Korean Job Discussion Forums

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

I don't mind so much that everyone gets to express an opinion. What I find irritating is that every bozo thinks that all opinions are equal and worth listening to. I understand and really believe that everyone should have a vote in order to defend his/her interests. Otherwise the schmucks would run rough-shod over everyone. But I do think it is foolish to let the flakes have the franchise. It is problematical to define 'flakes', but it is not an obstacle that couldn't be overcome if we set our minds to it.

The first ones to be booted from the registered voter list should be conspiracy theorists. They have the least to offer humanity. (I know a lady who once said they weren't all that good in bed, either. But that is neither here nor there except to those who end up in bed with them.)

waggo · Joined: 18 May 2003 Location: pusan baby!

AbbeFaria · Joined: 17 May 2005 Location: Gangnam

I don't like how just any idiot can vote. Not that some people shouldn't, I'm not advocating that, but if you're going to vote, you should have to actually know what you're voting about. You should have to pass some kind of test to be allowed to have your vote counted. None of that crap the Dems were doing in the last Pres. election where they just rounded up people and bused them to polling stations and convinced them to vote for Kerry.

There's also several ideas put forth by Robert Heinlein that I love, but don't remember well enough to put forth here. Not really socialism, but a more refined democracy that seems to make perfect sense. If you've by chance read Starship Troopers (don't think of the movie, it was an abomination next to the book. Just an abomination in general really), The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Stranger In a Strange Land or For Us The Living, you'll know what I'm talking about.

The electoral college pisses me off as well, for obvious reasons. I also don't like how the Legislative branch has been set up to basically run on bribes from lobbyists and special interests. If I had my way, no money, no campaign contributions, no luches hosted by corporate interests. No nothing. It only leads to curruption.

Those last couple of things are just pet peeves about US democracy. I dunno if it's like that in every democratic country.

-S-

AbbeFaria · Joined: 17 May 2005 Location: Gangnam

Oops, double post. Sorry.

-S-

Summer Wine · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: Next to a River

I don't like the fact that we don't have democracy per se, but rather ogliarchy or ogliarchal democracy to be precise. We are misled into believing we have a vote, when money determines who is voted for and not skills as such.

Thn we take people who don't consider the issues and say do you vote for this person or that person. It doesn't matter as it is all a farce now days. Maybe Plato had it right and we are transitioning between political systems and not having one.

Democracy is taught to us as 1 person 1 vote, but it ignores that the person to be voted for has already been chosen and therefore the end result has already been determined.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

fiveeagles · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: Vancouver

The materialism. It's out of control.

AbbeFaria · Joined: 17 May 2005 Location: Gangnam

bucheon bum · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Kuros · Joined: 27 Apr 2004

bucheon bum · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Plato's ideal form of gov't is the way to go. Alas, it is a pipe dream and impossible to implement. 'Tis a shame.

Kuros · Joined: 27 Apr 2004

Hater Depot · Joined: 29 Mar 2005

And now the cliche... it has to be said.. democracy is the worst form of government except for everything else.

My only problem with democracy is that it encourages selfishness and identity politics (which is often selfishness dressed up nice).

Kuros · Joined: 27 Apr 2004

Hater Depot · Joined: 29 Mar 2005

Identity politics is inevitable, it's just human nature. But as far as I can tell only democracy tries to harness human selfishness and make it an integral part of the governing apparatus.

Democracy ideally allows competing interest groups to reach compromises that are better than one group simply getting its way. In practice it doesn't work that way for lots of reasons. Democracy actively encourages the formation of narrower and narrower interest groups. It's good because now people are so much more aware of people different from them, but it's also bad because it creates a dynamic of resentment.

I guess, though, that if you're not willing to accept that people can be terribly flawed but also basically good, than you aren't really fully accepting of democracy.