Is democracy over rated?

[SoCalAznGuy]

I am convinced more than ever that democracy is highly overrated.* Even a representative democracy or a republic isn't that best thing. Society is full of people who are backwards. People who minds are clouded by greed and or religion. Society should be ruled by those who are wise, and those who are progressive and freethinking. They should have absolute rule, because far to often when you give ordinary man the right to make choices he makes the wrong ones. Far too often do we see people voting and making decisions on government incorrectly. Far to often do we see people fight for backwards ideas such as gun ownership, and privatized health care. Giving these people a voice is detrimental to society.

 

[kylebisme]

Striping individuals of the right to chose what they invest their earnings in and the means to defend their liberties is overrated, which is exactly the way the fiends behind our descent back into oligarchy want it.

 

[Freshgeardude]

Socialism and communism are the greatest evils of the world.

Why should YOU tell me how successful I can be?

Why should an engineer get the same pay check as a landscaper?

Society should not be ruled by elites because corruption nowadays would be minuscule in comparison to elites in power.

Elites could channel money to have whatever they want, keep the shit cleaners shit cleaners, and could have you killed because you didnt want to stay a shit cleaner

There is a reason people have a tendency from earlier times of kingdoms and ruling classes to freedom, liberties, and republics.


Gun ownership lies in self defense. Guns protect us from elites. Why do you think England was taking guns away from the colonies in the years prior to the revolutionary war, which was the backbone to the 2nd ammendment? Guns can protect us if the government tries to control us.


There is an essence of social Darwinism in a democracy. Those that work hard become rich and have good lives. Those who are lazy and dont work hard stay poor.

Its not even black and white these days anymore though. There are plenty of ways for the poor to get free education. they simply need to work hard.

My father lived in inner city NY. Now, after many years of hard work to get his education to become a lawyer, he isnt living in the same situtation.

Communism wouldnt have given him a chance.


Also, who decided the definition of wise? Wise can be described in countless ways.


Life is about making mistakes and learning from them. Just because someone makes a mistake in life doesnt mean they are stuck.


Lastly, I think everyone here, if they could decide would rather live in say.. the US over N. Korea. 100/100 times

 

[NoWhereM]

I am convinced more than ever that democracy is highly overrated.* Even a representative democracy or a republic isn't that best thing. Society is full of people who are backwards. People who minds are clouded by greed and or religion. Society should be ruled by those who are wise, and those who are progressive and freethinking. They should have absolute rule, because far to often when you give ordinary man the right to make choices he makes the wrong ones. Far too often do we see people voting and making decisions on government incorrectly. Far to often do we see people fight for backwards ideas such as gun ownership, and privatized health care. Giving these people a voice is detrimental to society.

Absolutley. If we just let wise, progressive, freethinking people make all our decisions at least we would know that the world was in good hands and our children and their children and their children will have a better world to grow up in. There's no way they would do anything that could lead to the "wholesale destruction of entire ecosystems".

http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-community/the-truth-about-vegetarianism.aspx

 

[William Gaatjes]

I am convinced more than ever that democracy is highly overrated.* Even a representative democracy or a republic isn't that best thing. Society is full of people who are backwards. People who minds are clouded by greed and or religion. Society should be ruled by those who are wise, and those who are progressive and freethinking. They should have absolute rule, because far to often when you give ordinary man the right to make choices he makes the wrong ones. Far too often do we see people voting and making decisions on government incorrectly. Far to often do we see people fight for backwards ideas such as gun ownership, and privatized health care. Giving these people a voice is detrimental to society.

You forget that when one person has this much power that person becomes corrupt. Humans are like that. Humans cannot handle power alone. That is why democracy is needed. Abuse of power will always happen. Such is human nature. Even small groups of people in power will display this feature because they are limited in their awareness of the surroundings. As such they make decisions based on what they see and know even if what they see and know is incomplete. How often is a policymaker presented with a document that is prepared by others. The person in power is not omniscient.
And must rely on summaries created by others. Here many flaws can be made. By accident or on purpose...

