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Title: People Are too Dumb for Democracy
Source:
YaHoO
URL Source: http://news.yahoo.com/people-arent- ... rish-scientists-185601411.html
Published: Mar 5, 2012
Author: Natalie Wolchover
Post Date: 2012-03-05 14:18:48 by Armadillo
Keywords: None
Views: 201
Comments: 13
The democratic process relies on the assumption that citizens (the majority of them, at least) can recognize the best political candidate, or best policy idea, when they see it. But a growing body of research has revealed an unfortunate aspect of the human psyche that would seem to disprove this notion, and imply instead that democratic elections produce mediocre leadership and policies. The research, led by David Dunning, a psychologist at Cornell University, shows that incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people's ideas. For example, if people lack expertise on tax reform, it is very difficult for them to identify the candidates who are actual experts. They simply lack the mental tools needed to make meaningful judgments. As a result, no amount of information or facts about political candidates can override the inherent inability of many voters to accurately evaluate them. On top of that, "very smart ideas are going to be hard for people to adopt, because most people don’t have the sophistication to recognize how good an idea is," Dunning told Life's Little Mysteries. Poster Comment: If you disagree with my opinions you are clearly incompetent, and a danger to the country.
For the good of the Republic, I declair myself Caesar Caligula Americanus, ruler of North America (including the new provence formerly known as Canada).
Culling begins in 5 minutes...
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#2. To: Armadillo (#0)
Democracy is rule by consensus, and if you live in a country full of stupid people, you can pretty well expect to get what you deserve. There are two answers for the individual. The first answer is to forcibly educate the stupid, the willfully ignorant, or the deceptive to make better choices. The second answer is to leave the country, and try to find a place where you can live in peace far away from the morons who make the world a living hell.
Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. Theoretic politicians, who have patronized this species of government, have erroneously supposed that by reducing mankind to a perfect equality in their political rights, they would, at the same time, be perfectly equalized and assimilated in their possessions, their opinions, and their passions.
#5. To: farmfriend (#3)
Madison was the best! ;)
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#3. To: TommyTheMadArtist, Armadillo, BTP Holdings (#2)
James Madison
Replies to Comment # 3. James Madison
#8. To: farmfriend, all (#3)
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