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Democracy is granting power to the majority to rule on the minority. By definition. Democracy will never create a free society, but neither will dictatorship.

Democracy is granting power to the majority to rule on the minority. By definition. Democracy will never create a free society, but neither will dictatorship. Democratic societies tend to be more free than dictatorship, but that's not always the case. If there was an enlightened and rich dictator, he could decide to make weed legal, impose zero taxes, grant freedom of speech. Compared to most of the western world, where weed is mostly illegal, taxation is imposed forcefully and freedom of speech is disappearing - that would be a freer society. The real way to have a freer society is to decentralise power away. It's not about granting 60 millions people an infinitesimal choice for an outcome shared by everyone. It's about each individual having a different outcome.

zoolily 5y ago
Decentralization transfers powers to local elites, who are more likely to be interested in interfering with you or your group specifically compared to a more or less uncaring larger government. In the US, states weren't bound by the Bill of Rights until the 14th amendment, giving them more power to restrict liberties than the federal government. After reconstruction, SCOTUS issued decisions restoring much of the pre-war order, using the 14th amendment mainly to find new powers for corporations.
rvense 5y ago
> Democracy is granting power to the majority to rule on the minority. By definition. It really isn't. Maybe "Western-style, representative democracy" implies that. But democracy in general, to me, is any system where people rule themselves. I'm not really big on voting, for one. > If there was an enlightened and rich dictator, he would become a horrible authoritarian within six months, no matter how good his original intentions were. > The real way to have a freer society is to decentralise power away. I fully agree! The world needs more food co-ops and worker-owned businesses.

zoolily 5y ago

Decentralization transfers powers to local elites, who are more likely to be interested in interfering with you or your group specifically compared to a more or less uncaring larger government. In the US, states weren't bound by the Bill of Rights until the 14th amendment, giving them more power to restrict liberties than the federal government. After reconstruction, SCOTUS issued decisions restoring much of the pre-war order, using the 14th amendment mainly to find new powers for corporations.

rvense 5y ago

> Democracy is granting power to the majority to rule on the minority. By definition. It really isn't. Maybe "Western-style, representative democracy" implies that. But democracy in general, to me, is any system where people rule themselves. I'm not really big on voting, for one. > If there was an enlightened and rich dictator, he would become a horrible authoritarian within six months, no matter how good his original intentions were. > The real way to have a freer society is to decentralise power away. I fully agree! The world needs more food co-ops and worker-owned businesses.