Only those in the lower decks knew what was happening. The captain on the bridge and his officers could ignore the cries from below. The passengers in the suites and fancy restaurants could not hear them. As the water began to rise to their level they assumed the leaks would be fixed. This was the election that revealed that the ship was doomed.
Many passengers still refuse to believe it.
The first step for those who care about our lost democracy should be to face the reality and absorb it. It is chilling to hear naive protesters say there will be a day of reckoning for legislators who are, as we speak, taking back all our hard-won gains in human rights. Without a democracy we have no assurance of clean elections. Similarly, threats to sue the predators who are privatizing and cannibalizing our natural resources should be reassessed. Without a democracy we cannot be guaranteed an uncorrupted judiciary.