←back to thread

808 points shaunpud | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
breppp ◴[] No.45003466[source]
Europe and Germany in particular took from the 30s-40s the lesson where freedom of expression is a risk in democracies because a demagogue can easily sway opinions. For that reason they are in a better position to protect themselves against the 21st century threat to democracy of foreign influences networks
replies(3): >>45003554 #>>45003657 #>>45003830 #
herbertgreen ◴[] No.45003657[source]
The progress of censorship in every single Western country is an admission that "democracy" is a fallacy born from an exceptional small period of time of civil peace, economic growth and wealth. Countries can only follow a stable political path - good or bad, this is not the point - if they have an authoritarian regime.

Communism did not work because it was not communist enough, now democracy is not working because it's not democratic enough. Democracy is the golden calf of westerners. I truly believe that voting rights are hurting more a society than drugs and alcohol.

replies(1): >>45003826 #
simonask ◴[] No.45003826[source]
A crucial component of democracy is free and accurate media. Every single functioning democracy in the world has institutions that can apply some amount of sanctions against newspapers and other media that do no live up to the expectation of accuracy.

They are struggling to figure out how to do this in the Information Age, but that doesn’t mean it’s not reasonable or important. Blocking propaganda posing as “news” is a stopgap measure, but we can’t do nothing if we want democracy to work.

replies(3): >>45003900 #>>45005832 #>>45006359 #
herbertgreen ◴[] No.45006359{3}[source]
Democracy immediately stops existing when elites start to prevent people of "wrongthink". Democracy is just another authoritarian system with a big downside: nobody is accountable of failures. There is no king, no chief to dethrone. Another friend of the temporary suzerain will be placed in power for a couple of years.
replies(1): >>45010702 #
1. simonask ◴[] No.45010702{4}[source]
"Elites"?

Don't project American politics to the concept of democracy. It is not the poster child, because it is not a good implementation. Nor is the decline of the US inevitable. Lots of democracies are not going through that, but watch in horror as plutocrats and fascists undermine the country, and they take steps to avoid the same fate, which is the very reason for banning things like RT.