Is democracy universal?

1.Are you living in a liberal democracy? Which nation? Do you feel you and others are the masters of your own country?
Not really more like a semi-democracy running towards fascism.
Turkey.
No.

2.Does a vote important to you, does it ever bring you any good thing? (if you have an experience, could you tell me in details?)
Vote is important to some extend. People can determine the tone of the government and make changes in policies as long as it didn't pose a threat to rulling class (did i mentioned I am a marxist? :D)


3.Is liberal democracy universal, can it be used in China as well as in France? Or there is no real democracy and all the so-called ones are shams?
There's no real "democracy" and there has never been (maybe with exception of Paris Commune). But liberal "democracy" would be step forward for China. A liberal "democracy" is always preferable to wild capitalism. Don't fool yourselves btw what China have is not socialism. not even close. As a Communist, I don't fight for what China have but the opposite.
 
1.Are you living in a liberal democracy? Which nation? Do you feel you and others are the masters of your own country?

Yes, the USA. However USA is a bit different from other democracies in that it is a a nation state composed of by 50 states. There is some give and take on if you and your neighbors are the masters of your government or some electorate on the other side of the country. To what extent should states be free to do as they please was a contributing factor to our civil war.

2.Does a vote important to you, does it ever bring you any good thing? (if you have an experience, could you tell me in details?)

The way elections work in America, voting is more important at the primary election level where we choose which candidates will run. After the primary election, most general elections fall along party lines.

3.Is liberal democracy universal, can it be used in China as well as in France? Or there is no real democracy and all the so-called ones are shams?

You need the culture to be able to support it. That's part of why Russia is practically a dictatorship with Putin in charge. There is no "back end" so to speak to keep the country free.
 
I don't rule :( The majority rules :( The majority impose their will on the minority who lose the elections. :(
I can't vote :( . I'm underage :(
Anyway, this thread seems interesting to me. :)
 
It's an interesting feature of Liberal Democracies that they do seem to make genuine efforts to try and protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority.
 
It's an interesting feature of Liberal Democracies that they do seem to make genuine efforts to try and protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority.

That's because political parties have a vested interest to mobilise minorities, since they are often more politically aware and can be a decisive force in political struggles between camps of comparable strength, similar to swing voters. It also my sincere opinion swing voters - as a phenomena - need to be eliminated.
 
1.Are you living in a liberal democracy? Which nation? Do you feel you and others are the masters of your own country?

Yes, the USA. However USA is a bit different from other democracies in that it is a a nation state composed of by 50 states. There is some give and take on if you and your neighbors are the masters of your government or some electorate on the other side of the country. To what extent should states be free to do as they please was a contributing factor to our civil war.

Just FYI, federalism is also a feature of democracies in Mexico, Canada, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Brazil, Argentina, India and Switzerland.
 
Sort of- the US. I don't feel in control because my opinions, values, and beliefs are out of tune with most everyone else's. I'm just an outlier, though. I've voted in just one election, the Presidential of 2012, and I didn't feel it mattered because state electoral votes are decided in winner-takes-all elections, and I didn't vote for the one who carried my state.

I don't know about democracy. It's a fairly basic concept made by humans and for humans, so it ought to be applicable to any group. That said, it's a seriously flawed system, like all political systems that are implemented on a large scale. Democracy is the worst form of government, except all the others that have been tried. But this isn't a defense of democracy. Governments of large societies are good for fighting and preventing wars, and for dealing with large-scale disasters, but otherwise they're all less than perfect and therefore failures.
 
Sort of- the US. I don't feel in control because my opinions, values, and beliefs are out of tune with most everyone else's. I'm just an outlier, though. I've voted in just one election, the Presidential of 2012, and I didn't feel it mattered because state electoral votes are decided in winner-takes-all elections, and I didn't vote for the one who carried my state.

I don't know about democracy. It's a fairly basic concept made by humans and for humans, so it ought to be applicable to any group. That said, it's a seriously flawed system, like all political systems that are implemented on a large scale. Democracy is the worst form of government, except all the others that have been tried. But this isn't a defense of democracy. Governments of large societies are good for fighting and preventing wars, and for dealing with large-scale disasters, but otherwise they're all less than perfect and therefore failures.
But I like your ideas :D
 
1.Are you living in a liberal democracy? Which nation? Do you feel you and others are the masters of your own country?
Yes. The United States. And no, I don't think ordinary people are the masters of this country.

As a practical matter, modern society as it exists now is ungovernable by ordinary people. The structures of the state and economy are too large and complicated for ordinary people control. However, I wouldn't say there's no difference between the United States and China.

While Washington may seem like a distant country to me, it's just that. A distant country. I don't feel the influence of Washington the way you feel the influence of Beijing. The idea that the government would be involved in something like a philosophy club I started is unthinkable.

So, yes, while I'm a critic of the system, and don't think I, or people around me have appreciable control over the federal government, the feeling is at least mutual. Over there, it seems that the government is both very distant, and far too close.

This is why I find it strange that your friend seems to think Democracy will turn China into America. Just the opposite. His system seems to want to turn China into Beijing, and a tiny subset of that, even. Democracy would at least let China simply be China, and let Beijing be Beijing.

2.Does a vote important to you, does it ever bring you any good thing? (if you have an experience, could you tell me in details?)
I don't vote out of ethical considerations. I won't clog up your thread with my personal philosophies on the matter, but I can say as a practical matter, voting does afford me many options.

While I have a negligible say in something like a presidential election, local elections matter quite a bit on a day to day basis, and those are still very much in the hands of ordinary people. Mayors, city councilmen, judges, tax polls, things like this really matter and are really influenced by ordinary voting and organization.

3.Is liberal democracy universal, can it be used in China as well as in France? Or there is no real democracy and all the so-called ones are shams?
I think the system is certainly adaptable to anywhere. And while I don't think democracy functionally alters the rulership of the whole country, it does allow for a degree of independence and self-expression from that rulership, and that's at least something to cherish.
 
My first 2 answers are the same as Shaihulud's, so I won't repeat them.

"People" and "class" are not real, there are only atomised individuals who spend their lives to get ahead.

Nobody has remarked on the irony that this is almost certainly the opposite of what the CCP believes?

You could also argue that the Anglo-American conquest of those countries during WWII transplanted Anglo-Saxon values onto Germany and Japan, and that they wouldn't have turned into Liberal Democracies if left to their own devices or would have done so very slowly.

That is overly simplistic. Certainly, in the case of Japan, the local powers resisted the imperial powers where they could, beginning from Japan's opening up in the 19th century. Japan's transition into liberal democracy also did not entail the wholesale adoption of Western political culture, since many facets of the ancien regimes remained after each revolution, producing the unique political culture and power centres of modern Japan that we see today.

I guess the point is people and culture are more flexible than we may sometimes think. What is unworkable under the prevailing circumstances tend to be thrown out, even by some of the most dogmatic groups. New dogma will be developed to justify and accommodate the new belief or practice, often borrowing from the old obsolete logic in order to maintain intellectual and ideological continuity (see China since the rise of Deng Xiaoping). Cultural schemas are transposable, and individuals and groups are perfectly capable of adapting (and resisting) culture change in accordance with their needs and abilities.

This takes me to my answer to the 3rd question.

3. Is liberal democracy universal, can it be used in China as well as in France?

Yes, insofar as any group can adopt and adapt liberal democracy according to their needs. Concepts and terms are fuzzy - liberal democracy can differ to some degree from one place to another without losing integrity or coherence as a concept. And just because it is not very likely for some societies to adopt liberal democracy next year or even in the next decade does not mean that the possibility that it can or will one day does not exist.
 
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