In the documentary “Please Vote for Me,” we observe how even with participation from “citizens,” democracy is still extremely susceptible to failure. The elections in this classroom have no real consequences, resulting in the kids engaging in acts of bribery, ridicule, and other hostile behavior, seen almost constantly throughout the film. Xioafei, for example, is the target of horrible insults before she even is allowed to perform her flute solo, serving as a clear example of how democracy can easily decline into a battle to undermine and discredit one’s opponent.
While most watching this would instantly recognized how flawed their class election is, what is shown in “Please Vote for Me” is eerily similar to American democracy. Candidates for a plethora of elected positions constantly resort to attempting to politically ruin their opponent by foul play and other dishonest means, resulting in a system that is brutal and ugly. This nearly defeats the purpose of democracy as an entirety, as candidates’ methods in seeking election invalidate the sophisticated and elegant system that democracy is designed to enable. At the end, the students vote for Luo Lei, the obvious worst choice for class monitor as he is authoritarian and often resorts to physical violence against his fellow students, further emphasizing how even with participation in a democratic election, oftentimes bribes and falsehoods result in an unfit candidate rising to power.
I agree with your claim that the class elections having “no real consequences” deeply effected the democratic process and outcome. Since there was no real consequence to electing anyone I believe that the election was determined by feeling and not objective policy or perceived outcome. I do not believe that Luo Lei won because of his use of force but of the view that nothing was going to change anyway so why should we elect someone different. Also I believe the distributing of goodies before the election gave voters a sense of comfort with the current official adding something that could change into the picture “not getting gifts” which made it easier for the class to want to preserve the current situation
I definitely agree that the system is brutal and ugly. However, I am not sure that the film portrays an example of a failed democracy. I think it could be argued that the democracy worked exactly as intended and that all the unfortunate results were simply symptoms of a functional democracy. Luo Lei won because he had access to resources that his opponents did not. This is definitely unfortunate, but I think it’s an inevitable result of campaigning in a democracy, particularly in an American democracy.