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But ... we currently (in the US) have a direct example of the rulers in power governing the populace in a way which is "not according to the wishes" of roughly
by gknoy 8y ago
But ... we currently (in the US) have a direct example of the rulers in power governing the populace in a way which is "not according to the wishes" of roughly half the population. (I think this is a direct result of our 2 party system, as compared to Britain's multiple parties, but I've no idea how to fix it.)
Any time you vote on the losing side of an election (whether it's for who to elect, or approve a tax, or legalize (or ban) certain acts, you end up being governed by _every one else's_ wishes. On the bright side, at least in a democracy I mostly have the trust that such changes CAN happen, over time, if enough people come to believe similarly as I do about things.
- liberte82 8y agoI was always taught that representative democracy is the rule of the majority, with respect for minority rights. This is where a rational court system comes into play, and why not all questions of rights are left to a referendum. It's what distinguishes it from populism, which is also a rule of the majority, but is a tyranny in that it scapegoats the losing side rather than tries to establish a peaceful way of life for everyone.
- chongli 8y agoI think the US is a good example of democracy being undermined, not an inherent failure of democracy. We can have a law against murder but that's not enough: there will still be murder. It takes a whole society working with the shared value that murder is wrong in order to uphold the institution of the law.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]