Current Events > Seriously, how can democracy work when half of the population are idiots.

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm not even being condescending; it is just basic statistics.

I truly believe everyone is talented at something. But asking people to vote for a political candidate, in a perfect world, requires them to be knowledgeable in a wide variety of topics ranging from economics to foreign policy. Voters are more likely to vote for a candidate based on how many women he slept with than his actual agenda.

Given the above, please tell me. How the hell can democracy in theory work in our society?

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It doesn't have to work. It just has to not work less than everything else.

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The scary thing is that it's not just people of average or below average intelligence, but also many people of above average intelligence that are shockingly lacking in wisdom, like Jan 6 insurgents.

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I don't approve of violent takeovers by any means but you should easily see that the jan 6th thing was staged to put the final nail in Trump's coffin.

Look back at the coverage as it was happening; you'll notice that the lawn where it happened was spotless. If a chaotic event was really taking place, you would see all kinds of debris, and maga hats all over the ground. It was impeccably clean....an oversight they didn't think of. They don't even try to make things look real anymore because so many people will buy the TV narrative no matter what.

There's tons of other evidence too if you look for it. The spotless crime scene was the biggest one for me though.

Trump 2024

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Demon1050 posted...

Demon1050 posted...

*tinfoil hat noises*

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I used to think all adults were smart then I became one. Ive learned more from watching Daniel Tigers Neighborhood than any PowerPoint ever presented to me.

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Tbh its worrisome even without people being full on idiots

Just getting populist bullshit on topics that the general population is problematic: anti vaxxers, anti wall street, etc
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A USA parliamentary system?
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it clearly works for the 1%

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Apathy is also a huge problem as well. Lots of people just don't care how things are getting worse over time.

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Depends on what you mean by idiots

Idiots as in discussing a topic and flaying it out with every possibility to the point you make something so simple and so succinct into a complicated issue in which now you can feel free to disagree based on the merits from an argumentative system based solely on logical clauses? Then yes, we are absolutely screwed

If you mean idiots going out to vote for whatever and whoever then no, I dont blame them and I find theres more hope there than some dingus on the left or right jerking off to the fact they belong to some political spectrum

If you cant give someone the shorthand in such a way that they can see your point or believe in what youre saying then thats on you - you dont make a compelling case because you spend all your time waffling about this point or the other point like as if it has any relevancy to a person who has nothing to do with such issues

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RedJackson posted...

I dont blame them and I find theres more hope there than some dingus on the left or right jerking off to the fact they belong to some political spectrum

Everyone belongs to the political spectrum. It's a fucking spectrum. If you have opinions, you're on it.

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hockeybub89 posted...

Everyone belongs to the political spectrum. It's a fucking spectrum. If you have opinions, you're on it.

Nah. Youre trying to make sense of the amount of time youve invested into literal junk that directly disenfranchises others and tell others to put stock in that

If your politics are where you find morality for example then you must be REALLY religious since thats where the concept of formalized law or order begin - but you dont recognize that

Thats literally your example of having an opinion means youre already on the political sphere

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I've said it before, Trump and Covid really showed just how stupid a lot of this country is.
We learned a lot about the people in this country in the last few years.

That's not the problem the US has; it's that we have a system that continually empowers a minority of idiots over the interests of the majority.

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Big shock, the side who hates democracy wants to make people stupider.

Republicans don't like critical thinking itself. They don't just want people to be bad at math... They want people to fundamentally not be able to logically criticize indifference as a concept. They want to be able to successfully lie to the people so they vote against their interests. Straight-up 1984 doublespeak.
Knowledge-Based Education We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the students fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/texas-gop-rejects-critical-thinking-skills-really/2012/07/08/gJQAHNpFXW_blog.html

An obvious contributor to the declining education level within the GOP is the partys hostility toward higher education
https://www.alternet.org/2018/03/republicans-are-becoming-less-educated/

I know what you mean TC.

We had that topic the other day about the guy shooting a fast food employee over a mask, and then we have this brilliant topic

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/400-current-events/79521494

It's like whats going on with this country and all these idiots right TC?

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gatorsPENSbucs posted...

I know what you mean TC.

