NationStates Jolt Archive


Benevolent dictatorship or dysfunctional democracy?

Purly Euclid
30-05-2004, 02:07
I'm just curious to see who picks what.
Letila
30-05-2004, 02:20
Benevolent can never appear. In the same sentence as dictator.

-----------------------------------------
"Beside him is a beautiful androgyne called SWITCH, aiming a large gun at Neo."--Script of The Matrix (I love The Matrix, but that is still funny.)
Free your mind! (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/berkman/comanarchism/whatis_toc.html)
I like big butts!
http://img63.photobucket.com/albums/v193/eddy_the_great/steatopygia.jpg
Kwangistar
30-05-2004, 02:34
Benevolent dictatorship, assuming that it stays benevolent.
Temme
30-05-2004, 02:35
Dysfunctional democracy. People can always boot out the dysfunctional government and replace it with a new one. Such as what will hopefully take place in Canada on June 28th.
Tuesday Heights
30-05-2004, 02:35
Dysfunctional democracy.
Paranoid Philosopher
30-05-2004, 02:47
Actually, it has been philisophically proven, that a constantly benevolent dictatorship is the best possible form of government :shock: . I'm not kidding. It's true.

It just happens that most dictators generaly happen to be bad. As they say: "Power corrupts...and absolute power corrupts absolutely (but is rocks absolutly too)." :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Plus, if you think about it, God is a benevolent dictator.
Roania
30-05-2004, 02:53
Benevolent dictatorship.

BTW, Letila, in your response to RA's thread you called Pinochet an avatar of evil. Since he was an advocate of the rule of law, and evil is chaos, I'm afraid you're wrong... he wasn't a nice person, but he wasn't evil either.

I'm afraid that Bukharin is more fitting that title...
Purly Euclid
30-05-2004, 02:54
Benevolent dictatorship.

BTW, Letila, in your response to RA's thread you called Pinochet an avatar of evil. Since he was an advocate of the rule of law, and evil is chaos, I'm afraid you're wrong... he wasn't a nice person, but he wasn't evil either.

I'm afraid that Bukharin is more fitting that title...
Let's not turn this into a conversation about Chile. There's already a thread for that.
Letila
30-05-2004, 02:58
BTW, Letila, in your response to RA's thread you called Pinochet an avatar of evil. Since he was an advocate of the rule of law, and evil is chaos, I'm afraid you're wrong... he wasn't a nice person, but he wasn't evil either.

Evil is unhappiness, not chaos. Chaos is good if it leads to happiness and bad if it leads to unhappiness.

I'm afraid that Bukharin is more fitting that title...

I wouldn't say that, but Kropotkin was much cooler.

Actually, it has been philisophically proven, that a constantly benevolent dictatorship is the best possible form of government . I'm not kidding. It's true.

At the risk of offending the great and unquestionable philosophers, I'd say that no government is the best government.

-----------------------------------------
"Beside him is a beautiful androgyne called SWITCH, aiming a large gun at Neo."--Script of The Matrix (I love The Matrix, but that is still funny.)
Free your mind! (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/berkman/comanarchism/whatis_toc.html)
I like big butts!
http://img63.photobucket.com/albums/v193/eddy_the_great/steatopygia.jpg
Greater Valia
30-05-2004, 02:59
anarchy bad; government, rule, and order good!
Temme
30-05-2004, 02:59
. . .Plus, if you think about it, God is a benevolent dictator.

True, but God is perfect. We humans are not. I honestly don't think that there can be a benevolet dictatorship here on Earth.
30-05-2004, 03:00
Anything with the word "Dictatorship" in it has got to be good! :twisted: :evil:
Roania
30-05-2004, 03:00
Actually, it has been philisophically proven, that a constantly benevolent dictatorship is the best possible form of government :shock: . I'm not kidding. It's true.

It just happens that most dictators generaly happen to be bad. As they say: "Power corrupts...and absolute power corrupts absolutely (but is rocks absolutly too)." :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Plus, if you think about it, God is a benevolent dictator.

Actually, it's also been philosophically proven that philosophers are amongst the first to get shot in a dictatorship. So, essentially, you're advocating your own death. :wink:

Been a while since I've seen someone try that...
Myrth
30-05-2004, 03:01
Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Which will of course be benevolent.
Greater Valia
30-05-2004, 03:03
Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Which will of course be benevolent.

haha, thats funny
Temme
30-05-2004, 03:03
Well, a Dictatorship of the Proletariat would turn into a Dictatorship of the Evil Dictator. Look at the former Soviet Union. The workers were among the worst treated.
Letila
30-05-2004, 03:04
anarchy bad; government, rule, and order good!

