BranDohCalrissian
1001
37
21
If the idiots and the evil get a say, it's only a matter of time until some Evil Idiot takes the reins and destroys everything.
What's worse is that no one can think of a better system.
Greed and hatred always win.
Seethreepeeoh
Democracy works. Falsely aintaining a dichotomy (one step from a dictatorship) by agreed interests is what's wrong (see Simpsons Treehouse of Horror VII for further reading)
Gojiraismyhero
That's cause we don't live in one
TheJackKetch
"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time..." Churchill, quoting an unknown originator...
mrbadxampl
it only works as well as the education of the voters. so we get the problems we're currently stuck with, probably forever now
charondaboatman
It works just fine. It’s the people that are broken, and you can’t fix them.
lackadaisycull
It works, but it requires an informed population; if this is related to democracy in the U.S., truth has been poisoned by right wing media, along with other media having been purchased by the powerful so it can no longer hold them to account. It seems very easy to undermine.
PapaJoeNH
Snowman25
Are you talking about the US? Because the US is _NOT_ a democracy...
Cebrail
It works just fine, but there is no form of government that can compensate for willful and immense fucking stupidity. Nor for incredible uninformed self-interest.
When people start picking their candidates, not based on informed choice, but simply about which one appeals most to their "gut feeling" or "I think this guy will lower the price on eggs, because he says he will and his previous 30000 lies told were not really that bad. That is when "Democracy" fails. But don't worry (cont)
Cebrail
The US wont have to worry about Democracy again for a very long time I don't think. By the time Trump is gone, the government will have been so destroyed, the safety rails removed, the court (even more) stacked and the GOP so unfettered corrupted, it wont matter what people wanna vote.
ilovebigmutts
Educate the stupid and root out evil, but it's America, every idiot for themselves manipulated by evil giving the idiots the appearance of freedom.
Sebastopol140
The main problem is that every person's vote should weight the same... but imbeciles vote, so you give part of the power to imbeciles.
ShieldAnvil1
Meritocracy is a better system but people don't like not having a say even of they do not know what they are talking about.
thisisjunk
A Meritocracy requires that literally everyone is on a even footing. So that they can succeed or fail based on their own ability. Those with money can get a better education. They have connections that can get them better opportunities. And they don't have as far to fall when they fail.
ShieldAnvil1
A Meritocracy requires that literally everyone is on a even footing. So that they can succeed or fail based on their own ability. Yes, and that is why it is a better system. We do not currently live in a Meritocracy, your post makes it seem like you are imposing a meritocracy on top of our current life style, the switch would not nearly be so clean.
ThatRaccoonGuy
Capitalism, OP. We allowed a system to fester in which the rich can purchase the power of law, and use the power of law to prevent competition from having a chance. In allowing the rich to have monopolies, we no longer have a choice of where our food or our information comes from. The rich have our food and the rich own all the media. And if the rich can purchase the media, they can decide the narrative, and propaganda wins. When we rebuild after the inevitable fall, we best not try Capitalism.
snikpmupgnihsamseht
It works if you're in the right tax bracket.
IncorrectCommentMeme
Work… for what? What doesn’t it work to do?
stseregh
Democracy as control of an organization or group by the majority of its members works quite well. Sounds like you're just not a part of the majority at the moment
AzgarOgly
The difference of democracy vs other variants is that a democratic nation can afford to elect an idiot. For four years. If they don't like the ruler, they choose better next time.
In other systems it would last for decades and the amount of damage dealt is totally different.
depressedscientist
It works when the population is well educated, well informed, or well mannered. Fascists have to work hard to ensure all three are missing.
grandfaloon
America is a constitutional republic which attempts to practice democracy. The deep states bad actors and the military industrial complex has its talons deep into politics which creates a vacuum for democracy.
LifeIsADanceOfMinds
I suspect it can be boiled down to 5 letters.
Money
grandfaloon
Yes, exactly, money = power
killertomato842
America is just a different kind of caste system. Sure people can break out, but it's rare. Everything is designed to keep the low man low.
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killertomato842
Exactly my point. It's not supposed to be like that here, but it is
NonPoliticalChimpanzee
Ok ok, anoint me King and everything will be fine again
NonstopRampage
Problem is, even if that's true, what about your successors? How exactly do we permanently ensure we have only the best, brightest, most humane and altruistic leaders? How do we stop malicious frauds from taking power, and tearing everything down like the old kings and nobles?
NonPoliticalChimpanzee
Trust me, I know the best people.... Jk, I would probably create a democracy 2.0 after my term as King of the Realm. It might be a bifurcated system where you have government similar to ours now and every twenty years you get a king/queen for two years. With very expressed language that not giving up the throne equals... Instant imprisonment.
NonstopRampage
Personally, I'd spend my reign figuring out a way to make sure that only someone BETTER than me can take the throne. Make sure only a certain kind of person is eligible. Make sure that, as long as there's someone ready for the job, we know what to expect. For good.
We're not immortal, and as our democracy has shown us, we can't just get it right the once. We have to get it right every time. Into perpetuity.
NonPoliticalChimpanzee
Every time.... I've been tinkering with this (pretty obvious) idea. Most progressives think America is for all citizens, they try and make solutions that work for the majority of us. Whereas the Republicans in control think Americans are the small group of rich people pushing forward our economic and military might. And the rest of the Republicans are citizens they duped via culture war BS to vote them in power.
NonstopRampage
IMO, this AI craze aside, I've always thought that the best option would be to develop a real, true artificial intelligence. Something ageless, and at its core, unchanging. Something that can look after us. Permanently. Without going all skynet or matrix on us. Something that could create and maintain an ideal status quo, and keep us from destroying ourselves.
Electing good leaders is cool and all, but what good are they if their replacement undoes their work. We can't build a future that way.