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| Well, is it? |
| Yes, of course. |
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15% |
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| Well...maybe for some more than others |
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15% |
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| No, it isn't |
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36% |
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| No, at least not the way it is currently practised |
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26% |
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| Undecided |
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5% |
[ 1 ] |
| I could not give a rat's arse |
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0% |
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| Total Votes : 19 |
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mack4289

Joined: 06 Dec 2006
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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You hear a lot of complaining about complacent citizens in a democracy, but here's the paradox: the more complacent citizens are in a democracy, the better the country is doing. People only get involved on a large scale when things are really bad. If people in a democracy aren't concerned with how their country works, that probably means it works pretty well.
Not that I support ignorance, I wish people were more well informed. But the fact that they aren't isn't necessarily a cause for alarm. |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 10:35 pm Post subject: |
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| contrarian wrote: |
| Sociialism it the abtuthesis of democracy. |
Definitely sig-worthy (not because it's brilliant).
Socialism is not the antithesis of democracy. The above drivel doesn't survive basic logical analysis. Democracy is a form of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. The antithesis of democracy is the result of inserting "not" before the principles in my underline. That is not a valid definition of socialism, therefore socialism is not the antithesis of democracy.
Somebody needs to give their tools of thought a thorough sharpen.  |
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contrarian
Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Location: Nearly in NK
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 11:51 pm Post subject: |
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Spinoza:
Let's look at your take, word by word:
"Socialism is not the antithesis of democracy." So far you have said nothing but the usual juvenile - did so, dod not - crap.
"The above drivel doesn't survive basic logical analysis." More of the same, crap.
"Democracy is a form of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system." A nice remiedial political science 90 for dummies definition.
Let's see what it says with the "not" in place.
Democracy is a form of government in which power NOT is vested in the people and exercise directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. That does not make any sense whatever, but if we give you the benefit of the doubt and move the NOT to the start of the italics we get this:
Democracy is a form of government in which power is NOT vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. That is where the NOT goes at the beginning of the italic / underline marking. That makes more sense but gives a meaning in which democracy has no personal or electoral use of people, any or all of them
There is one other place to put the NOT.
Democracy is a form of government in which power is NOT vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
Try again putz, it still doesn't work. May after a retake of remidal logic 91, for dummies.
[/b][/u] |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 12:42 am Post subject: |
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You are rather a daft old bugger, aren't you? Not only is your typing and spelling absolutely appalling, reading ability appears to be an issue as well.
I'm going to simply copy and paste what I originally said and hope you get it this time after a brief explanation.
| Quote: |
Socialism is not the antithesis of democracy. The above drivel doesn't survive basic logical analysis. Democracy is a form of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. The antithesis of democracy is the result of inserting "not" before the principles in my underline. That is not a valid definition of socialism, therefore socialism is not the antithesis of democracy.
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Look at where I wrote "in my underline". Native English speakers know where to place "not" instinctively and will read the relevant part as: [Contrarian claims that socialism] is a form of government in which power is not vested in the people and not exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
That is the antithesis of democracy, so antitheses (that's the plural, grand dad, okay?) of democracy will be things like fascism, communism, Islamic states.
The point stands. Your claim "socialism is the antithesis" of democracy has been exposed as the senile rantings of a clueless old fool, since Socialism is a form of government in which power is not vested in the people and not exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system is not a valid definition of socialism. |
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contrarian
Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Location: Nearly in NK
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 5:00 am Post subject: |
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You motto is Bullsh1t baffles brains.
Double negatives are a no-no. Bad puppy! |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 3:17 pm Post subject: |
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1. Contrarian claimed that socialism is the antithesis of democracy.
2. Democracy is a form of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
3. The antithesis of democracy, therefore, is a form of government in which power is not vested in the people and not exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
4. No definition of socialism is �a form of government in which power is not vested in the people and not exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system�.
5. Therefore, socialism is not the antithesis of democracy. |
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contrarian
Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Location: Nearly in NK
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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Are negatives, separated by an "and" still double negatives.
Socialism as a form of government that places collective rights above individual rights, and does not respect property rights. For this reason and hose noted above it is not truly democratic. |
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Big_Bird

Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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But that just demonstrates it's different, not that it is the antithesis!  |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 4:05 pm Post subject: |
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| contrarian wrote: |
| Are negatives, separated by an "and" still double negatives. |
Ain't no double negatives in the above whatsoever. Someone responsible for the sentences "You motto is Bullsh1t baffles brains" and "Sociialism it the abtuthesis of democracy" has absolutely no opinion on language anyway.
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| Socialism as a form of government that places collective rights above individual rights, and does not respect property rights. |
It's communism that advocates abolition of private property ownership - not socialism. All communists are socialists, but not all socialists are communists. Socialism advocates state ownership of industry in which the production and distribution of goods and services are controlled substantially by the community rather than privately (where cooperation rather than competition guides economic activity). That would be a neutral description of socialism rather than the heavily biased "rights" description you gave.
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| For this reason and hose noted above it is not truly democratic. |
For this reason and what noted above?
A socialist society and economy is entirely compatible with a representative democracy, especially if that's a system a democratic state has voted for. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:46 am Post subject: |
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contrarian is making the elementary mistake of confusing political arrangements with economic arrangements.
I would also like to point out that contrarian didn't say 'abtuthesis' = 'antithesis'. Presumably, 'abtuthesis' is a new idea which he needs to educate all of us on. For that matter, 'sociialism' may be a new animal on the politcal scene. He should inform us on this.
Until he does, the opposite of democracy is autocracy (monarchy in one of its forms). |
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