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> The default view of government by businesses and people should be as an adversary. This is ridiculous. The default view in a parliamentary democracy should b
by the_other 3y ago
> The default view of government by businesses and people should be as an adversary.
This is ridiculous. The default view in a parliamentary democracy should be that government is your employee and that its job is to watch out for you. Where your interests collide with those of your fellow citizens, government or judiciary should be mediating and managing, seeking consensus or compromise, ideally with your involvement.
Yes, this is naive. But it's the core function we should be able to rely on; it should be the measure we use to assess the efficacy of our governments. Anything else and you're replicating feudalism or dictatorship.
If you default to government being your adversary, your system is broken and you should be working to fix it rather than giving up and calling it the enemy. Frankly, this labelling of government as the enemy is exactly what allows opportunists to sieze power.
- tastyfreeze 3y agoadversary - one that contends with, opposes, or resists It is a matter of trust of other humans with power. Government can do good but is made of flawed humans. Trusting the government to always be good and stay good is a recipe for disaster. For government to stay trustworthy it requires people to oppose oversteps. It is an adversarial relationship. That isn't a bad thing. It is necessary for everything to work and stay working.
- RobRivera 3y agoWhen the government behaves as an adverse actor, they lose this trust. Would you like datapoints about times the government lied and subverted communities? Bc I have data points. Many data points. From many cultures that were illegally infringed upon hy the government. And practices Just say the word.
- aspenmayer 3y ago> Just say the word. Please share, if you please.
- RobRivera 3y agoJacksons handling of the Cherokee Jim Crow laws Nypd use of stingers to violate your privacy then replicate a criminal investigation independent of the stinger information to subvert DoJ processes and the rights of protection against unlawful search and seizures. internment of US citizens due to their Japanese heritage. CIA involvement in the Iran Contra debacle fueling the cocaine epidemic The burning of unarmed civilians at Waco Texas Would you like more?
- aspenmayer 3y ago> Would you like more? I appreciate the Starship Troopers reference, and yes.
- RobRivera 3y ago“Read Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States. That book'll knock you on your ass.”
- aspenmayer 3y agoThat was on my reading list for one of my classes at CCSF. There’s a hidden treasure of amazing instructors at that community college, though it is or was the largest community college in the world by number of students. I’m not sure what it says about the state of the world or about me that I’m already familiar with all of these things, but I do sincerely appreciate you for taking the time to share them with the rest of the class. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_College_of_San_Francisco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_College_of_San_Francisco