We had that topic the other day about the guy shooting a fast food employee over a mask, and then we have this brilliant topic

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/400-current-events/79521494

It's like whats going on with this country and all these idiots right TC?

Looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

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It doesn't. We have people voting for lawmakers that are actively working to take away voting rights and rig the whole system in their favor

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Because differing opinions (no matter how abhorrent) is just how democracy is supposed to work. Politics in America is incredibly toxic, so who knows when things will actually change for the better.

The alternative is a single party state, which will always be significantly worse

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Rexdragon125 posted...

We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning)

As they said, mastery learning. Essentially they're opposing memorization and regurgitation.
The article goes on to state that the inclusion of "critical thinking" was a mistake. Anyway, dumb of them to add it.

Samurontai posted...

The alternative is a single party state

Is that a fact or an assumption.

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Shadowplay posted...

The scary thing is that it's not just people of average or below average intelligence, but also many people of above average intelligence that are shockingly lacking in wisdom, like Jan 6 insurgents.

Those people did not have above average intelligence.

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Samurontai posted...

The alternative is a single party state, which will always be significantly worse

We're already living in a single party corporate controlled state.

Geiki Ganger posted...

Is that a fact or an assumption.

Fact, if youre talking democracy, though at that point it wouldnt really be a democracy which is my point

Unless youre including a no party system, which would just be another form of authoritarianism, ie, oligarchy, or some form of monarchy

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Kegran posted...

We're already living in a single party corporate controlled state.

I cant agree with that. A two party system with heavy corporate interests, yes

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SPOILER ALERT

it doesn't

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If average iq is 100 and someone is 99 IQ does that make them an idiot?

This topic is frying my brain

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Direct democracies usually blow after a while

Republics are a better option long term

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Slayerblade11 posted...

If average iq is 100 and someone is 99 IQ does that make them an idiot?

IQ number doesn't make someone an idiot.
Supporting Trump, covid denying, anti mask, anti vax... That stuff makes someone an idiot.

You got a better alternative?

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The point of a democracy is you don't need to be knowledgeable on all the subjects. You're supposed to vote for candidates that are knowledgeable on the subjects and show an ability to make sound decisions. The only way you're going to get a candidate you agree with everything on is if you are running yourself.

There is a reason why neither party wants to end the 2 party system.

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are you suggesting the state deny people their rights for their mental capability because yikes

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Half is an understatement.

Half is being generous. In my experience, about 80% of Americans are morons

It's basically that the alternatives usually suck more for most people.

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Easy. Allow more time in people's lives so that they can actually think about who to vote for. That means reducing the work week from the "magic" 40 hours a week while increasing pay to compensate. Also ban money in politics so that the rich can't flood their ideas everywhere.

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Geiki Ganger posted...

How the hell can democracy in theory work in our society?

why are you talking about theory when democracy has been incredibly successful in practice?

Broseph_Stalin posted...

why are you talking about theory when democracy has been incredibly successful in practice?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5LeYDW2LsM

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SevenTenths posted...

The point of a democracy is you don't need to be knowledgeable on all the subjects. You're supposed to vote for candidates that are knowledgeable on the subjects and show an ability to make sound decisions. The only way you're going to get a candidate you agree with everything on is if you are running yourself.

There is a reason why neither party wants to end the 2 party system.

This, theoretically, but I don't think there's anywhere that it still works like this.

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Also, have a real democracy instead of a sham of a "representative democracy".

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Why should democracy be defended when one of the candidates is a crazy sexist racist moron?

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Bass_X0 posted...

Why should democracy be defended when one of the candidates is a crazy sexist racist moron?

Because you have another candidate who isn't?

1337toothbrush posted...

Easy. Allow more time in people's lives so that they can actually think about who to vote for. That means reducing the work week from the "magic" 40 hours a week while increasing pay to compensate. Also ban money in politics so that the rich can't flood their ideas everywhere.

I like it, but it leaves in place the economic system that our representatives allowed to perform mergers until they were all monopolies, killed the middle class, and treats workers like trash. Our legislators would never go for it. The corporate money's too good for them to work for real people.

Broseph_Stalin posted...

Because you have another candidate who isn't?

https://youtu.be/_n5E7feJHw0