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points by ctmlr 1 day ago | 0 comments
Liberal democracy sounds nice in theory but it doesn't work in practice. Like it or not populism is a powerful force that must be reckoned with, always has always will.
[–] thomassmith65 1 day ago
Liberal democracy works fine in that it makes people less miserable than the alternatives, but there are many other sources of misery from which it can't protect a society. It takes more than a good system of government for things to 'work'.
[–] ctmlr 1 day ago
I don't believe there is enough historical evidence to make such a bold claim, it could just be a phase for all we know.

What it couldn't protect us from is becoming infiltrated by a foreign government, and that's a pretty basic function of any government, so I think y'all need to humble yourselves.

[–] thomassmith65 1 day ago
The claim is that it makes a person happier to have a say in who governs their society, and the freedom to believe and express what they want, as long as it doesn't hurt their neighbor.

That is not a bold take.

A feature of democracy is that a majority can set the course of their society by voting.

A feature of liberalism is that a minority can attempt to become a majority by argument.

If there were a nefarious foreign power pulling the strings of my Western-style democracy (which, where I live, would be an unhinged belief), I'd use my vote and my voice to oppose it, not jettison the vote nor jettison my rights.