Interesting mind exercise. I immediately imagined a conversation that went something like this:
me: So I'm supposed to pick a form of government, right? But I can't think of a kind I'd choose, given my druthers. What if I pick nothing?
you: No, you have to pick something.
me: But if it's compulsory, then no matter which I pick I get tyranny.
you: No, no, it's just that if you don't pick somebody else will do it for you. So you'd better pick.
me: And whichever I pick gets imposed on everybody else?
you:No, it's majority rule. But there's gonna be one chosen.
me: Oh. So, no matter which I pick I get tyranny. I don't want to play.
And that's the problem with politics. I understand - I really do - that in a continent crammed with half a billion people there is going to be a government, and there needs to be. My idea of a perfect world is something like, 'I'll leave you alone, and you leave me alone, and let's just be neighbors.' That works in a community of maybe twelve, and is provably not scalable to a continent. The things that would go wrong in my perfect world are the stuff of interesting history classes, if anyone is left to teach them.
On the other hand, show me a form of government that doesn't involve organized genocide at some point or another...
Oops - I'm having computer issues. Please delete the comment above (and this one) because at first I just saw a blank sheet with "United States of America" on top and jumped to a very wrong conclusion. Sorry.
Interesting mind exercise. I immediately imagined a conversation that went something like this:
ReplyDeleteme: So I'm supposed to pick a form of government, right? But I can't think of a kind I'd choose, given my druthers. What if I pick nothing?
you: No, you have to pick something.
me: But if it's compulsory, then no matter which I pick I get tyranny.
you: No, no, it's just that if you don't pick somebody else will do it for you. So you'd better pick.
me: And whichever I pick gets imposed on everybody else?
you:No, it's majority rule. But there's gonna be one chosen.
me: Oh. So, no matter which I pick I get tyranny. I don't want to play.
And that's the problem with politics. I understand - I really do - that in a continent crammed with half a billion people there is going to be a government, and there needs to be. My idea of a perfect world is something like, 'I'll leave you alone, and you leave me alone, and let's just be neighbors.' That works in a community of maybe twelve, and is provably not scalable to a continent. The things that would go wrong in my perfect world are the stuff of interesting history classes, if anyone is left to teach them.
On the other hand, show me a form of government that doesn't involve organized genocide at some point or another...
Oops - I'm having computer issues. Please delete the comment above (and this one) because at first I just saw a blank sheet with "United States of America" on top and jumped to a very wrong conclusion. Sorry.
ReplyDelete