Democracy is the best way only to occasionally be exchanged by short reigns of controlled dictatorships to make the necessary changes that are needed.
Then the controlled dictatorship can be replaced by democracy once again.
To keep freedom alive, you sometimes have to take drastic measures.

 

[RedChief]

I think Heinlein got it right in Starship Troopers. Only veterans can be citizens and therefore be able to vote and hold office.

Also, when looking at Socialism/Capitalism, remember this. The problem with capitalism is capitalists. The problem with socialism is socialism. What that means is in any system, Socialist/Capitalist/Communist/etc, you will always have those who game the system to their own advantage but with socialism, the system itself is the problem.

 

[irishScott]

I am convinced more than ever that democracy is highly overrated.* Even a representative democracy or a republic isn't that best thing. Society is full of people who are backwards. People who minds are clouded by greed and or religion. Society should be ruled by those who are wise, and those who are progressive and freethinking. They should have absolute rule, because far to often when you give ordinary man the right to make choices he makes the wrong ones. Far too often do we see people voting and making decisions on government incorrectly. Far to often do we see people fight for backwards ideas such as gun ownership, and privatized health care. Giving these people a voice is detrimental to society.

And when you come up with a foolproof method for deciding who these wise, progressive free-thinking people are, I will be happy to join your crusade to replace Democracy with Enlightened Oligarchy (aka Socialism on paper). Assuming those people are willing to lead in the first place.

And your opinion is your opinion, but for the record, gun rights are hardly backwards. The backwards, devolved people are the ones who are afraid to master dangerous things they have never understood, and condemn them out of that fear. Whatever happened to facing mastering one's fears in our society anyway? PBS alone drilled that message into me as a kid... hell it's a central theme of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, so you'd think it'd be a more visibly prevalent ideal.

On that note, what makes you think these wise, progressive people will agree with you and not with me? Or do you count yourself among them? Without objective evidence that's nothing more than the height of arrogance, a most un-enlightened trait.

Oh and socialism/communism in general is based on fear and lack of self-sufficiency. It is simply made up of the weak who, instead of improving themselves and becoming stronger to achieve their goals, simply ask those who are already stronger to do it for them. This means that only a strong minority will ever advance, while the peasantry remains under-developed.

I could write a book on this, but suffice to say Democracy has historically beaten out every other form of government militarily, economically and socially. So it may not be the idealistic utopian perfection, but it's the best we've got for now.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

OP is a parody account. It's becoming more obvious each day. He is the theflyingpig of P&N.

 

[Thump553]

Winston Churchill said it best-twice:

"The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter."

But his conclusion:

"It is said that democracy is the worst form of government except all others that have been tried."

/end thread

 

[StageLeft]

It is overrated but since nobody has come up with a better approach perhaps it's not overrated after all. Ideally somebody such as myself (incredible intellect, morals beyond reproach, and great wisdom, plus substantial modesty) would have a team of advisors and get dictatorial powers, but such benevolent leaders are infrequent.

 

[boomerang]

It is overrated but since nobody has come up with a better approach perhaps it's not overrated after all. Ideally somebody such as myself (incredible intellect, morals beyond reproach, and great wisdom, plus substantial modesty) would have a team of advisors and get dictatorial powers, but such benevolent leaders are infrequent.

All hail Skoorb!

(Psst - you should make some kind of promise to the serfs before your ascension - you don't have to keep it.)

 

[StageLeft]

All hail Skoorb!

(Psst - you should make some kind of promise to the serfs before your ascension - you don't have to keep it.)

I will put an end to cronyism, elites pulling strings, etc. Put power back in the hands of the people, no more special interests, etc.

 

[DucatiMonster696]

Democracy is mob rule. I wouldn't trust a mob to make the correct long term decisions in life just as I wouldn't trust a single individual to do the same thing. There was a very good reason why our founding fathers shunned the French and their "Democracy". Our nation is a representative Republic for a very good reason.

