Why Representative Democracy Is Obsolete | Mises Institute
Posted by Anen-o-me@reddit | Libertarian | View on Reddit | 18 comments
Liberty cannot be reconciled with democracy:
Liberty means choosing for yourself.
Democracy means others choosing for you.
buttputt@reddit
The democratic republic is the worst form of government except for all the other ones
Anen-o-me@reddit (OP)
That used to be true. Now we finally have something better, so it's a false statement now.
Tayuven@reddit
There is so much to unpack here. How would this, in any way, be better? There are SOOOO many things not addressed here, that just get hand waved away as "well it will work out" or "believe fully in the market!"
1) The market is not democracy. It's not even representative. I can corner the market on an asset, especially a critical asset, and your input is no longer valid. You can't vote with your dollars if I own the oil, or water, or food, or land you need to survive. Your vote in a market is your wealth, which would drastically reduce even the current representation you have now in our "failed" system.
2) People represent other people all the time. I represent my kid. My attorney represents me in a lawsuit. The board of a company represents shareholders. Do we eliminate all of this as well? Almost every society is built off representation at some level. Your freedoms and desires can never be met 100% of the time, because we have to compromise. That is part of what representation is for.
3) Affiliation by group membership that is ever shifting? Where to even go with this? I can be a citizen of the world all I want, but I still LIVE somewhere. Citizenship via digital nomadism is just... it doesn't work. Do you keep moving around to wherever your current treaty is honored? What if the group I make an initial treaty with is taken over by a larger group? What if I can't make a treaty at all? This would kill any stability for any group participating.
4) Representative Democracy is not accountable? Hmm... I can vote to remove a person from office. Can I vote for my CEO to be removed? Can I force a board I disagree with, which I have a treaty with, to lose their position? This argument is literally the opposite of reality. We definitely have an issue with political accountability, but we have an even bigger issue with corporate accountability. How do you gain more accountability from a group that already uses rules / laws to skirt all accountability by arguing that they aren't responsible for the actions of their company?
I could go on, but I will stop there.
Anen-o-me@reddit (OP)
Choosing for yourself is better than others choosing for you. Every time and obviously. Not sure what you don't understand.
Tayuven@reddit
It’s only better if there is an infinite variation, in a perfectly competitive market, of which you know all the intricacies to. It’s a fantasy. Dominate players will dominate, and not necessarily because they have the best product. We literally see it today constantly. Telecom, Technology, even basic home goods (Walmart). All of them implement strategies to dominate market share until they are either the easiest or only choice.
This whole premise is to trade imperfect representation (which definitely needs an overhaul) for no representation. This idea literally says, “here, you negotiate with globe spanning powers, who hold all the cards. Don’t worry, you’re free now!” It’s just feudalism with crypto and social media.
Anen-o-me@reddit (OP)
No you underestimate the role of the State in market dominance for big corps.
Two things big corps an advantage over smaller rivals: the ability to lobby for favorable law, and inflationary monetary policy.
End those two things and the market tends towards competition, not dominant big players.
buttputt@reddit
It’s funny, the concept that people should form political orgs not based on geography but on community of interest strongly parallels how the Soviet Union organized and governed. I don’t think a capitalist Soviet is any more likely to thrive than the communist one.
Anen-o-me@reddit (OP)
I'm talking about the fully decentralized private law society.
Alternative_Pilot_92@reddit
Exactly
ZincSuppsRopeMan@reddit
People like you are just completely unserious and have a very poor grasp of how nations function
Anen-o-me@reddit (OP)
Or, we know something you don't.
ZincSuppsRopeMan@reddit
Gonna guess you know how your own poop tastes, which would make you correct
Tiny_Instruction_557@reddit
Yeah, let me know how anarchy has worked out for anyone.
Alternative-Sink675@reddit
not using system designed when information traveled by horseback = anarchy 👍
Tiny_Instruction_557@reddit
That’s it? That’s the only, singular reason you can think of? That’s the extent of your thought? It’s so simple as anything designed before cars must be bad?
You’re so deep and wise. 👍
Ok_Estate_6746@reddit
it can be changed. you can be a whole person, i can be 3/5. nothing can go wrong.
gwhh@reddit
It was obsolete when the Ancient Greeks used it.
AutoModerator@reddit
Democracy is tyranny of the majority. Read Hoppes Democracy: The God That Failed, or other works by libertarians such as Rothbard, Spooner, or Hoppe to learn about why so many libertarians oppose democracy. Also check out r/EndDemocracy
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