5 ms·

Because they can vote. Yes, stupid people can vote. This is the main vulnerability of democracy.

dane-pgp 6y ago
Stupid people can also become a monarch or a despot, which is one of the problems of monarchism and despotism. I think that what you've found is a flaw with humanity, not with democracy.
- Florin_Andrei 6y ago
  > you've found is a flaw with humanity, not with democracy Well, yeah. BTW, I didn't say I have a better idea, I merely pointed out an issue.
- kmonsen 6y ago
  I think the key value of (our version of) democracy is the peaceful transition of power. For example from Clinton -> Bush -> Obama -> Trump. They all had very different views on what the country needed to do, but they all accepted that elections were how the future was decided and handed off power to someone they did not agree with. In a monarchy or despotism, there is no transition of power by design. It is supposed to be difficult, because it is not wanted. So if you end up with the wrong choice it is very hard to correct.
  - CarbyAu 6y ago
    A big part to this is that the voters have confidence in the result, hence they don't go around looting and starting civil wars. Trump is scary. I am not of the US but: I fear if Trump wins. I fear the tantrum/insurrection of Trump if he loses in respect to a peaceful handover.
f00zz 6y ago
[edit: retracted]
- khuey 6y ago
  This is called sortition, and the only common use of it in the US today is for drawing juries.
eggy 6y ago
To be clear, the US is a constitutional republic and not a democracy, and the constant use of the word democracy dilutes this fact.
- Florin_Andrei 6y ago
  I feel that's nitpicking. The values of democracy are constantly advertised in all political discourse in this country.
  - eggy 6y ago
    The values of democracy are touted in Hong Kong too, but that doesn't make it a democracy. Small groups with a NYMBY position, or large PACs depend operate on our current form of government, which is why I made the precise distinction in my comment. The 2016 election outcome was via the electoral college, and not the popular vote.
- kmonsen 6y ago
  This is a red herring, here is the definition of democracy: "a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives." The US clearly fits in here. The US is not a direct democracy, but neither is any other country in the world, including Switzerland that perhaps is the one I know of that comes closest.
  - eggy 6y ago
    Given the subtopic I commented on was bringing up NYMBYs and political process and the word democracy, I don't see this as a red herring, or an attempt to divert or smokescreen the argument; I simply stated the US is a constitutional republic, which some would argue further and label it a federal republic. It seems your quote is from lexico.com. How do you respond when someone asks you what type of government does the US have?
    - kmonsen 6y ago
      Here is what you said: "To be clear, the US is a constitutional republic and not a democracy, and the constant use of the word democracy dilutes this fact." Here is what happens when you google democracy: "a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives." https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy: 1a: government by the people especially : rule of the majority b: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections dictionary.com: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. a state having such a form of government: The United States and Canada are democracies. You said the US is not a democracy, all definitions I can find says it is.

Stupid people can also become a monarch or a despot, which is one of the problems of monarchism and despotism. I think that what you've found is a flaw with humanity, not with democracy.

Florin_Andrei 6y ago
> you've found is a flaw with humanity, not with democracy Well, yeah. BTW, I didn't say I have a better idea, I merely pointed out an issue.
kmonsen 6y ago
I think the key value of (our version of) democracy is the peaceful transition of power. For example from Clinton -> Bush -> Obama -> Trump. They all had very different views on what the country needed to do, but they all accepted that elections were how the future was decided and handed off power to someone they did not agree with. In a monarchy or despotism, there is no transition of power by design. It is supposed to be difficult, because it is not wanted. So if you end up with the wrong choice it is very hard to correct.
- CarbyAu 6y ago
  A big part to this is that the voters have confidence in the result, hence they don't go around looting and starting civil wars. Trump is scary. I am not of the US but: I fear if Trump wins. I fear the tantrum/insurrection of Trump if he loses in respect to a peaceful handover.

f00zz 6y ago

[edit: retracted]

khuey 6y ago
This is called sortition, and the only common use of it in the US today is for drawing juries.

eggy 6y ago

To be clear, the US is a constitutional republic and not a democracy, and the constant use of the word democracy dilutes this fact.

Florin_Andrei 6y ago
I feel that's nitpicking. The values of democracy are constantly advertised in all political discourse in this country.
- eggy 6y ago
  The values of democracy are touted in Hong Kong too, but that doesn't make it a democracy. Small groups with a NYMBY position, or large PACs depend operate on our current form of government, which is why I made the precise distinction in my comment. The 2016 election outcome was via the electoral college, and not the popular vote.
kmonsen 6y ago
This is a red herring, here is the definition of democracy: "a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives." The US clearly fits in here. The US is not a direct democracy, but neither is any other country in the world, including Switzerland that perhaps is the one I know of that comes closest.
- eggy 6y ago
  Given the subtopic I commented on was bringing up NYMBYs and political process and the word democracy, I don't see this as a red herring, or an attempt to divert or smokescreen the argument; I simply stated the US is a constitutional republic, which some would argue further and label it a federal republic. It seems your quote is from lexico.com. How do you respond when someone asks you what type of government does the US have?
  - kmonsen 6y ago
    Here is what you said: "To be clear, the US is a constitutional republic and not a democracy, and the constant use of the word democracy dilutes this fact." Here is what happens when you google democracy: "a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives." https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy: 1a: government by the people especially : rule of the majority b: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections dictionary.com: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. a state having such a form of government: The United States and Canada are democracies. You said the US is not a democracy, all definitions I can find says it is.