Source: bharathin.blogspot.com
Here I go again, reading articles like Tim Bousquet's in the Coast that make me want to rant about dull-eyed, bovine, quasi-sentient demi-apes... It's no surprise that I'm disgusted with misogyny, but I'm also entirely disillusioned with politics; no more than that, I'm disillusioned with democracy. I've never been a staunch believer in it to begin with. So-called democracy has me living in a country dictated by the likes of Harper, after all. When the documentary Why Democracy? aired I was still floating in the wake of teaching global history & enjoyed Stanley Fish' article in the NY Times. Here's a quote: “Whom would you vote for as President of the World?” I know whom I’d like to vote for. Someone wise, learned, strong, courageous, compassionate, authoritative, incorruptible, inspiring, capable and good-looking. No one living (or dead) came to mind, so I settled for a fictional character, Atticus Finch, at least as he was played by Gregory Peck. And you see, therein lies the problem. Atticus Finch would never get elected in a democracy. And whether or not you agree with Atticus Finch as leader of the world isn't the point. The point is: Democracy is a popularity contest. The principle behind democracy is that the majority knows best what is good for their community. Example: Source: thebackbencher.co.uk Minorities (I include minorities in power here also, e.g. women) only rise in our current social paradigm if they appear somewhat consistent with the majorities' desires. If you think the Charter, or the police, or our legal system will protect us, good luck with that. Majorities are also wrong. All the time. All the f*cking time! Of course, I take this personally because a) I'm a woman, and; b) my ancestors were almost wiped out because they took a stance for pacifism (well that & the whole ethnic cleansing mentality). Source: zerobs.net The problem with placing all of our faith in democracy is best illustrated with a cliche that many of you have undoubtedly read before: Imagine you have a vote in a hypothetical election. There are two candidates that can be voted for: Candidate A was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium at university and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening. Candidate B is a decorated war hero. He’s a vegetarian, doesn’t smoke, has the occasional beer and hasn’t had any extramarital affairs. Who would you choose? I assume you’ve figured where this is going: Candidate A is Winston Churchill; Candidate B is Adolf Hitler. (note: neither option was a woman) 'Nuff said. <end of rant>
5 Comments
Karin
4/26/2013 03:59:40 am
Yes - Democracy: tyranny of the majority. I agree with a lot of the points you make in your post. Though... is there a better system than democracy out there? While not perfect, I definitely choose democracy over the other systems out there.
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Hi Karin,
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Karin!
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4/27/2013 03:57:18 am
You've expressed my frustration with our democratic system very well. I can't believe how little power citizens have, even though they've elected the party that sounded like it represented their views.
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Thanks for your comments, Diana.
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