4 ms·
I've been thinking about this lately, and there might be a great advantage to modern democracy even if it is a sham run by oligarchs. Unlike an old-fashioned mo
by holmak 11y ago
I've been thinking about this lately, and there might be a great advantage to modern democracy even if it is a sham run by oligarchs. Unlike an old-fashioned monarchy or dictatorship, if you want to take over the country, you just have to pay a bunch of money to take control of legislative seats and/or the presidency. This is way less disruptive than having a civil war with armies rampaging about.
It may be nowhere close to the popular ideal of democracy, but the reduced violence and destruction would probably make it a worthwhile innovation anyway.
- brownbat 11y agoMalcolm X would give several speeches about "the ballot or the bullet," talking about how history is full of violent revolutions, but he lived in a privileged time where revolutions can actually happen peacefully. I think there's a lot to be said for the idea of elections as a pressure valve, as well as a way to displace leadership once they cross certain lines. EDIT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9BVEnEsn6Y&t=37m56s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9BVEnEsn6Y&t=37m56s Admittedly, he talks up the bullet as an inevitable fallback if the ballot didn't work, so maybe this isn't the perfect example...
- jacquesm 11y agoHe definitely got voted out of the 'Nation of Islam' by the bullet, not the ballot. So maybe the example is a better one than you think.