Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with democracy

Movie scenes about democracy.

EnormousTalkingOnion — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:02:11 -0800

What movie scenes would you show a middle school class to teach them the nature/importance of democracy?

List of clean and clear Iranian government transgressions against morality?

GenTso — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:29 -0800

Iranian government's worst recent and verifiable transgressions? I realize we mostly all agree a more democratic Iran is better than the pseudo-democratic, mostly theocratic system they have now, and thus we side with the pro-Mousavi protestors. But I am trying to find/put together a list of the Iranian government's worst transgressions in relation to the recent elections and resulting protests. (I have searched Mefi to no avail, and my Google-fu is not helping with clear answers as much as I thought it would - I am guessing partly because of the lack of reporters allowed - I find a lot relying too much on unverifiable sources like Twitter.)

So far, I have come up with (1)Restricting Twitters, (2) Restricting foreign reporters. There is, of course, the constant violence against protesters, but some protesters seem to be willing to get violent themselves, making murky the otherwise clear moral advantage they had. (Hoping more to find more clean and clear, irrefutable violations offensive to anyone's moral sensibilities.)

Who were these "celebrated authors" James Madison was referring to in The Federalist Paper No. 14?

Myles — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:51:38 -0800

Who were these "celebrated authors" James Madison was referring to in The Federalist Paper No. 14? Hello. Doing a short research paper on democracies vs. republics. I've seen the following passage bandied about regarding the subject. This one's from James Madison in the Federalist paper #14:

"The error which limits republican government to a narrow district has been unfolded and refuted in preceding papers. I remark here only that it seems to owe its rise and prevalence chiefly to the confounding of a republic with a democracy, applying to the former reasonings drawn from the nature of the latter. The true distinction between these forms was also adverted to on a former occasion. It is, that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person; in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. A democracy, consequently, will be confined to a small spot. A republic may be extended over a large region.

To this accidental source of the error may be added the artifice of some celebrated authors, whose writings have had a great share in forming the modern standard of political opinions. Being subjects either of an absolute or limited monarchy, they have endeavored to heighten the advantages, or palliate the evils of those forms, by placing in comparison the vices and defects of the republican, and by citing as specimens of the latter the turbulent democracies of ancient Greece and modern Italy. Under the confusion of names, it has been an easy task to transfer to a republic observations applicable to a democracy only; and among others, the observation that it can never be established but among a small number of people, living within a small compass of territory."

I'm having trouble tracing down these "celebrated authors" that Madison alludes to in this passage. Google coughs up nothing. If someone can help, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

There better not be an obvious google query for this.

prefpara — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:56:19 -0800

I'm too ignorant to properly evaluate a historical claim that I just read. I am a little skeptical of the following claim: that the United States in 1801 was "the first time in world history that an existing set of political leaders had been voted out of office by their opponents in a popular election. There was no precedent for a peaceful transfer of power..."

The first claim seems more plausible than the second (for example, surely it happened at least once that some monarch died and there was a peaceful transfer of power to the heir, who was part of an opposing group... or maybe not, I have no idea).

Is it really the case that never before had a popular election resulted in a change in governing party or group? I am not sure how I would even begin answering that question (I have no background in history). Please help me!

New World Order, really?

brandnew — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:37:21 -0800

one world government? a bad idea? Assuming a few important things, what are the relative advantages or disadvantages of one world government over many small governments?

In practice this may be difficult to pull off, I know. But, let's assume that the government is a representational democracy, that there's a common set of human rights that can be agreed upon, and that somehow it'd be possible to remedy the economical / political / logistical issues.

Are there any other major reasons why this would be a bad idea? Or is it a great idea? On the surface it seems like it'd be wonderful - but I'm naive. I never have understood the concept of nationalism. Arbitrary national boundaries, especially among democracies, seem to be a huge waste of resources (tariffs, customs, security, military) with very little value. Show me my errors in thinking...

"Yes we/they/you can/should/did!" (How has profound democratic change come about in the past?)

omnigut — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:16:38 -0800

"Is the hope for profound change misdirected in a country where almost 50% of the population voted for the incumbent party?" (Historical perspectives on this question, please) I'm looking for specific examples of democracy from above and below—when democratic leaders have "gifted" [what is generally accepted to be positive] social change without popular motivation, and others in which this change has happened from genuine democratic/popular movements. USA history preferable, but international history definitely welcome.