 

[DucatiMonster696]

I will put an end to cronyism, elites pulling strings, etc. Put power back in the hands of the people, no more special interests, etc.

It seems you are already laying down the framework for your own demise or your own back pedaling schemes to maintain power with this post. That didn't take very long.

 

[boomerang]

I will put an end to cronyism, elites pulling strings, etc. Put power back in the hands of the people, no more special interests, etc.

How about an end to libosuction? You know, where the libs suck the tax money out of you?

 

[Red Dawn]

Democracy is fine, it's the Democrats and Republicans that are the problem.

 

[Mursilis]

I am convinced more than ever that democracy is highly overrated.* Even a representative democracy or a republic isn't that best thing. Society is full of people who are backwards. People who minds are clouded by greed and or religion. Society should be ruled by those who are wise, and those who are progressive and freethinking. They should have absolute rule, because far to often when you give ordinary man the right to make choices he makes the wrong ones. Far too often do we see people voting and making decisions on government incorrectly. Far to often do we see people fight for backwards ideas such as gun ownership, and privatized health care. Giving these people a voice is detrimental to society.

Let me guess - this is your first time getting high, right?

 

[Mursilis]

Democracy is fine, it's the Democrats and Republicans that are the problem.

In other words, voting is fine; it's just the voters that are the problem.

 

[Craig234]

Democracy fails miserably in most ways we don't want it to. It's a system where a bunch of fat and happy people on one side of the world are propagandized to let their military industry serve other industries by killing non-citizens on the other side of the world. People vote for the name they hear the most, and are uninformed and worse. Interests can buy the government and offices.

And yet, in the ongoing battle in the human race to try not to always have the few oppress the many, democracy has perhaps best done this, with leaders, however wrong they are, often trying to serve the public, with there being some boundaries on their actions to not upset the public too much, with the public interests a priority - even if not sometimes the highest - in policy discussions.

The vote makes the powers that be more accountable than they are in other systems to the public.

The powers might fool the public a lot and get them to elect liars who serve the powerful, but it's a lot better than not having the vote.

So, Democracy is highly overrated compared to the textbook of a rational people making good votes, but it's not overrated as having a lot of benefits for the public.

As the founding fathers said, we just need to protect it from things like the atrocious ruling in the last year that corporations can give unlimited funds in elections.

 

[MotF Bane]

Winston Churchill said it best-twice:

"The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter."

But his conclusion:

"It is said that democracy is the worst form of government except all others that have been tried."

/end thread

Yep, that's it. Democracy sucks, but the alternatives suck worse.

 

[BoberFett]

Absolutley. If we just let wise, progressive, freethinking people make all our decisions at least we would know that the world was in good hands and our children and their children and their children will have a better world to grow up in. There's no way they would do anything that could lead to the "wholesale destruction of entire ecosystems".

http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-community/the-truth-about-vegetarianism.aspx

I was just reading a review of the book that Lierre Keith wrote: The Vegetarian Myth. It's on my Amazon wish list, I'll have to pick it up one of these days.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Yep, that's it. Democracy sucks, but the alternatives suck worse.

Exactly. The thought of the relative intelligence of the average voter might be scary, but what is worse: the average voter making the decision of who to put into power or giving that power to ivory-tower elitists and letting them decide?

I'll take Joe Six Pack in that scenario.

 

[William Gaatjes]

Absolutley. If we just let wise, progressive, freethinking people make all our decisions at least we would know that the world was in good hands and our children and their children and their children will have a better world to grow up in. There's no way they would do anything that could lead to the "wholesale destruction of entire ecosystems".

http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-community/the-truth-about-vegetarianism.aspx

This is a very interesting read indeed. And makes sense. Humans get digestive problems from a bad diet. Why should animals not have the same problem ?

 

[bamacre]

Our nation is a representative Republic for a very good reason.

Still think that's the case?

 

[Elias824]

Yes we should let a few people rule everything, and when people speak out and say they dont like what their doing we can just have them shot, Its worked out so well in the past. Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried.