Democracy and Good enough

Falkenhayn · Post by **Falkenhayn** » 2005-06-02 09:59pm

I'll admit that I didn't vote in the last presidential election on this lame idea that my views weren't represented and I didn't want to deal with the lesser of two evils dilemna. I found reinforcement in growing political apathy in the US and Canada, and the obvious disconnects between governments and electorates in recent EU constitutional referendums. Is this the problem with Democracy as a system of goverment, the insititutions/mechanisms we have created to implement it, or something else?

Zero · Post by **Zero** » 2005-06-02 10:04pm

The problem may not be democratic at all, but social. Apathy towards many things appears to be on the raise. People are learning very efficiently to hate themselves, now. We feel powerless, and don't try to make our world better because of it. Many didn't vote for the same reason that you didn't vote. They didn't feel their oppinions would be voiced. For many, it's just apathy... I don't know what the hell causes all this...

Morilore · Post by **Morilore** » 2005-06-02 10:18pm

I don't know what the hell causes all this...

Probably an unhealthy dose of taking shit for granted. People wouldn't leave good enough alone if they thought something seriously important to them was on the line.

Post by **AdmiralKanos** » 2005-06-02 10:26pm

It may not be apathy. It may be a genuine inability to choose between death by firing squad and death by lethal injection. If you think both parties are equally shitty and you think the third parties are just a bunch of kooks, what are you supposed to do at election time?

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-06-02 10:27pm

What america needs is a good strong dictator to temporarily enforce totalitarian law. Then people'll realize what they have.

Boyish-Tigerlilly · Post by **Boyish-Tigerlilly** » 2005-06-02 10:34pm

what about the people who aren't the problem? Should they be ruled by totalitarian dictator too?

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-06-02 10:48pm

I wasn't being serious. However, I do think that Americans need to appreciate their own democracy more. Obviously, you can't have everyone go out and travel the world, seeing how people live in shitholes like Central Africa. Only when our democracy comes under threat will people be enthusiastic about it.

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2005-06-02 10:53pm

AdmiralKanos wrote:It may not be apathy. It may be a genuine inability to choose between death by firing squad and death by lethal injection. If you think both parties are equally shitty and you think the third parties are just a bunch of kooks, what are you supposed to do at election time?

Start a fourth party! Or in the intrestes of sanity the only thing you CAN do is go senator by senator, by represenitive, and acutal look at each of the indivudals your voting for rather than do what 60% of Americans do and vote strait ticket to such and so party

Drunk Monkey · Post by **Drunk Monkey** » 2005-06-02 10:56pm

wolveraptor wrote:I wasn't being serious. However, I do think that Americans need to appreciate their own democracy more. Obviously, you can't have everyone go out and travel the world, seeing how people live in shitholes like Central Africa. Only when our democracy comes under threat will people be enthusiastic about it.

The problem is most Americans don’t understand that there’s a world out side of the United States, and don’t realize how lucky they are compared to the Chinese or Iranians.

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2005-06-02 11:26pm

wolveraptor wrote:What america needs is a good strong dictator to temporarily enforce totalitarian law. Then people'll realize what they have.

Isn't that what we have right now?

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2005-06-02 11:39pm

Darth Servo wrote:
wolveraptor wrote:What america needs is a good strong dictator to temporarily enforce totalitarian law. Then people'll realize what they have.
Isn't that what we have right now?

Not till he get's his judge' in their chairs, the Supreme Court still slightly checks his power

Duckie · Post by **Duckie** » 2005-06-03 12:01am

Mr Bean wrote: Not till he get's his judge' in their chairs, the Supreme Court still slightly checks his power

Only out of tradition like the Byzantine Senate, according to John Marshall vs. Trail of Tears. Regrettably we never did solve that one loophole even though it happened all those decades ago.

However, Drunk Monkey and Morilore are right. Americans beyond the politically active just don't care about voting, and either vote straight party line or based on massive arbitrary decisions or style-over-substance.