While you can break down the compound Mitmachdemokratie into "mitmachen" (participate) and "Demokratie" (democracy), running with "participatory democracy" would be utterly incorrect.
Much like the innocent looking "amigo" for corruption and nepotism, Mitmachdemokratie is a bad word.
It is used as a term of derision, of utter contempt by those Germans who make a good living slinging satire on bland public TV and radio.
These guys doing sat ire (our description of their non-humor) are ridiculing people who believe that just casting a ballot for some politician every four years is not all that democracy is about. Mitmachdemokratie, they holler with a smirk and a nod to the powerful. A quarter of a million people sign an online petition? Mitmachdemokratie!! We are good, we say it as it is, more nodding to peeps who hold the purse.
The concept of making your voice heard in the four years between elections seems to be strange at best to a crop of comedians that make your average cold war USO comedy show look like the American Revolution 2.0.
Grudgingly, we admit that it works out for them. They would scream if they knew we think of them as nothing but second rate jesters at the court of the elect.
Second rate because they don't have to fear for their life if a joke falls flat. The worst that can happen to them is to receive a plain "medal of merit" instead of the "medal of merit au cordon black red and golden".
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