Of course, any musings over that answer for today's situation would be appreciated, but preferred in a private message; this question is looking for a historic perspective where great politics has occurred in the absence of clear (or, perhaps, specific) voter support.

Finally, I'm looking for links to articles/journals [and books, eventually] which examine the difference between the feelings/views expressed by people in polls, on the one hand, and the professed missions of the parties they vote for, on the other.

i.e. Do people vote for the parties that best represent them?

Rock the Helping-People-Vote

Asparagirl — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:11:07 -0800

I'm going to be a first-time volunteer poll worker on Election Day -- any tips, advice, or relevant anecdotes for me? (For what it's worth, I live in California, which is not a swing state, and the election may be called before our polls even close.)

So WHAT is wrong with socialism again?

arniec — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:08:06 -0800

PoliSci filter: I was hoping that someone can rationally, without rhetoric, explain to me why the word "Socialism" creates fear and extreme responses in far right-wing people. Soem very detailed specifics within. With all the recent economic turmoil and the elections, I'm seeing the term "socialism" a lot. With the US just today somewhat "nationalizing" some banks the term has been used. Also with Obama's proposed universal health care the term is used again. Also, I recently read that at a McCain speech an attendee said his "biggest fear" was to raise his son in a country raised by "socialists". This really made me want to say "Wha???"

First, as I understand it (and it's been a looong time since my Policital Science classes in college) the US is a Capitilistic Republic. That being two different things. Capitalistic is one thing, the Republic being another (even though we're commonly referred to as a "democracy", as I understand it we are truly a republic).

Continuing that, if we WERE to become socialist then we would STILL be a republic, people would still have freedoms and people would still vote, correct? It's not that Socialism = Communism, is it? Because can't one have a Socialist Republic country and a Capitalist Communist country?

Next, given that Socialism in theory would equalize all people financially in some or all respects depending on how far it went, why are some of the most radical opponants of it lower income blue collar people? Wouldn't those be the ones benefitting most from such a change?

Finally, I look at Canada, which I know has socialized health care. The people in Canada seem happy. I know several Canadians on a very personal level and they do not seem oppressed nor limited. They are not smuggling themselves over the border to escape socialized health care, in fact the benefit of their cheaper nature of pharmacuticals is constantly cropping up in my e-mail. So again, why the fear?

Even if we DID socialize health care (which I don't believe is actually Obama's plan but merely a right-wing framing and demonizing of Obama's plan), that would not make us "socialists" would it? To have a single natioanlized health care institution as Canada does? IS Canada socialist?

Can someone help me clear this up??

Thank you!

What tools for social and political change exist?

wonderfullyrich — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:08:28 -0800

What tools for social and political change, beyond litigation, protest, and legislation exist? I'm trying to think of positive routes to social and political change that should give people hope that we can overcome money, bias, and stupidity with truth and sanity. I'm trying to come up with a fairly comprehensive list of change strategies. Things that quickly come to mind are voting, boycotting, direct action, letters to the editor, as well as litigation, protest, and legislation. What am I missing?

I want the sound of Hail to The Chief...only as played by the ramones

rileyray3000 — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:33:58 -0800

So I'm doing a short film about a cynical Gen-Xer who gets to run the country and I'm looking for songs with either The President, Government, Democracy or something similar for the soundtrack. Ideas? I guess my first thoughts are something like Talking Heads Life During Wartime or London Calling by the clash. Except not those. Because it's not necessarily wartime in the film and it's in America and not the UK.

But I kind of want a darker spirit to the sound of the songs if that makes any sense. Like some sort of president version of Sympathy for the Devil. But the more popular the songs were, the better. Or even if it's just a section of the song that's about said topics that might work.

Or I might just be completely wrong and you all might have much better ideas than me. So don't let me limit you. Hit me with your best songs, Oval Office style.

Advice on how to protest well

davidstandaford — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 23:02:49 -0800

Advice on protesting Alberto Gonzalez speaking at my campus. It looks like Alberto Gonzalez will be speaking at my college this semester. I've talked with some friends about doing a protest and was looking for some advice.

