NationStates Jolt Archive


Democracy's death

Zilam
18-04-2006, 02:53
Now do not get me wrong, I love America with every beat of my heart, but sometimes I wonder if we are going the right way. Do we really live in the democracy that we believe in and hold so dearly? Let me tell you a short story that goes along with this.

Once upon time, in a glorious kingdom far away, there lived a people most happy. Every day was better than the last, and the sun always shined down upon them. In this kingdom ever person had a job, and completed their job with the reassurance that they did the best they could, and that they made a difference. Everyone knew one another, and helped out when possible. These happy people were taken care of by their beloved king. This king was a champion warrior, he stood for what was right, and fought against what was wrong. But he was a king in name only, this man ruled with the authority of the people. He never made a decision with out their consent. However, one day this king suddenly died. In order with the rules of the kingdom, the next king was choosen by the Elders. The elders were a group of people that were rarely in contact with the people. They supposedly had great power, and some even said they controlled the kingdom. These Elders choose a man that most of the people in the kingdom did not approve of. They all knew that he had a shady past, and he didn't seem to know what to do with the power alloted to him. This new king was in office for a few days and everything seemed to go well. However, something terrible happened. The sun stopped shining. Many people became upset. In fact many people never came out of their house again. The remaining population looked to the king for support. He made the statement that another kingdom far away was evil and stealing the sun for themselves. The king urged the people to help him go and get the sun back. Most everyone agreesd. How could they not? The sun was everything they had ever known. For many days the people of the kingdom battled to get the sun back. After the other, evil kingdom was defeated, everyone expected to see the sun shine again. Yet this did not happen. The sun was no where to be found. Again the people looked to the king. The king said that this time the people needed to go and get the sun from another country. This country was more evil than the one before and had very bad weapons that they were going to use against the people's kingdom. This time not everyone went with the king to retrieve the sun. They thought that maybe if they stayed home, they could find another way to make the sun comeback. Eventually the king told the kingdom that the entire world was bad, and the kingdom should fight them for the sun back. there were only two or three people that went with the king. Some people started saying that the king himself was hiding the sun. The king was mad at those other people, so he put them in specil jails. He said that they hated the kingdom and they supported the evil doers that stole the sun. The king went with his little group of followers and tried to attack every other kingdom, but they were beat badly. The king came back and started putting everyone in jail. He said some people were too ugly, or fat, and that even some people were darkness lovers. the king even put the elders in jail. He claimed that they were plotting to overthrow him. Pretty soon everyone in the kingdom was in jail, except for the king. But he didn't care, he was happy in fact. He stood before the jail one day and told the people that he really had the sun the whole time. The king took the sun from its spot and he put it in his brand new castle. He thought he would be happy forever. But he forgot that he had no one to protect the kingdom. One day, all the other kingdoms came and they killed the king, and set the prisoners free from jail. That day they decided that the sun should be split up so that everyone in the world can have a peice of the sun and no one can fight over it. And they all lived happily ever after.

Now you can take that story to mean whatever you want to. I am simply trying to point out that we are often worried when we can't see the sun, but remember that our king could just be hiding it for his own greedy reasons.

TP
Bodies Without Organs
18-04-2006, 03:01
Do we really live in the democracy that we believe in and hold so dearly?


No. You live in a federal republic with a constitutional basis.
Posi
18-04-2006, 03:01
I cannot believe that I actually read that.
Freising
18-04-2006, 03:02
United States is a republic, not a democracy.

Republics and democracies have their advantages and disadvantages, but the problem is, after you have a republic going for a while, it starts to implode. Look at the case of the Roman Empire: It was torn apart by corruption. Don't get me wrong, republics are a good overall political system, but very vulnerable to corruption and powerhungry politicians. Many Democrats and Republicans alike in our congress are corrupt/powerhungry fools. The only people who make good politicians are people who don't want to be politicians.
Greill
18-04-2006, 03:02
I cannot believe that I actually read that.

I concur. I want my time back. And my brain cells.
Bodies Without Organs
18-04-2006, 03:03
I cannot believe that I actually read that.

I didn't: I got derailed at the third sentence.
Zilam
18-04-2006, 03:04
ok...excuse me... OUR CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC is dead...jesus...people always have to be so fucking anal about things.
Zilam
18-04-2006, 03:07
See i spent all that time writing that nice little story..and this is the reponse i get? Man pisses me off. Thats why i hate NS general. Everyone has to be a prick about everything. Whatever happened to being nice or something
Teh_pantless_hero
18-04-2006, 03:09
I cannot believe that I actually read that.
I scanned it, realized it didn't have paragraphs, and didn't bother.
Posi
18-04-2006, 03:10
See i spent all that time writing that nice little story..and this is the reponse i get? Man pisses me off. Thats why i hate NS general. Everyone has to be a prick about everything. Whatever happened to being nice or something
Bush stole our sun. :D
Zilam
18-04-2006, 03:12
Bush stole our sun. :D


Exactly :P haha
Greill
18-04-2006, 03:14
Thats why i hate NS general. Everyone has to be a prick about everything. Whatever happened to being nice or something

Nah, it's not that we're pricks on everything. It's just we like to pick on you.
Soheran
18-04-2006, 03:15
See i spent all that time writing that nice little story..and this is the reponse i get? Man pisses me off. Thats why i hate NS general. Everyone has to be a prick about everything. Whatever happened to being nice or something

It's a good story. The point it makes is quite accurate, and very clear.

You really should have divided it into paragraphs, though.
[NS]Liasia
18-04-2006, 03:17
The story says bush is destroying democracy, yes? Good. i just saved myself a couple of minuites.
Zilam
18-04-2006, 03:18
It's a good story. The point it makes is quite accurate, and very clear.

You really should have divided it into paragraphs, though.


Yeah i know..if i feel up to it, i might go through and edit it later...
Jerusalas
18-04-2006, 03:19
Lethargus Mortuus Est
The Abomination
18-04-2006, 03:22
Cool story. Got the point across well enough.

My thoughts are: democracy is ultimately created by the people and controlled by the people. But as none of the people have usually ever had a chance to govern a country, it is unlikely that their opinion on the running of the state will be an informed one (NS players aside ;) ). Absent of informed opinion, there is emotion; the quintessential human vulnerability and very, very easy for someone with enough charisma (or failing that, powerful financial and media backers) to manipulate and therefore convince people to follow his lead. Or, far more usually, his commands. I can't think of a democratic leader who has ever lead from the front, as it were, though I am sure I can be proved wrong.

Democracy is like communism. Awesome idea in principle, bloody difficult to enact with the sociology/psychology/technology currently within our grasp.
Dinaverg
18-04-2006, 04:16
Nah, it's not that we're pricks on everything. It's just we like to pick on you.

I know I do. *nod*

I stopped reading when sun=oil/freedom came about.
Soheran
18-04-2006, 04:57
Liasia']The story says bush is destroying democracy, yes? Good. i just saved myself a couple of minuites.

No, not really. It makes a more general point, one that is not an exact parallel to the US situation.
Hyperspatial Travel
18-04-2006, 05:10
The point of the story is really quite simple. Bush stole the sun, and hid it (where the sun normally doesn't shine). Then he watched Teletubbies until Britain invaded.
Canada6
18-04-2006, 18:28
I think questioning the powers that be, does the soul and the country a lot of good. Especially when the powers that be are republicans.
The Campbell dynasty
18-04-2006, 18:30
See i spent all that time writing that nice little story..and this is the reponse i get? Man pisses me off. Thats why i hate NS general. Everyone has to be a prick about everything. Whatever happened to being nice or something

very good point i agree with you