A Bad Form of Life

Someone, although I couldn't tell you who, once famously said something profound about democracy being a bad form of government, but better than the rest. The more I see of this election process, the more wisdom I see in that, especially the "bad form" part.

It's obvious whoever said that had a much broader range of experience than I've had. Other than electing government representatives who ignore me except when they're courting my vote, I'm not sure I've seen very much democracy in action at all. Growing up I didn't have much say in how my family was run, and no job I've ever held or heard of is in any way democratic. It's always been more feudal, I think the term would be, than anything else, with rulers just telling me what to do.

After I moved out of my parents house and was living on my own, my home life was democratic, but only in the sense that there was only one vote on anything and that one my vote was mine. When I was in relationships, of course, there was still only one vote, but it was no longer mine. The women always have the trump card, all the power, and I have no argument with that.

Anyway, whoever said that famous quote about democracy must never have seen McCain and Palin's supporters. There are lots of them, maybe a majority, but very few of these people show me much of anything that would lead me to believe that they should have a say in how anything important is decided. The world, now, and maybe for quite some time, has been too complicated for me to figure out, and I think I'm one of the bright ones. With so much going on, and so little of it black and white or easily reducible, common people just don't stand a chance.

And, yet, we give them all votes.

In spite of their having invented democracy, or so I've heard, it's just a shame that Plato's elites never took hold. People who run things and make decisions should have skill sets that go beyond coaxing the electorate to think they're the ones who can best represent them. Palin has a great stage presence and can give a whopper of a speech, but I don't trust her judgment on anything I feel is important. Obama, also, gives great speeches, but at least he seems to have thought about what he's saying instead of just telling us what we want to hear.

All I'm saying is that I'm not sure I wouldn't be equally miserable living under some sort of meritocracy. I don't think only white landowners should vote, but I also don't think all these yahoos yelling USA! or scowling whenever the terms Bush, socialist, elitist, or liberal is tossed at them from instinctive reactions are the ones I want setting my future, either.

I'm not sure if another revolution will ever come, but I doubt I'll be alive when it happens. In my life, sadly, only other stuff happens.