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GUEST WORDS - A political system is comprised of institutions and interest groups, decision-makers and constituents, governing documents, and potentially lobbyists, parties, special factions, and alliances. Those in charge design rules for maintaining order in society and often rely upon compromise, fairness, and consistency. It is generally assumed that there are great disparities between democracies, communist regimes, monarchies, republics, fascist systems, aristocracies, and the other types of government that operate today or once did.
However, the disparities are inconsequential compared to one resounding similarity: they are all of, by, and for the human. They routinely ignore the interests of Others (nonhuman animals and nature). If owls, cats, cows, rats, ladybugs, trees, and so forth, could communicate in one voice, they would surely come together to denounce all political systems, past and present; they would admonish those institutions as bigoted, cruel, tyrannical, and complicit in the heartless treatment of nonhumans throughout the world.
Democracy is described as “an ideal, an aspiration, really, intimately connected to and dependent upon a picture of what it is to be human,” and its two premier characteristics are listed as equality and justice. It is held by many to be the optimal form of government because it is said to give the most vulnerable a voice in matters that affect their lives. But this is false. The truly defenseless—nonhuman animals and nature—have no say in the matter. Their fundamental interests are cavalierly ignored, and their lives are routinely snuffed out in favor of human profit, convenience, and luxury.
People—regardless of whether they are elderly, female, disabled, LGTBQ+, an ethnic minority, or defined as some other human group—are not disadvantaged compared to nonhuman animals. Even poverty-stricken people in undeveloped countries have great power and influence over their nonhuman brothers and sisters.
International alliances and foreign nations regularly use political pressure, economic sanctions, and sometimes armed combat to assist Homo sapiens, but this is never the case for other species. There is no such thing as a war crime against a dog, chicken, or pigeon. There has never been a Geneva Convention for the animals. No government has imposed trade sanctions or instigated military action to end cockfights, crush films, deforestation, dog-eating, or seal hunts.
Democracy is a totalitarian regime in which the powerful (humans) use, abuse, manipulate, and murder the powerless (nonhumans) for the former’s own perceived gain. This system of government ignores the truly voiceless, powerless, marginalized, and oppressed: animals and Earth. In the United States, nonhumans have no standing in court, no legal rights, and no constitutional protections; they are viewed as property or a mere means to a human end. When a law is passed to protect the interests of a nonhuman species—which happens on rare occasions—it is usually watered down later or quickly subordinated to commercial profits or other anthropocentric aims.
It is generally considered desirable to be aligned with or operate under a democracy. But when the root word demos—which means “people” or “populace”—is used to describe a country’s political system, it reduces those who are nonhuman to a lesser status. Could African Americans expect equality in a White-ocracy? How would women feel living under a man-ocracy? Would gays accept rule by a straight-ocracy?
Omniocracy (omni means “all”) is a form of government that provides representation for allliving beings. Decision-makers must consider the interests of every species. Each living being is a constituent: dogs, bulls, horses, trees, humans, and so on. All are designated as part of society and are worthy of consideration.
Unlike oppressed human groups, animals cannot resist cruelty and exploitation with civil disobedience or direct action. They cannot picket, refuse to sit at the back of the bus, hold sit-ins, throw tea overboard, go on a hunger strike, form underground railroads, or embark upon other forms of protest. They cannot sneak into factory farms or vivisection labs to rescue their distressed friends. They must rely on compassionate animal activists to come to their aid. These activists face overwhelming hurdles because, in this world, being human is not everything; it is the only thing. An activist may be sidelined for her opinions, marginalized as a “terrorist,” fired via “cancel culture,” or called a traitor to her species. She may be subjected to verbal warfare by societal leaders who don their “pretend psychiatrist hats” and brand her an aberration, a sociopath, or a nutcase.
If we truly want an unbiased and compassionate society, we should provide legal and political consideration for all living beings. We must embrace other creatures as constituents. We should abandon democracy and move toward an omniocracy.
(Charlotte Laws is the author of two 2025 books: Omniocracy: A Government that Represents All Living Beings and the eco-thriller, Elevator People. She stars in the Netflix series, The Most Hated Man on the Internet. She is a former LA commissioner and a former member of the Greater Valley Glen Council. You can find her on X @CharlotteLaws.)
