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The world’s largest democracy is collapsing before our eyes
- agamreddy 3y agoI think every Tom, Dick and Harry can write. ChatGPT era!!! Anyways I don't agree. You have to live here to understand India from the lens of Bharath and its amalgamation of people.
- rossdavidh 3y agoI'm guessing we must have some Indian citizens (domestic or expatriate) among HN readers. I'd be interested in their take on how well informed and/or balanced this article is.
- innagadadavida 3y agoModi has diluted certain carve-outs and rights of minorities. However, he has done this in a democratic manner - the majority of Indians want these policies, that's the reason they keep re-electing him. Author of the article needs to go back to school - first it quotes that "Modi is using his electoral dominance for X, Y, Z". Then goes on to claim that this is undemocratic. Doing what you were elected by the masses to do - multiple times is the definition of democracy.
- nonameiguess 3y agoThe article, at least at first, doesn't seem to be concerned with minority rights. It's concerned about institutions necessary to actually maintain a democracy. Things like an independent press, independent judiciary, and election apparatus not unduly influenced by the current party in power. Degrading or getting rid of these things is anti-democratic even if a majority of people want it. A majority of voters can want single-party or even single-person totalitarianism, but that is still anti-democratic. Hitler won elections, too.
- innagadadavida 3y agoWe all agree that these institutions are required and there has to be balance of power. What Modi has convinced majority of people is that a.) these institutions are not incorruptible b.) these are being funded and controlled by foreign entities. c.) The controlling entities have no skin in the Indian democracy or people. The opposition is losing power because they are not able to convince these people otherwise. Democracy is just the outcome of elections and voting. Just equating everyone with Hitler is shallow and won't win any arguments - it is also very demeaning to all the people who actually suffered.
- beardyw 3y agoA typical definition of democracy is "the belief in freedom and equality between people, or a system of government based on this belief".
- asfarley 3y agoI’ve never heard that definition. I thought democracy was about voting.
- EA-3167 3y agoWhere did you find that definition? https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy It isn't there at least. I think you're confusing the definitions of democracy with the typical politician's bloviation about "what democracy really means."
- beardyw 3y agoCambridge Dictionary by Cambridge University Press. A word (in English) means what it is understood to mean. A narrow definition of its origin isn't that.
- EA-3167 3y agoIt's the common understanding, not "one guy online thinks it means something, so it does." Dictionaries helpfully record those evolving, common understandings for reference.
- rossdavidh 3y agoWell, wiktionary has several meanings, one of which is close to that: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/democracy https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/democracy However, other meanings are more specifically about how decisions are made or government officials are chosen. I think wiktionary is correct that all of these are commonly used meanings of the word.
- Animats 3y agoDemocracy is losing India, Israel, and maybe the UK and the US.