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Yeah I think "democracy" means the exact opposite of what you've said there. The people have asked for free speech, not censorship. And dragging the British Ea

Yeah I think "democracy" means the exact opposite of what you've said there. The people have asked for free speech, not censorship. And dragging the British East India Company into every argument about India sheds more light into the inadequacy of us Indians to move past it. We're supposed to be healing ourselves by constructively criticizing our behavior towards others and ourselves...not by endlessly blaming the past for our current actions. Disclaimer: I am Indian.

gregjor 5y ago
Democracy and free speech do not necessarily go together. Democracy is a system of government “by the people,” usually in the form of voting for representatives. Censorship and free speech do not necessarily follow from that political system, being more in the realm of basic human rights. Around the world democracy takes many forms. So do cultural and political notions of free speech, and government’s role regulating and censoring speech. If the majority of Indian people want free speech, but their government does not honor that, then their democracy is dysfunctional and unrepresentative in that regard. A majority of Americans support stricter gun control, but our government does not honor that, so American democracy has its own dysfunctions.
- runeks 5y ago
  What if, in a democracy, 51% of voters agree to take away the voting rights of the remaining 49%? Would this still be a “democracy”? Related to this is the question of whether a democracy even makes sense without freedom of speech. How is the voter supposed to know who to vote for if the opposition party is not allowed to criticize the incumbents?
  - gregjor 5y ago
    I don’t intend to argue theoreticals. I meant to point out that democracy and free speech are not the same thing. A hereditary monarchy with no democracy can allow free speech. A democratically elected government can impose censorship and limitations on speech.

gregjor 5y ago

Democracy and free speech do not necessarily go together. Democracy is a system of government “by the people,” usually in the form of voting for representatives. Censorship and free speech do not necessarily follow from that political system, being more in the realm of basic human rights. Around the world democracy takes many forms. So do cultural and political notions of free speech, and government’s role regulating and censoring speech. If the majority of Indian people want free speech, but their government does not honor that, then their democracy is dysfunctional and unrepresentative in that regard. A majority of Americans support stricter gun control, but our government does not honor that, so American democracy has its own dysfunctions.

runeks 5y ago
What if, in a democracy, 51% of voters agree to take away the voting rights of the remaining 49%? Would this still be a “democracy”? Related to this is the question of whether a democracy even makes sense without freedom of speech. How is the voter supposed to know who to vote for if the opposition party is not allowed to criticize the incumbents?
- gregjor 5y ago
  I don’t intend to argue theoreticals. I meant to point out that democracy and free speech are not the same thing. A hereditary monarchy with no democracy can allow free speech. A democratically elected government can impose censorship and limitations on speech.