[tlug] Democracy and its discontents [was: Pretending to be outside Japan?]

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

Benjamin Tayehanpour writes:

 > > But I don't think the "first world" governments you speak of are
 > > actually any better.  The elites there have different ways of keeping
 > > their politicians in line, that's all.  And in the end, it comes down
 > > to "democracy is the worst form of government...".
 > 
 > Actually, that's more of a flaw in the implementation rather than in
 > democracy itself.

No, it's a flaw in democracy.  "Many eyes == shallow bugs" is a
fallacy: wisdom is not additive.[1]  That's why in voluntary associ-
ations the BDFL[2] system works so well.  Python and Linux are better
software in many ways than Emacs because GvR and Linus make better
design and implementation decisions than RMS[3].

However, in government dictatorships suck because the definition of
government is "you didn't ask for it, but you got it."  Emigration is
expensive, and typically the grass is browner where you end up.  So
you need a system where everybody has a say.

But opinions differ, so you get the committee effect (aka, everybody
has to take their own piss in the soup).  And some people are stupid
(viz, Spiro Agnew and Sarah Palin) and vicious (same examples will do
;-).  And everybody is greedy (== wants things their own way, which
might be altruistic, but what typically passes for altruism is really
paternalism).  Finally, despite frequent claims that "legislative
gridlock" is an "implementation problem", as you put it, it certainly
requires a lack of consensus.  Nor is it always bad[4] -- as the Zen
of Python puts it, "Although never is often better than *right* now."

Footnotes: 
[1]  There is a "many" effect, of course, but it's more "many hands
make light work."

[2]  Benevolent Dictator for Life.

[3]  A genius, indeed, but unfortunately he's a better philosopher
than politician, a better politician than economist, a better
economist than software architect, and a better architect than
engineer.

[4]  Though probably it usually is, at least IMVHO: "Now is better
than never."  (Zen of Python, again)