Political Discussion Inspired Rant

[4thofeleven]

Alright, all you people who think yourselves ever so clever by butting into political discussions to announce that “The United States isn’t democracy, it’s a republic!”? Yeah, shut the hell up, please.

No, the US is not a direct democracy – but that’s hardly the only ‘real’ form of democracy. Representative democracies can be just as legitimately referred to as democracies, alright? Plus, you guys have lots of referendums and initiatives that are put to the popular vote, so you’ve got at least some elements of a direct democracy anyway.

Yes, the US is a republic – that’s not something special you get to brag about. A republic technically is nothing more than a state that is not governed by a monarch. Britain or Australia are (representative) democracies, but not republics, while China or Belarus are republics while not being democracies. The United States is both; they’re not mutually exclusive terms.

So stop saying it, alright? All it does is make you look ignorant.

Thank you.

Comments

[lyore.livejournal.com]

This is probably not what you intended, but I now have the urge to reply to those "The United States isn't a democracy, it's a republic!" posts with "Just like China". And then wait for it to explode.

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

It is a curious argument for *defenders* of the current US system of government to make, isn't it? I wonder where the phrase originally came from...

[lyore.livejournal.com]

A desire to intimidate people with their (erroneous) political knowledge, while simultaneously implying that since the US is not a democracy, then they should just sit down and shut up?

Or maybe I'm just cynical...

Some of them are probably the same ones

[bellatrys.livejournal.com]

who try to shut down religious debates by boasting that "The Church is NOT a democracy!" where they are admittedly on stronger footing, but...

Re: Some of them are probably the same ones

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

Well, you *could* argue that the Catholic Church is a democracy, albeit one with a very limited suffrage, and its highest elected office is elected for life... *grin*