Comment by Kurimo | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Kurimo | Hacker News Reader

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Certainly, it seems appealing and, worse, people feel disenfranchised when they see polls that show the majority of people support something while the government rejects it (because people of a higher economic class or special interest side against it). This leads to them not participating in the system, which leads to further feelings of disenfranchisement. It is a negative feedback loop.

Democracy only works if people actively participate and make their voices heard. Not voting, campaigning, etc. only leads to further entrenchment of the lobbyist nightmare.

Further, rejecting democracy because "your side lost" is idiotic. When your side loses in a democracy, you get to try again in however many years when hopefully your side's arguments bear out in the negative impact of actions of the other side. When your side loses in a military dictatorship, if you try again, you go to jail.

You don't always get to have a side at all. If you are a member of a minority population, or if your political orientation is just a little bit too far outside the mainstream, you may never get a chance to vote for any candidate who represents your needs. There's that old saw about two wolves and a lamb voting on dinner; just because a political system is democratic doesn't mean it is necessarily just, or that participation would actually produce meaningful results. Abandoning the system and working around it can be the rational choice.

that's sounds like justification for criminality and violence. if you talking about trying to changes peoples minds via various forms of dialog that's still part of the system.

If you live in a society that does not hear your voice, there are ways to make that voice heard as long as the society remains free. Eventually, over time, that voice might resonate with others. Black people were not a majority when integration happened (not saying it solved all problems, but it was a step). But their plea for fairer treatment resonated with the majority and progress was made.

As soon as you abandon democracy because the majority doesn't represent you, you are surrendering your ability to be heard. When you throw out democracy, the majority doesn't disappear and become magically replaced with someone who does represent you. In most cases, a strongman with the backing of extremists in the military will end up filling that vacuum. And that person won't care about anybody's voices except his or her own.

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