Stupidity - the single reason why democracies never work

[Louis VI the Fat]

Just wondering, where did you get that from? I know you are right, but still, I am curious.

I got it from nowhere in particular. Just a brief, and simplified summation of what I've gathered over the years are some commonly held beliefs within Russia and elsewhere in the former Eastern Bloc regarding democracy; combined with a summation of necessary components to make democracy function.

The definition of democracy is not only 'rule by the masses', or majority rule. The other definition refers to the particular system of government and society - very broadly defined, very limited in time and geography - of modern Western countries.
The two are often confused, causing lots of misunderstandings and frustration.

The other aspect of the post concerned what happened in Russia. 'Capitalism' and 'democracy' were installed in Russia in the 1990's. This basically boiled down to selling Russia for scraps to gangs of mobsters.
Small wonder, then, that democracy is mistrusted in Russia nowadays. I too would prefer Putin over a mobsterocracy.

Sad. Tsarism, communism, mobsterocracy, autocracy - it doesn't make a difference to ordinary Russians. Dissidents, the poor, the masses outside of Saint Petersburg and Moscow, those not connected with politics - nothing has changed for them. Life is held cheap, winters are cold, and the limitless resources of Russia are plundered for the benefit of a mere handful. Be they aristocrats, apparatchiks, Yeltsin era mobsters. And outside forces are held to blame. Jews, Europeans, capitalists, Americans, Muslims from the southern rim, Chinese in Siberia. Meh, the largest country in the world, and it feels itself perennially surrounded and besieged.


Russia reminds me of Serbia a bit. Narcissim combined with victimization. A great country that through deliberate act of foreigners has been cut up and is kept down. Poor Obama last month thought he could press the 'reset' button. Meanwhile, the Russians and Serbians are still celebrating Russia's attack against Georgia as a great counter-victory against the Americans.

Apart from a mere handful of intellectuals in Moscow, nobody in Russia has positive connotations anymore to the word 'democracy'. And these few that do, are murdered or elsewise silenced.

~~-~~-~~<<oOo>>~~-~~-~~

I believe that, for the West, the problem is that we are suffering under too broad a suffrage.

Broadening the suffrage to include everyone with a pulse inevitably leads to a situation where the "have nots" seek the use of government power to take property from the "haves." And why shouldn't they? From the perspective of the HN's, its the most rational of decisions.

We have restricted suffrage for ludicrous reasons in the past (Sex, Coming from an "upper class" womb rather than a "lower class" one, particulars of worship, etc.), but restricting the suffrage in some fashion that requires the voter to think/vote/consider more than simple selfish pecuniary concerns would help.

Wish I knew a way to do that....

A way to do that? Well you could turn fascist. Failing that, you could vote the next best thing, Republican.

Maybe poor Americans who have the nerve to long to be free and equal citizens can emigrate elsewhere? Perhaps in search of a place that accepts the poor, the huddled masses, a country that is a home of the free?