At the moment, we are considering getting some orange jump suits and reenacting some of the the torture techniques (waterboarding, stress positions, cold temperatures, etc.) approved by the administration and him. We would also have quarter sheet fliers explaining what we're doing, a little bit about why Gonzalez is so evil, and directing people to a website for more information.

Any ideas on how to do this well? Anything we might not realize that we should know? Advice from people with more experience doing these types of protests?

Any and all information is appreciated.

Let's never have another 2004

EatTheWeak — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 09:22:54 -0800

I feel the same frustration every presidential primary season. This time around, I'd like to do something about it. So, I'm a concerned citizen from Washington State, where we're less than irrelevant when it comes to nominating presidential candidates. In 2004, I watched in horror as primary voters and the DNC nominated John Kerry over much more formidable, charismatic candidates. I don't want to have that same helpless feeling this time around -- this election's too important to spend much time on the sidelines.

So, here's my question. I haven't any spare income to make any campaign donations. And I'm only interested in moving in Iowa or New Hampshire once every four years. With these things in mind, how can the actions of a citizen in the Pacific Northwest have maximum impact on the outcomes of the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, and thus the Democratic nomination?

I've withheld my candidate of choice in the hopes that this will help prevent a derail.

Thank you!

What are the reasons for Chinese censorship?

jackypaper — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:09:17 -0800

I’m trying to help my students understand the reasons behind censorship in China. They ask very simple and yet very profound questions: Why keep information and knowledge from your people? In the long run, how can a free-thinking populace be anything but good? I tell them that those in control of government wish to perpetuate that control. If the people hear or say too many “bad” things about that government, it might be in danger of being replaced. And perhaps, by introducing too many outside philosophies, you might also be in danger of altering your culture; the fear of being overly “Westernized” is a legitimate one. But having been born in the West and nourished on Western thought and media, I am unable to speak logically from a Chinese perspective. How do I explain to American high school students, in a way that makes sense, that some governments see the introduction of unfettered speech and religious practice as detrimental?

How do I know if my elected representatives are doing a good job?

cmiller — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:35:51 -0800

How can I, a US citizen, be more informed about my lawmakers' decisions and whether they're doing a good job? I have an example that I wonder about intensely, today's Senate Intelligence Committee meeting. I think the telecom companies who helped the government wiretap us without warrants should be held responsible. The Bush administration doesn't. The Senate has a bill in review that gives retroactive immunity to any criminal activity by the telecom companies.

I'm lucky that one of my senators,Bill Nelson (FL), is on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which met today "in a closed session" to review that very bill. I called his office yesterday to express my ideas and explain why it's a bad idea to let telcom off the hook.

Well the committee meeting is over and another senator managed to put a serious road-block in front of the bill, but I want to know what my senator did to stop it, if anything. But, how?

Is there some effort like what the UK has in They Work For You . com, but for US citizens? How can that huge mess at Capital Hill be less opaque to us common men? How can I know whether my representative is worthy of my vote?

Eventually I got tired explaining

whitewall — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 06:08:11 -0800

What steps can I personally take over the next year to help abolish the electoral system and move to a popular vote for the president? (Live in Brooklyn, don't want to attend a ton of meetings, can donate $50-$100 to charity. Bonus points if I don't end up helping a specific candidate.)

Why has democracy had so many problems in developing countries?

dflemingdotorg — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 12:41:12 -0800

Why has democracy, at least our version of it in the west, proven so difficult a system of government to maintain in the third/developping world? I think this boils down to what are the conditions that we in the west had that differ from the developing world that made democracy possible. Is it because of the elites in society? The existing histories of the nations?

Links to sources on this topic would be helpful, thank you in advance.

What liberal country should I move to?

fogster — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 23:29:10 -0800

What liberal country should I escape to? (I apologize if this offends anyone, or starts a flame war. That is not my intention.) Every time I turn on the news, I find something or other that makes me feel like the country I was born into (USA, lots of civil liberties, strong economy) is not the same country I'm living in today. Even though they haven't come for me yet, I don't want to stick around until it's time.

What country could an English-speaking single guy move to that doesn't have rapidly-eroding civil liberties? My requirements include English being widely understood (I'm open to learning another language if English isn't the primary one, but I'd prefer to not have to), a stable economy (and a good job market: I'll be fresh out of college), reasonable taxes (deliberately vague), and, most importantly, civil liberties that aren't on the decline. Ideally, same-sex marriages would be recognized and performed. Decent health care is important. I am not religious, if it's relevant. I'm not too picky about climate; I currently live in New England, so I can tolerate the cold.

