To summarize it if you haven't watched it (Go watch it, very interesting), it is about the nature of power, from democratic to totalitarian governments. It argues that rulers act dumb because they have to appease their subordinates ("Keys"). He argues rulers do this through giving them as much money as possible, and that is how to rule forever. I think it is pretty close to how politics works, given how most people just think it is about ideals. However, his views are very 'Western' for lack of better words. First off, he assumes people are motivated solely by money, that democracies are always better than dictatorships, etc. These are incorrect foundations. First off, in psychology, sociology, business management, etc, human motivation is an important factor. It is different for everyone, however, we tend to have similar ones. Money isn't inherently one, though it helps to achieve them. Just look up "Maslow's hierarchy of needs", it's hard to explain it all, though if you need me to explain, I will, just ask :3 So immediately off the bat, we see that money isn't even the main source of motivation for someone. Sure, it's important, but your keys would want other things. I mean, if it was just money, they would be booming the economy until they had the richest country on Earth so they would all be trillionaires. Every country would just be a giant corporation focused entirely on economics, but it isn't. Also, the Chinese Communist Party is not a democracy, yet it violates all his rules while being an extremely prosperous and stable country. Do I really need to say more? Another thing it ignores, is how the people supposedly don't have ANY power. At one point, he argues that revolution only happens when the military changes sides. Who would win, 6.5 million people vs 25,000 people (El Salvador)?- The military isn't magic, it can be crushed by the people. There is a possibility the military wins (First Russian Revolution), but it doesn't always. The ruler must keep the people happy, or else the people will overthrow them. An oligarchy cannot maintain control. Also, why do you think the oligarchy/elites are needed? Why can't the ruler just tell everyone what to do and be sole commander? Because the "Keys" influence the people. They usually have respect or some other form of influence. Even something as basic as "Work or get shot". It is also just hard for one person to organize the masses. So in the end, the people will always have power, they just can be easily manipulated at times. I think the key factor missing here is relationships and manipulation, I believe that is how people actually rule. Not by acting like Donald Trump trying to win an election (He promised to pay everyone money if he won), but by using human psychological weakness. If an AI, or even a person, could fully understand the human mind, we would be screwed- No need for "Keys", no more free-will, just the most dystopian rubbish you can imagine-
