Ryan Grim seems like a plain vanilla commentator, sort of vaguely Libertarian but not unusually incisive. In this clip he shows a UNIQUE GRASP OF REALITY. No other public speaker has ever caught this basic fact of life.
He’s talking about an international survey asking people if they feel their country has democracy. In US the difference is largely generational. Oldsters think we have it, youngsters know we don’t.
Other countries are more interesting. Most Chinese feel they have democracy, which means to them that the government is responsive to their needs and desires. Ryan catches this important point.
If democracy means anything at all, it should mean NEGATIVE FEEDBACK. It means that the government is ALIVE, sensing what the people need and adjusting to keep the people prosperous and useful and secure. LIFE IS NEGATIVE FEEDBACK.
We had a responsive government from 1933 to 1945. We got lucky. Never again.
WHY DON’T WE HAVE DEMOCRACY?
BECAUSE WE HAVE ELECTIONS.
Politicians can’t afford to respond to problems, can’t afford to fix anything, can’t afford to improve lives. Every improvement loses a TALKING POINT, loses a way to blame the Horrible Other Party for the problems that both parties are CREATING.
People who might be interested in fixing shit are kicked out of politics, and if not kicked out they quickly realize that their desires and talents are forbidden.
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Language sidenote: I’m curious to see how the question was formed in Chinese and other non-Euro languages. The Greek word democracy is universal among Euro languages, and the vicious Endarkenment myths around elections travel with the word. Does the question in Chinese ask about responsiveness instead of democracy?
Polistra's Mill 