10.14.2004
Real Democracy
"The strongest argument against direct democracy surely is that people are idiots. . ." Professor Bainbridge.
Those of us old enough to remember secondary school civics, or who studied survey-level political science as young college underclassmen will remember the first gush of wonder and amazement when introduced to the classical school of Democracy. One citizen, one vote . . . pertaining to all of governed society. Yeah! The entire citizenry gets to partipate! What system is more fair than that?
Well, we thought about it. The professor put up a few calculated questions, discussed a little reality, and pointed out that classic democracy, like classic communism is . . . a pipedream.
Unless you're one of the toga'd few (like John and Terayza), you can't spend all of your time in a governing mode. Folks gotta eat. Then there's the matter of getting to speed and staying informed (so as to cast the intelligent vote) on each and every issue, from the epic questions of the age to the trifling ordinances of the day. It is just not a viable practicality.
Which brings us back to the fact we still tend to think of democracy in the abstract. Folks in progressive California are long-time practitioners of this kind of thinking, and sometimes the exercise becomes comically redundant. Thanks to Professor Bainbridge.
"The strongest argument against direct democracy surely is that people are idiots. . ." Professor Bainbridge.
Those of us old enough to remember secondary school civics, or who studied survey-level political science as young college underclassmen will remember the first gush of wonder and amazement when introduced to the classical school of Democracy. One citizen, one vote . . . pertaining to all of governed society. Yeah! The entire citizenry gets to partipate! What system is more fair than that?
Well, we thought about it. The professor put up a few calculated questions, discussed a little reality, and pointed out that classic democracy, like classic communism is . . . a pipedream.
Unless you're one of the toga'd few (like John and Terayza), you can't spend all of your time in a governing mode. Folks gotta eat. Then there's the matter of getting to speed and staying informed (so as to cast the intelligent vote) on each and every issue, from the epic questions of the age to the trifling ordinances of the day. It is just not a viable practicality.
Which brings us back to the fact we still tend to think of democracy in the abstract. Folks in progressive California are long-time practitioners of this kind of thinking, and sometimes the exercise becomes comically redundant. Thanks to Professor Bainbridge.
// posted by HunterByrd @ 3:15 PM 
