Democracy

[andrewducker]

[Poll #813091]

Comments

[andrewducker]

If the point you're making is that LJ polls don't contain all the possible answers (3 and 4) then I'd agree, but assume that was implicit in all polls.

The will of the people and what the rulers believe to be right may sometimes line up, but they won't always, and the question can be answered for those cases.

I don't see "the people as fuckwits" as being a flaw at all. Some of the people will always be fuckwits, and some won't. That's people for you.

There are no countries with a direct democracy, nor do I anticipate there ever being so. Any committee that big is far too unwieldy to ever actually do anything.

And democracy necessarily only includes the people inside the group doing the voting. Their actions affect those outside of the group, of course. But you can't vote someone else's actions if they haven't agreed to it (unless you're voting the use of force). c.f. Mice voting that the cat should weat a bell, or the UN attempting to vote Israel out of Palestine.

[autopope.livejournal.com]

You're also assuming that (a) the state is legitimate, (b) that the pollee actually wants the state to Do Something, and (c) ...

Oh, why bother.

[andrewducker]

Yes.

I was generally assuming a liberal democracy.

There is only so much one can do in a binary radio-button set :->

[avatar.livejournal.com]

These things need to be clear!