#.8sdzDxdI6

'Like us on Facebook'

Social 'popularity' is so important to Americans, because it's a trickle down effect of the oligarch system that status and being well-connected leads to power and wealth. I suppose for any system that is true. But I feel Americans take that mechanism to extremes, because the oligarch system accentuates its effectiveness.

A Nation's Priorities

What do upward aspiring Americans value most? Popularity, then connections, then wealth. Wealth unlocks higher tiers of social interaction to work to attain social clout with more powerful people, these connections lead to more wealth and you move up - often slowly, since you are there to basically serve as a chump to the already wealthy and powerful.

You discard your 'friends' as you move up. People are as disposable as the consumable beverages and services you utilize to maintain your image. People and products feed your self-image, self-esteem, and ego that your social betters profit of you, and you use to exert superiority over social lessers.

American Values 

It is more important to upwardly mobile Americans...

• To be 'liked' than to be respected. 
• To be 'popular' than to be reliable. 
• To be 'exciting' than to be calm. 
• To be 'noticed' than to be appreciated. 
• To be 'fun' than to be responsible. 
• To be 'the best' than to be valuable. 
• To be 'talkative' than to be wise. 
• To 'know people' than to understand someone. 
• To 'enjoy life' than to make life better. 
• To 'be a leader' than to guide. 

In short, social-climbing Americans are superficial hypocrites!