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Reply To: | The philosophy, work & influences of Noam Chomsky |
Date: | Mon, 25 Aug 1997 23:17:49 +1000 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
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F. Leon Wilson wrote:
>How would you define democracy?
The conventional definition is usually accepted as being representative
democracy, that is the people only get to select people to represent them.
The problem is that, once elected, these representatives come to have quite
different, if not conflicting interests, to those they purportedly
represent. If they did not already.
Of course the real problem in a capitalist society is that the most
important decisions of society are specifically excluded from from what
passes for the democratic process. Control of the economy is not held by
governments, but by capitalists, usually through corporations.
>
>Does it have any real meaning in the world today?
I guess it does, if you are a large shareholder of major corporations. In
that case you have a real say in important matters of national and even
international affairs. If you own substantial capital, you have democratic
rights that matter. If not you don't.
This is what is meant by the term "class rule". Of course some capitalists
are more equal than others, but we don't count at all.
Bill Bartlett
Bracknell Tas.
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