4 ms·

We don't live in democracies, but simulations of democracies. It's all about outward appearance.

• hmmmcurious1 3y ago
  Explain how you can have snowdens discussion and this thread in public? Doing the same critique of government policy in russia or china would get you disappeared real fast.
  • solarengineer 3y ago
    One possibility: You are allowed to have such discussions because these will be ineffective and forgotten within half a day while bringing about zero policy change. Most of us around the world do not know how to bring about a change in policy. Intellectual exchanges over such forums are certainly not the way.
  • enriquto 3y ago
    It's funny that you mention Snowden, a person who exposed a whole lot of anti-democratic stuff going on in his own country and became a widely celebrated patriotic hero for his courageous work. I guess the people guilty of anti-democratic behavior went to justice, while Snowden himself was offered protection and a well-deserved respectable position to continue his fight for human rights. Just like other notorious human-rights activists like Manning, Swartz or Assange.
    • bogtog 3y ago
      > became a widely celebrated patriotic hero for his courageous work When leaks happened, traditional opinion polls seemed to show a 1:1 split on support vs. disapproval. Online polls seemed to show a 2:1 split, favoring support. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commentary_on_Edward_Snowden%27s_disclosure https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commentary_on_Edward_Snowden%2...
  • barfbagginus 3y ago
    Seems like Snowden had to become a fugitive and seek asylum in a foreign nation to have his discussion. This is quite human.
  • raincole 3y ago
    It's just like how we can tell "Epstein didn't kill himself" joke online. Because what we discussion doesn't really matter.
• deepsun 3y ago
  Sorry, you obviously don't live in a totalitarian country. Democracy is never ideal, it's always full of crooks, lies, hypocrisy. Especially when most people have more interesting things to do than participating in politics. But it's not even close to anything totalitarian. I've lived in both, and have the perspective.
  • Funes- 3y ago
    [flagged]
    • skhunted 3y ago
      The word “democracy” has a colloquial meaning that is used in common speech. In the U.S. we have a “democracy” as that term is used by most people. You sound like the people who say communism has never been tried. Talk about straw man!
      • Intermernet 3y ago
        I'd say he's illustrating the nuance intended by people who say communism has never been tried. On paper, both democracy and communism have been tried. In reality, both have been ham-strung by human greed, corruption, propaganda and good-old apathy.
        • slothtrop 3y ago
          Those elements don't nullify the existence of democracy.
          • Intermernet 3y ago
            No, just the effectiveness of democracy.
            • slothtrop 3y ago
              Diminish is the word. Perfect effectiveness is impossible.
• silveraxe93 3y ago
  Every time someone disagrees with laws passed by a democracy, this argument comes back. Did you ever speak with someone out of tech about internet spying? I did, no normie gives a shit. This is 100% the will of the people. Just take the L for what it is and accept that this is democracy working as intended.
• denton-scratch 3y ago
  Increasingly, the word "democracy" seems like the word "terrorist" - both words have lost any distinct meaning they used to have, because of the way they have been abused in political rhetoric. Re. your handle: did you snag it from the Borges short story?
  • Funes- 3y ago
    >Re. your handle: did you snag it from the Borges short story? Yeah. I've read most of what he published. Even his poetry is great (El bisonte is one of my favorite poems).
• yreg 3y ago
  I live in a democracy, but my country was totalitarian less than 30 years ago. There is a big difference.