First off, I would like to say how strange it was that the group of men that were at the same restaurant as Lou Lei and his family were all not wearing shirts. Cheng Cheng didn’t seem to fond of his shirt either.

But I think that this example of democracy in action is telling of two things: one being that Machiavelli’s theories about the behaviors of an ideal prince seem to be the most effective in this democratic game, and the second being that the system of democracy may be more flawed than one may initially think. Cheng Cheng showed aspects of Machiavelli politics, but he did not fully manage the balance of assertion and trust. The students definitely thought that he was powerful, but they were not sure what to expect and or if they could trust him. Lou Lei on the other hand, established the trust and support of his fellow classmates through his bribes, but also demanded respect and obedience. For this reason, Lou Lei was more of a master of Machiavellian techniques, and this resulted in his victory. However, this democracy in action goes to show that the process is not always as fair and equal as it appears. Though in theory, all three candidates have an equal chance to win, the second that the two boys ganged up on Xiaofei, her chances of winning were diminished as she was made to appear unworthy and unqualified. The fact of the matter is she played the game in the most fair and respectable way, and defeat was the outcome.