Seems that about half of Americans don't understand the meaning of democracy

[Cyrano]

Are there that many stupid people out there? Are there that many racists? Are there that many malicious pricks? Given the election results, (not just this election), it sure seems that at least half of Americans are clueless as to what they're voting for.

The Republicans have spent decades trying to fuck the average American. Republicans are owned by corporations and the super wealthy, and they'll do or say whatever they're told to do or say. But what I find amazing is how many people can't see it, and then cast their votes every couple of years to fuck themselves, their children, their standard of living, and everything they claim they believe in.

I just can't get into the minds of these people. I can't, and never will, understand them. Yet they will go on fucking themselves and their descendants in each and every election.

Too bad that evolution works over millennia and not decades. And too bad we're stuck with them on this single planet we're stuck sharing, because we don't have an alternative.

If you're looking for a bottom line to this rant, here it is: Either they will win/steal total control and destroy us all. Or, somehow, humanity will survive its adolescence and go on to do great things.

[Sympthsical]

1. Democracy means voting for who I want you to

Otherwise you don't understand it.

That's a bold move, Cotton.

[Elessar Zappa]

2. We'll get through this one way or another.

Remember that even the Third Reich was only in power for 12 years (cold comfort considering millions died). I choose to believe that the fever will break at some point and we’ll be able to put our country back together again.

[Cyrano]

7. Nuclear weapons didn't exist until after the Third Reich was gone

And that's why a two bit punk like Putin is getting away with the horrors he's inflicting on Ukraine and the world.

[Cosmocat]

18. The Third Reich didn't have a fever breaking moment

The lunatic attacked Russia, and they attacked back, and the Japanese lit a fire under us and we saved the day for Eastern Europe in addition to kicking their asses.

No one is hoping on boats to come over here and sort things out for us.

This is a slight reprieve, but the forces that crank up the right wing base will continue to crank them up tighter and tighter, as they have for going on half a decade now.

We are not anywhere near the breaking point to get the "middle" of this country to stop indulging their bullshit.

[Mister Ed]

3. Answers to your questions below:

Q: Are there that many stupid people out there?
A: Yes.

Q: Are there that many racists?
A: Yes.

Q: Are there that many malicious pricks?
A: Yes.

[librechik]

4. That's the long term plan: defund public schools and urge them to cut civics and history

Mission accomplished. Another 50 yr plan from the dynastic fascists in the US.

[LAS14]

8. That's what I think is their plan and it's working. I often think..

.... about Xi Jioping's (sp?) comment to Biden that the world is too complicated for ordinary people to govern it. We seem to be well on our way to proving it so....

[GenXer47]

5. conservatives are wired differently

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100609111312.htm

...and their obsession with living in the past will never go away.

[Cosmocat]

19. The past as they imagine it ...

nm

[LAS14]

6. Yup. Even though we're doing better than pundits said, the real story here is...

.. that ALMOST HALF of the country support a party that doesn't value truth.

[SoCalDavidS]

9. This Is Why I Say, Regardless Of Individual Elections, America Cannot Be Saved

The future is Bleak, any way you look at it.

UNITED States? LOL!!! We couldn't even be "united" when facing a non-political, once in 100 years, Pandemic.

[LeftinOH]

10. "We're not a democracy..we're a republic!" they say..

.....that tiresome mantra is pretty much baked-in to modern conservative ideology. They LITERALLY do not believe in democracy - and they're more than happy to give you a (boneheaded) "civics lesson" on the matter. PragerU is really big with this narrative.

[Kaleva]

11. Are you advocating for a one party system?

[Cyrano]

12. No one who believes in democracy would opt for a one party system

Any stable democratic system requires at least two parties with differing philosophies.

But those parties must be sane. So let me answer your question.

DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT THE PARTY OF TRUMP IS A LEGITIMATE POLITICAL ENTITY?

[Kaleva]

13. So you'd consider voting R if they were sane ?

If not, why?

[Cyrano]

16. Oh, please.

[Kaleva]

17. So the other party will never be sane enough to consider voting for.

[sarisataka]

14. Democracy does not mean

Voting the same as I do.

If a person is a stupid, racist prick who wants to vote for a similar candidate who will work against their own voter's interests- that is still democracy.

Sometimes it's true:

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

H. L. Mencken

[MineralMan]

15. The thing is that our nation has been almost evenly divided

politically for a very long time. What that means is that democracy reflects that division. Sometimes, one side wins. Sometimes, it's the other side that wins.

Both sides are made up of people, each of whom, ostensibly, has the right to vote in elections. That's the very definition of democracy.

But, we don't live in a democratic country. Instead, we live in a country that is a representative democratic republic. People don't vote on issues; they vote for people who will vote for them on issues. That's the structure that is set up in our Constitution.

So, what you are describing is simply the norm. It is how this country works. Sometimes one side wins. Sometimes the other side wins.

That is the bottom line of our system of government. It is up to us to convince people that our side should win. Individually, we just get one vote apiece. We can gather together to convince others to vote the way we want. If we fail to do that, the other side will win.

It's pretty simple, really. Truly it is.