[lbo-talk] Referenda & Takings

Jim Devine jdevine03 at gmail.com
Wed Jun 29 11:35:16 PDT 2005



> In general, a main barrier to democracy is not represssion from above, but
> laziness and abdication of self-governance FROM BELOW ( to coin a phrase
> :>)) . This is a real problem , seldom discussed in relation to problems of
> democracy. Most people _want_ to be followers.

right. But this attitude is partly the result of small (or large) doses of repression from above and the costs of "getting involved."[*] This is reinforced by social pressure from one's peers. There's a vicious circle of apathy, one that's encouraged by our fearless leaders.

when people find that being a leader (perhaps as a group) has some positive effect, this can lead to a virtuous circle. (Usually, it doesn't however.)

[*] a friend of mine discovered when he was 20 or so that his parents had been commies in the 1940s -- but they had been hiding it all that time.

-- Jim Devine "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.



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