So what country should I move to, and why?

Technology & participatory democracy?

UbuRoivas — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 22:10:14 -0800

Why have advances in technology not led to more participatory democracy? Most western democracies hold elections every few years, with little possibility of citizens exerting any meaningful democratic influence in between.

People are unable to vote for or against specific policies - instead they must choose the party of best fit & accept its entire (stated) platform. Once voted into power, parties often break their election promises & change their policies. They also start pushing agendas that were unannounced at election time.

All of these factors, and more, give me the feeling that "democracy" has very little to do with letting the people actually run their own country, and is more like a system of holding a lottery every few years to decide which bunch of autocrats gets to do virtually whatever it wants.

I am wondering why, with all the promise of modern technology, it would not be possible to have a plebescite on every single initiative? Would this not be true democracy? If so, why does nobody seem to be agitating for it? What are the best & worst possible outcomes?

How do you run for Congress?

papakwanz — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 21:15:36 -0800

How do you run for Congress? More specifically, as a representative in the U.S. House? What forms do you need to file, how many signatures do you need, any particular qualifications that you need to meet? Any estimates on baseline costs to run a grassroots campaign, advice on how to get your message out there?

Tim Berners-Lee: The Web and Democracy

idontlikewords — Sat, 07 May 2005 16:55:31 -0800

I'm trying to find an old article about Tim Berners-Lee and the relationship between the WWW and democracy. There was a quote that went something like: "Tim built democracy into the fabric of the web." I've searched Google and turned up some related stuff; remarks by TBL about the web and democracy and so forth, but I can't seem to find this article about the relationship. I don't recall if it was a print or online piece, but I seem to remember reading it about 3 to 5 years ago, if that is any help.

Spreading Democracy

amberglow — Sun, 16 Jan 2005 08:44:59 -0800

PoliticalTheoryFilter: Given that all forms of government are eventually unsustainable or only last a certain time for whatever reason, does spreading Democracy to places that never had it actually hasten its decline? (tiny bit more inside) see Feudalism, Empires, Communism, City-States, etc

I think Communism (or the Roman Empire) may be the most closely related thing--when the USSR, for instance, gathered in satellite states behind the Iron Curtain, didn't that make it too hard to sustain?

Absentee Ballots

nelleish — Thu, 14 Oct 2004 07:38:05 -0800

When I filed my absentee ballot yesterday, the clerk insisted that my father and I vote in pencil... (more inside) She said dem's da rules, we even signed across the seal of the envelope in pencil. Now, I honestly can't remember how it went the last time I voted, and we just moved to rural, western Maine so maybe things are different here.

I went to extreme lengths to darken my boxes so it would be obvious if someone tried erasing, but that's my point. Why do we vote in pencil? Do we normally? Should I be concerned about my vote (beyond voting absentee, obviously)? My father seemed unfazed, but he's sort of trusting. Since I'm back at university in Canada, I can't trot back to the town office and ask someone official myself. Any comments?

Electoral Votes

fenriq — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 10:19:29 -0800

Can someone please explain why a candidate gets all of the electoral votes in a given state if they have the majority of votes in that state?

Wouldn't it be more sensible and accurate to allow electoral votes to be distributed according to the percent of votes carried by each candidate in that state?

Am I missing something?

Books on Ethnic Minorities in Developing Countries Dominating Said Countries' Economy?

jare2003 — Tue, 05 Oct 2004 13:28:59 -0800

Amy Chua's book "World On Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability"discusses how ethnic minorities in many developing countries dominate the country economically. (The Chinese in many southeast Asian countries, whites in parts of Africa, etc)

Do any other MeFites know of other books or resources that discuss this phenomenon? (which undoubtely will only become more prevalaent as the world globalizes)

Democracy Questions

the fire you left me — Fri, 30 Apr 2004 12:13:51 -0800

Can a free people in a democratic country that has grown to such an enormous power remain to its historically told ideals of basic human rights, government from and for the people? Could the desire for control of that power be great enough to collapse a free society? Is humankind enslaved to war?