The end of hypocrisy and the questioning of democracy

Abstract

The financial crisis of 2007 has clearly demonstrated the declining economic and political hegemony of the European social model. Austerity measures, rationalization, and cuts in all areas of society and the state were encouraged by the EU directorates. These measures have weakened social cohesion in many EU societies and jeopardized the significant progress made in terms of discrimination over the last decade. The rise in unemployment and social problems has fueled nationalism and stigmatization of certain groups. Sometimes, even democracy itself, as the main structural feature of the Western world, is permeated by various dangers under the tragic pressures and effects of the crisis. In this sense, all the pretexts that the European elite has at times put forward around the issue of institutionalized protection of the democratic order are beginning to crumble. The vital question therefore arises: with citizenship crippled, what kind of democracy can we talk about? So, if we are interested in facing reality soberly and without distraction, should we prepare ourselves for the possibility of a definitive attack on democracy?