Can we really trust democracy?

[Radical]

The average voter for a presidential election doesn't know shit about what's right for the country, nor are they even trying to be as informed and correct as possible. A large group of people will vote on likeability and "gut" feeling "I can have shax with that guy", "he is from reer hebel", or my favorite... "he fits my uninformed guess at what a successful leader might be like" .

the majority of voters flat-out don't understand the issues, nor are they trying to improve in that regard. Some have a cursory understanding, based on maybe a couple of hours of watching debates on the topic, and yet they see themselves qualified to have an opinion as well as a someone working in the field for decades.
You can't honestly be making the case that unenlightened people, when polled en-masse, will somehow magically arrive at the correct answer?

"Maximizing democracy": if that means letting everyone vote, it just further dilutes the quality of the choice. More ignorant people voting just means a more ignorant results.
In democracy, we are not asking interested people to pick a simple yes or no answer. We are asking very complicated questions to deeply uninformed people, and consistently, over and over, they tend to answer by latching on to logical fallacies. The only thing you can safely expect from the majority of the electorate is to have made their choice based on something illogical: she's a woman, he is tall and strong, he kissed a baby, she "won" the debate, he is sheikh, he'll bring jobs... AND YOU WONDER WHY THE MAJORITY OF WORLD LEADERS ARE SHIT

It's a glorified popularity contest, you might as well pick a candidate by racing toddlers

 

[Tukraq]

Yes it’s what the people want, that’s the right choice whether you think the quality is good or bad is entirely objective and quite frankly just your personal opinion which in the grand scheme of things which is of no importance in comparison with the mass public’s choice

 

[Radical]

Yes it’s what the people want, that’s the right choice whether you think the quality is good or bad is entirely objective and quite frankly just your personal opinion which in the grand scheme of things which is of no importance in comparison with the mass public’s choice

What I'm implying is that we will never consistently have good leaders across the world because campaign managers and ad agencies are what decide if you're fit to rule (don't even get me started on vote manipulation), not the overall quality of your leadership skills.

 

[Xasusi]

Democracy > Despot or a monarch

Otherwise go live in China

 

[Radical]

Democracy > Despot or a monarch

Otherwise go live in China

So we should feel content with this problematic system all because it's slightly better than the absolute low bar that is monarchy?

 

[psyche]

 

[somebody]

I believe for Democracy to work, you need to have educated voters. Otherwise the voters can be easily exploited by dirty politicians.

Imagine sailing through a storm in the ocean. Would you consult an idiot who has no skills nor knowledge about maritime on how to navigate through the storm?

 

[Xasusi]

So we should feel content with this problematic system all because it's slightly better than the absolute low bar that is monarchy?

Yes. It's the best one that's worked if you study history. You make big decision on what's works, not on theory.

 

[Radical]

Yes. It's the best one that's worked if you study history. You make big decision on what's works, not on theory.

What worked was also once a theory, I believe with modern knowledge and resources we're capable of something much greater but many would rather settle for the status quo fearing change and losing their prestigious positions and wealth which they already attained by swindling and misleading the public.

 

[Helios]

@Radical Canjeerorism you could just advocate for a technocracy or meritocracy. A rule by the most intelligent/educated could have some merits to it.

 

[Maximus]

Watch this video

 

[Muji]

what I’ve noticed is that instead of having an honest debate about policies or about their held principles we instead get mud slinging, character assassinations and smearing campaigns. This trend of standing for nothing and saying (lying) whatever it takes to win is something that Trump and Boris Johnson have mastered, and Tony Blair popularised.

I don’t blame the average voter who works 40 hours a week and only gets a glimpse of what’s going on from newspapers and Facebook. Democracy is collapsing because both the Left and Right don’t have any genuine principles they want to uphold, neither of them stand for anything. The Left only talk about morals when they are trying to interfere with some foreign country (let’s bomb x and y to liberate them). And then we have the Right who act solely to preserve the power and influence of the rich in return for holding office.

 

[Radical]

what I’ve noticed is that instead of having an honest debate about policies or about their held principles we instead get mud slinging, character assassinations and smearing campaigns. This trend of standing for nothing and saying (lying) whatever it takes to win is something that Trump and Boris Johnson have mastered, and Tony Blair popularised.

I don’t blame the average voter who works 40 hours a week and only gets a glimpse of what’s going on from newspapers and Facebook. Democracy is collapsing because both the Left and Right don’t have any genuine principles they want to uphold, neither of them stand for anything. The Left only talk about morals when they are trying to interfere with some foreign country (let’s bomb x and y to liberate them). And then we have the Right who act solely to preserve the power and influence of the rich in return for holding office.

Trump and Boris are special cases because even someone with minor critical thinking can recognize their flaws from the moment they open their mouths

Do you mean the American left? Cause that doesn't exist in the US and should instead be called moderately right, maybe Bernie can fix that

 

[Exodus]

Maybe there should be a test before voting, to weed out the people who don't understand what it is they're voting for?

 

[Muji]

Trump and Boris are special cases because even someone with minor critical thinking can recognize their flaws from the moment they open their mouths

Do you mean the American left? Cause that doesn't exist in the US and should instead be called moderately right, maybe Bernie can fix that

I would say the British left is defined by Tony Blair, he is the last labour leader who was treated like a credible contender and the left in America seems to be dominated by the politics of the Clintons. They are primarily neo-liberals and marked by their tendency to say anything to get into power. They campaign on the left during the election season and move to the middle and adopt aggressive foreign policies when they gain power. It’s understandable now why so many people are jaded and vote for the guy who they want to have a drink with somaha?
Are you Australian by any chance? I get that feeling from you.

 

[Radical]

Maybe there should be a test before voting, to weed out the people who don't understand what it is they're voting for?

It's already established in almost every country that voting is a human right, we can't go back on that now and make the citizens think we've regressed as a society, this will cause mass protests from the lower class uneducated folks as they will feel neglected

I would say the British left is defined by Tony Blair, he is the last labour leader who was treated like a credible contender and the left in America seems to be dominated by the politics of the Clintons. They are primarily neo-liberals and marked by their tendency to say anything to get into power. They campaign on the left during the election season and move to the middle and adopt aggressive foreign policies when they gain power. It’s understandable now why so many people are jaded and vote for the guy who they want to have a drink with somaha?
Are you Australian by any chance? I get that feeling from you.

These neo-liberals under the guise of leftist equality are what scare me the most, a wolf in sheeps clothing they would call it.
They try so hard to appear moral and empathetic towards minorities while their true motive is extracting profit from their misery


Lol nah I'm just a fob in Africa who likes anime

 

[Muji]

It's already established in almost every country that voting is a human right, we can't go back on that now and make the citizens think we've regressed as a society, this will cause mass protests from the lower class uneducated folks as they will feel neglected

These neo-liberals under the guise of leftist equality are what scare me the most, a wolf in sheeps clothing they would call it.
They try so hard to appear moral and empathetic towards minorities while their true motive is extracting profit from their misery


Lol nah I'm just a fob in Africa who likes anime

you’re eloquent for a fob

 

[Radical]

you’re eloquent for a fob

 

[Ras]

What worked was also once a theory, I believe with modern knowledge and resources we're capable of something much greater but many would rather settle for the status quo fearing change and losing their prestigious positions and wealth which they already attained by swindling and misleading the public.

Something greater? Like what?

 

[Radical]

Something greater? Like what?

I honestly don't know what, but I do know for sure we're capable of so much more if we let our morals and compassion drive us instead of greed and lacag