Order is evil if it causes unhappiness.

-----------------------------------------
"Beside him is a beautiful androgyne called SWITCH, aiming a large gun at Neo."--Script of The Matrix (I love The Matrix, but that is still funny.)
Free your mind! (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/berkman/comanarchism/whatis_toc.html)
I like big butts!
http://img63.photobucket.com/albums/v193/eddy_the_great/steatopygia.jpg
Myrth
30-05-2004, 03:04
Well, a Dictatorship of the Proletariat would turn into a Dictatorship of the Evil Dictator. Look at the former Soviet Union. The workers were among the worst treated.

The USSR can hardly be considered a good example of a liberal socialist model :wink:
Roania
30-05-2004, 03:06
Well, a Dictatorship of the Proletariat would turn into a Dictatorship of the Evil Dictator. Look at the former Soviet Union. The workers were among the worst treated.

Strangely, the only soviet ruler who could really be considered a 'dictator' was Stalin. Brehznev and Kruschev were both fairly liberal in their views, in comparison. Lenin actually believed in the ideals he spoke.

All Stalin believed in was power for himself. A man after my own heart...

/me hugs the wuvvable Stalin. :wink:
Imperial Ecclesiarchy
30-05-2004, 03:07
Both have equal capability for both evil or good. In effect, there is little difference in my mind. I like order and all, but when humanity is locked into stasis in such a dictatorship, there is no hope. I know that hope is the first step on the road to dissapointment, but without it, where is the hope for a better future?
Greater Valia
30-05-2004, 03:07
Well, a Dictatorship of the Proletariat would turn into a Dictatorship of the Evil Dictator. Look at the former Soviet Union. The workers were among the worst treated.

The USSR can hardly be considered a good example of a liberal socialist model :wink:

so? its what happens every time the ignorant masses get tricked into going along with a few rich mens "revolution" so they can sieze power and destroy the infrastructure of a country :evil:
Ashmoria
30-05-2004, 03:10
arent all democracies at least bordering on dysfunctional?
thats my kind of government!
Letila
30-05-2004, 03:11
All Stalin believed in was power for himself. A man after my own heart...

Lay off the authoritarianism. If a dictatorship appeared tommorrow, you wouldn't be the dictator.

-----------------------------------------
"Beside him is a beautiful androgyne called SWITCH, aiming a large gun at Neo."--Script of The Matrix (I love The Matrix, but that is still funny.)
Free your mind! (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/berkman/comanarchism/whatis_toc.html)
I like big butts!
http://img63.photobucket.com/albums/v193/eddy_the_great/steatopygia.jpg
Myrth
30-05-2004, 03:11
Well, a Dictatorship of the Proletariat would turn into a Dictatorship of the Evil Dictator. Look at the former Soviet Union. The workers were among the worst treated.

Strangely, the only soviet ruler who could really be considered a 'dictator' was Stalin. Brehznev and Kruschev were both fairly liberal in their views, in comparison. Lenin actually believed in the ideals he spoke.

All Stalin believed in was power for himself. A man after my own heart...

/me hugs the wuvvable Stalin. :wink:

Hmm... I'd have said Gorbachev was the only one who was liberal in his views after Lenin. The problem with Gorbachev was that he unleashed something too quickly, so it couldn't be controlled. Had control been maintained throughout the reforms, the USSR would probably be alive and well today.
Roania
30-05-2004, 03:12
All Stalin believed in was power for himself. A man after my own heart...

Lay off the authoritarianism. If a dictatorship appeared tommorrow, you wouldn't be the dictator.

-----------------------------------------
"Beside him is a beautiful androgyne called SWITCH, aiming a large gun at Neo."--Script of The Matrix (I love The Matrix, but that is still funny.)
Free your mind! (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/berkman/comanarchism/whatis_toc.html)
I like big butts!
http://img63.photobucket.com/albums/v193/eddy_the_great/steatopygia.jpg

Well, no, I'm too young and I haven't finished (hell, started) basic military training. Wait a few more years... I'm taking the Salazar route. Why don't you lay off the anarchism? You know it never works in a practical sense.
Josh Dollins
30-05-2004, 03:12
I'll say democracy on this one of course because reform can take place and so on. Small, limited, government with some order certainly and good defense is a good thing. Yeah I'm hoping and looking forward to some change up north in canada (I support the right wingers up there)
Roania
30-05-2004, 03:13
Hmm... I'd have said Gorbachev was the only one who was liberal in his views after Lenin. The problem with Gorbachev was that he unleashed something too quickly, so it couldn't be controlled. Had control been maintained throughout the reforms, the USSR would probably be alive and well today.

