[deepsun]

Yet the person above didn't get arrested and tortured for that comment. Or for a wrong "like" on Facebook. I'm not exaggerating, it really happens every day.

[_cenw]

Democracy is defined by direct or indirect control of government by people, not the presence or absence of coercion or how violent that coercion is.

This is not a binary choice. Both can be present. Both can be absent. The US arguably has a degree of both.