Democracy is Not Freedom

The 2016 primary battle for the nomination for president is all but over. If you’re an American, this is a fact that’s only lost on you if you’ve been living under a rock.

Bernie Sanders needed to win big in California to have any semblance of a shot at the Democratic nomination, but he fell far short. Did he actually lose? Or was there some foul play involved on behalf of the Clinton machine and the DNC? While I didn’t support Bernie Sanders, I certainly preferred him to Lady Macbeth, er, Mrs. Clinton. Bernie supporters, for all their flaws, at least realized that there is something profoundly wrong with our government and with the democratic process.

But is the democratic process even something that should be praised? I’ve previously explained why I don’t vote in federal elections, here. Better minds than mine have weighed in. Here are some of my favorite quotes about democracy, none of which are very keen on the subject.

“Forget the politicians, they’re irrelevant. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice – you don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you.” – George Carlin

“…If you vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent politicians, and you screw things up, then you’re responsible for what they’ve done. You voted them in. You caused the problem. You have no right to complain. I, on the other hand, who did not vote – who, in fact, did not even leave the house on election day – am in no way responsible for what these politicians have done and have every right to complain about the mess you created. Which I had nothing to do with. Why can’t people see that?” – George Carlin

“The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and take orders later; in a dictatorship you don’t have to waste your time voting.”
Charles Bukowski

“It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything” – Joseph Stalin

“Look at the tyranny of party — at what is called party allegiance, party loyalty — a snare invented by designing men for selfish purposes — and which turns voters into chattles, slaves, rabbits, and all the while their masters, and they themselves are shouting rubbish about liberty, independence, freedom of opinion, freedom of speech, honestly unconscious of the fantastic contradiction; and forgetting or ignoring that their fathers and the churches shouted the same blasphemies a generation earlier when they were closing their doors against the hunted slave, beating his handful of humane defenders with Bible texts and billies, and pocketing the insults and licking the shoes of his Southern master.” – Mark Twain

(More Twain political quotes here.)

Here are ten reasons why democracy doesn’t work. Listverse already did a great job of breaking it down. The number one factor for my anti-democracy stance is that people are mostly ignorant on most topics. What makes you think a majority of ignorance will breed wisdom?

Even North Koreans have the right to vote, it doesn’t make the US special, or free. When politicians extol the virtues of democracy, like with everything else, the wise position is to be skeptical. It could be that they’re trying to sell you your own blinders.

A Disclaimer About My Politics

Thanks for reading this post, I hope I challenged you in some way. Agree with me? That’s cool. Disagree? Even better. I’m just a random guy on the internet, voicing his opinion (at the time of writing this blog post – check the date; opinions change as more facts and experience are gathered). But imagine if I had the political power and will to force you to agree with me! That would be terrible, and that’s the point of voluntarism and non-aggression. You should not be forced to agree with me. Please extend me the same courtesy.

“The word ‘politics’ is derived from the word ‘poly’ meaning ‘many’, and the word ‘ticks’ meaning ‘blood sucking parasites’.” -Larry Hardiman

Political Blog Posts

• The Democrats Don’t Deserve Your Vote
• The Republicans Don’t Deserve Your Vote
• The Libertarians Don’t Deserve Your Vote
• Democracy ≠ Freedom
• I Don’t “Feel the Bern.”
• Confessions of a Public Servant
• Leaders vs. Rulers
• Libertarianism is Better Than Progressivism
• Why I Do Not Vote (And Neither Should You)
• The Traffic Court Swindle
• Top Five Reasons I Don’t Argue Politics on Social Media
• Why Meaningful Debate is Impossible
• Dos and Do Nots for the Liberty Minded
• “There ought to be a law…”
• A Defense of Fugitive Slaves
• Conspiracy Theories are Dumb

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