I said in comparison to Stalin, Myrth...which isn't hard, Hitler was liberal when compared to Stalin.
Moonshine
30-05-2004, 03:16
Benevolent dictatorship.

BTW, Letila, in your response to RA's thread you called Pinochet an avatar of evil. Since he was an advocate of the rule of law, and evil is chaos, I'm afraid you're wrong... he wasn't a nice person, but he wasn't evil either.

I'm afraid that Bukharin is more fitting that title...

Chaos is not evil, unless you're living in the WH40K universe. You could say that you owe your existance to there being a certain level of chaos in the universe. Without it, there wouldn't even be a big bang - just endless, unchanging nothingness. Chaos is change, and though not all change is good, not all change is bad either.

<edit>I can't help but think of the War of Powers novels here. Definitely relevant.
Temme
30-05-2004, 03:16
Liberal? Even during Lenin's day, people were being sent to Siberia for disagreeing with the Soviets. In fact, I read somewhere that the only type of people Stalin killed that Lenin didn't were Communist Party members. And Lenin also drove a Rolls-Royce.
Greater Valia
30-05-2004, 03:22
shouldnt someone start a new thread for the soviet discussion? we're getting a little off of topic
Temme
30-05-2004, 03:28
Sorry.
Greater Valia
30-05-2004, 03:29
Sorry.

dont be sorry, its interesting. just we need to be careful with the mod crackdowns and such
Temme
30-05-2004, 03:33
I made the new thread.
Myrth
30-05-2004, 03:39
Sorry.

dont be sorry, its interesting. just we need to be careful with the mod crackdowns and such

http://www.notbored.org/big-brother.jpg
Greater Valia
30-05-2004, 03:40
Sorry.

dont be sorry, its interesting. just we need to be careful with the mod crackdowns and such

http://www.notbored.org/big-brother.jpg

hahaha........ :?
Free Soviets
30-05-2004, 05:34
Actually, it has been philisophically proven, that a constantly benevolent dictatorship is the best possible form of government :shock: . I'm not kidding. It's true.

ain't no such thing as philosophic proof beyond the level of trivialities. all arguments only work if the premises are true - and that is almost always up for debate.

and plato can suck it.
Cappa De Latta
30-05-2004, 05:37
Dysfunctional democracy. People can always boot out the dysfunctional government and replace it with a new one. Such as what will hopefully take place in Canada on June 28th.


I hope your new one is Conservative, Your current Liberal regime sucks.
Clam Fart Ampersand
30-05-2004, 05:45
benevolent dictatorship.

No departments, just a guy who sees what needs to be done and does it.

Too bad it doesn't work. it could in a small country though.
Johnistan
30-05-2004, 05:47
Works in Singapore
Cappa De Latta
30-05-2004, 05:52
benevolent dictatorship.

No departments, just a guy who sees what needs to be done and does it.

Too bad it doesn't work. it could in a small country though.


*cough*Cuba*cough*
Deeloleo
30-05-2004, 06:41
Dysfunctional democracy, the beauty of democracy is that a regime is not permanent.
Eridanus
30-05-2004, 06:52
I pick the democracy, because I live in one....kinda. And my nation is in the region Alliance of Democracy, so I kinda have to pick that one.
Occupant
30-05-2004, 09:29
All democracies are dysfunctional. No dictatorship has been benevolent.

That being said, I want to be a dictator in a cleptocracy. I hear the pay is pretty good.
Smeagol-Gollum
30-05-2004, 09:36
Democracy. It has built in "remove bad government" ability.

Benevolent dictatorship has no mechanism that can possibly guarantee any succession. If you are "lucky" enough to find a benevolent dictator (and I can think of no examples) then your dictator is human and will age and die. So even the "president for life" situation breaks down.

The subsequent power struggle is usually bloody, with no guarantee that you will gain another "benevolent" dictator.
Kwangistar
30-05-2004, 13:43
benevolent dictatorship.

No departments, just a guy who sees what needs to be done and does it.

Too bad it doesn't work. it could in a small country though.


*cough*Cuba*cough*

Yeah maybe it has to be smaller than Cuba or something. :wink:
Purly Euclid
30-05-2004, 15:18
Democracy. It has built in "remove bad government" ability.

