• khannie@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    27
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    28 days ago

    It’s not democracy if the majority can compel the minority to go against their will.

    That’s… Exactly what democracy is though. Like Brexit is a great example of this. The majority forced the minority against their will.

    I take the rest of your point though and agree. We just need to get past the “one or two arseholes” issue. I’d be happy with some kind of supermajority decision making process.

    • geissi@feddit.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      27 days ago

      It’s not democracy if the majority can compel the minority to go against their will.

      That’s… Exactly what democracy is though

      Only to some extent. Modern democracy typically includes some forms of minority protection to reduce the risk of a “Tyranny of the majority”.
      That said, the EUs qualified majority system already has some such measures, like giving smaller countries more votes in parliament relative to population.
      Also every country has an equal vote in the council.

        • Enkrod@feddit.org
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          26 days ago

          Dude, that expression is soooo much older than Maga. 1835 is not a year suspect of the right wing assholery of today.

          • Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            arrow-down
            3
            ·
            26 days ago

            Doesn’t make it any less worthless of an expression.

            The majority having a different opinion doesn’t mean they are tyrants for going through with it.

            Are there instances where it was the case? Sure. Look at slavery.

            But the great majority of the cases it is a worthless expression made by people who can’t stand they are in the minority.

            • Enkrod@feddit.org
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              26 days ago

              Nah, the expression has merit in political science, it has only recently been profaned by the US reich wing, because they like to couch their bigotry in the language of science, sociology and intellectual rigor. Because by misusing and coopting those terns, they get to redefine them in the public eye and weaken arguments against their position that rely on those terms.

              Your perception of the term “tyranny of the majority”, a term originally coined to point out the conservative overreach against and suppression of minorities, is a great example of how they colonize language.

    • Zombie@feddit.uk
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      6
      ·
      28 days ago

      Aye, you’re right in that democracy isn’t just one singular concept, there are various forms.

      But think on what the idea of democracy is supposed to represent. It’s supposed to be rule by the people. If 48% of the people are having their authority to rule superceded by the 52% then how can you say it’s rule by the people? It’s rule only by the majority. Democracy only in colloquial common parlance.

      The word democracy has been bastardised even since its very conception so it’s difficult to define without arguments. The EU however have already defined their democracy at the highest state level on similar principles that anarchists do, of consensus. All countries are equal, all countries can say no. This will throw that away in favour of less democracy, less equality, less say in how the continent functions, in tyranny of the majority.

      It will be the beginning of the end for the European project. And I’m not saying that lightly or as hyperbole.

        • poVoq@slrpnk.netM
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          27 days ago

          You are making the mistake to believe the EU can only compete by becoming what it despises. This will have the opposite effect in reality, with the EU breaking apart.

            • poVoq@slrpnk.netM
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              27 days ago

              Confederacies just don’t last very long historically. They either break or become more centralised eventually.

              [citation needed]

              (And they often break apart after briefly becoming more centralized, in an misguided attempt to force unity where there isn’t any anylonger)

                • poVoq@slrpnk.netM
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  ·
                  26 days ago

                  The US was at most very briefly a confederacy, and the US civil war had little to do with that despite one side calling itself such.

                  The EU is an obvious successful modern example, and if you want historical examples, then the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nations lasted a millenium and despite sometimes nominally having an emporer it was practically a confederation.

                  And besides, ask some person living in a Democrat majority US state how they feel about the current Trump administration of their federal government interfering with their life and sending a militarized police occupation force into their cities?