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> Like democracy and free speech, it is a Western concept that simply isn’t welcome here. Ironic propaganda. Analyzing soundbites requires slightly verbose con
by calibraxis 11y ago
> Like democracy and free speech, it is a Western concept that simply isn’t welcome here.
Ironic propaganda. Analyzing soundbites requires slightly verbose context:
"Why do conservatives insist that democracy was invented in ancient Greece, and that it is somehow inherent in what they call 'Western civilization'—despite all the overwhelming evidence to the contrary? In the end, it’s just a way of doing what the rich and powerful always do: taking possession of the fruits of other people’s labor." [...]
"Democracy was not invented in ancient Greece. Granted, the word 'democracy' was invented in ancient Greece—but largely by people who didn’t like the thing itself very much. Democracy was never really 'invented' at all. Neither does it emerge from any particular intellectual tradition. It’s not even really a mode of government. In its essence it is just the belief that humans are fundamentally equal and ought to be allowed to manage their collective affairs in an egalitarian fashion, using whatever means appear most conducive. That, and the hard work of bringing arrangements based on those principles into being.
"In this sense democracy is as old as history, as human intelligence itself."
— David Graeber, "The Democracy Project"
- return0 11y agoThats an overly vague line of thinking by which the CPU can be said to be invented by the Neanderthals because "someone must have though of it". Even in ancient athenian democracy egalitarianism was not a thing: only "the chosen" landowning male native citizens had a say in collective decision making. If anything egalitarianism probably became a thing since the french revolution.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- calibraxis 11y agoThat was a tiny quote from an evidence-laden argument. Google Books sometimes doesn't show this in incognito mode: (https://books.google.com/books?id=99E4aIjgryoC&pg=PA183&lpg=PA183&dq=graeber+Why+do+conservatives+insist+that+democracy+was+invented+in+ancient+Greece,+and+that+it+is+somehow+inherent+in+what+they+call&source=bl https://books.google.com/books?id=99E4aIjgryoC&pg=PA183&lpg=...) The reason why soundbites win is because, "The amount of energy necessary to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it."
- return0 11y agoReading some pages.. the author seems to be a purist who things terms such as "the west" or "democracy" are problematic because they don't agree with his idea of them. It's also very US-centric. It's worse than i thought...
- pessimizer 11y agoEvery dispute every amongst equals is settled by negotiation and a vote. It took no influence from Athens for people to figure that out. > Even in ancient athenian democracy egalitarianism was not a thing: only "the chosen" landowning male native citizens had a say in collective decision making. This is the point. It was a democracy amongst a group of citizens declared to be equal. It wasn't universal, and the fact that equals ultimately cast lots is neither surprising, nor was it granted to the world through Western culture through the Athenians.
- return0 11y agoThat's very nihilistic. By the same reasoning, nobody ever discovered a law of physics, they were all there. Newton gave nothing to humanity.