Benevolent dictatorship has no mechanism that can possibly guarantee any succession. If you are "lucky" enough to find a benevolent dictator (and I can think of no examples) then your dictator is human and will age and die. So even the "president for life" situation breaks down.

The subsequent power struggle is usually bloody, with no guarantee that you will gain another "benevolent" dictator.
I forgot his name, but the former dictator of Nigeria was considered to be a benevolent dictator.
Socalist Peoples
30-05-2004, 15:57
mussalini?

was he a benevolent dictator drawn usunder or just really bad?
Silly Mountain Walks
30-05-2004, 16:01
Benevolent dictatorship is better as long as stays benevolent then a disfunctional democracy wich can be a copy of a fascist state(stolen elections, wars for oil , prisonar raping aso.)
Dragons Bay
30-05-2004, 16:05
Benevolent dictatorship! I don't have to assume it stays benevolent because it is benevolent.

Dysfunctional democracy sucks. Look at America. All those disgusting sex scandals popping up here and there for what? YOUR VOTE! Look at Taiwan. Near-miss from assassination on Chen Shui-bien's life. For what? SO THAT HE LOSES FOREVER! Look at the Philippines. Shootouts and riots. For what? SO THAT LESS SOULS CAN VOTE FOR YOUR OPPONENT. Look over here in Hong Kong. The Legislative Council (aka Congress/Senate/Parliament) becomes a warzone everytime the councillors meet. For what? ME TO POWER!

Bad. All bad.
Silly Mountain Walks
30-05-2004, 16:16
Benevolent dictatorship! I don't have to assume it stays benevolent because it is benevolent.

Dysfunctional democracy sucks. Look at America. All those disgusting sex scandals popping up here and there for what? YOUR VOTE! Look at Taiwan. Near-miss from assassination on Chen Shui-bien's life. For what? SO THAT HE LOSES FOREVER! Look at the Philippines. Shootouts and riots. For what? SO THAT LESS SOULS CAN VOTE FOR YOUR OPPONENT. Look over here in Hong Kong. The Legislative Council (aka Congress/Senate/Parliament) becomes a warzone everytime the councillors meet. For what? ME TO POWER!

Bad. All bad.

Ok you found your first voter :wink:
Dragons Bay
30-05-2004, 16:19
Benevolent dictatorship! I don't have to assume it stays benevolent because it is benevolent.

Dysfunctional democracy sucks. Look at America. All those disgusting sex scandals popping up here and there for what? YOUR VOTE! Look at Taiwan. Near-miss from assassination on Chen Shui-bien's life. For what? SO THAT HE LOSES FOREVER! Look at the Philippines. Shootouts and riots. For what? SO THAT LESS SOULS CAN VOTE FOR YOUR OPPONENT. Look over here in Hong Kong. The Legislative Council (aka Congress/Senate/Parliament) becomes a warzone everytime the councillors meet. For what? ME TO POWER!

Bad. All bad.

Ok you found your first voter :wink:
:oops: just randoming ranting. nothing worth voting for. teeheehee :oops: :oops:
Qual3
30-05-2004, 16:19
In reply to


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paranoid Philosopher wrote:
. . .Plus, if you think about it, God is a benevolent dictator.


True, but God is perfect. We humans are not. I honestly don't think that there can be a benevolet dictatorship here on Earth.

If your into the whole judeau-christian thing, actually christ set the path to ressurrection of the human spirit-(the divine, perfect spirit), in life and in death, this has been the central dogma of holy monarchy's for hundreds of years, some have fallen victim to the belief of imperfection and corruption , this is true. but according to the central doctrine of the judeau-christian tradition, we have a choice; salvation or the continuation of a fall from grace, IN!!!!!!!!!!!!! LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ASWELL AS IN DEATH
Milostein
30-05-2004, 18:35
The subsequent power struggle is usually bloody, with no guarantee that you will gain another "benevolent" dictator.
That's why one of a benevolent dictator's duties is to select his benevolent heir before he dies. Or better yet, to teach his children from young age how to be a benevolent dictator and selecting the one who learned best.
Letila
30-05-2004, 19:26
I think that even a benevolent dictatorship would leave much do be desired. I want an opportunity to participate in what happens in my country, something I get in very limited amounts even in democracy.

-----------------------------------------
"Beside him is a beautiful androgyne called SWITCH, aiming a large gun at Neo."--Script of The Matrix (I love The Matrix, but that is still funny.)
Free your mind! (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/berkman/comanarchism/whatis_toc.html)
I like big butts!
http://img63.photobucket.com/albums/v193/eddy_the_great/steatopygia.jpg