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Monday, January 17, 2011

Why Dictatorship is Often Better Than Democracy

I thought about this after hearing about Duvalier's return to Haiti,
to the cheers of many supporters.

The idea is that in a really complete, secure, dictatorship, where the
head guy is at the top for a long time, and has his position really
solidified, he may begin to think of the nation as his, literally.  We
all say "my country", but we don't mean that we own it, like we own
our car.  Saddam Hussein could have said it, and really felt that it
was literally his.  It does not matter if the title is King or Emperor
or President or whatever.   What matters is that his word is law, and
he feels totally secure in that position.   Such a person then may take care of his country the way an ordinary man takes care of his car, his house, his dog, etc.  Now not every man takes good care of his car, house, and dog, but many do.  If such a man is in possession of a country, he will take good care of it.

In contrast, in many, if not most, democratic nations, the leaders are
very insecure, and have only a short time to enjoy their power. Hence it should not be surprising if most of their mental energies go toward stashing away as much wealth as possible in Swiss banks.  In such a case no one will be trying very hard to run the country well. Perhaps we should be surprised that democracy works as well as it does in some countries.

44 comments:

  1. I agree in theory. A man with good intentions and innocent motives may use his control inorder to protect and nourish the country and its people. HOWEVER, good intentions are simply that; take into account man's selfish desire which reveals itself sooner or later. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely!" Somehow it seems that a corrupted dictatorship is easier to spot and deal with than a corrupted democrocy....

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  2. Yeah, most dictatorships are pretty bad for the populace. But there are some nations that are so dysfunctional that dictatorship may be an improvement over democracy. In a place like that it's a fake democracy anyway.

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  3. but why is democracy a far more cumbersome form of government than dictatorship

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  4. Dictatorship is simple; there is only one opinion to consider. Democracy is complicated; there are millions of opinions to consider.

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  5. thank you Mitchell
    this was helpful but I would like you to elaborate on that if you could.

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  6. Hey Mitchell
    could I have your entire name
    I would like to add you on facebook

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  7. Hey man, get a grip! Why would I give my name to someone calling himself Anonymous? And why would I Facebook friend someone who calls me turd & douchebag?

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  8. hey man
    I'm sorry
    could I at least know your nationality ?

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  9. I'm an American, by birth. A few articles below this one there is an article about the state where I now live. I think I've written 23 articles in this blog; I hope you will read the rest of them.

    That's cool that you apologized, it shows some strength of character. Many people are unable to do that.

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  10. I will definitely read the rest of your articles
    and currently I'm researching about the NASA moon landing Apollo 11 being a hoax
    I would like your opinion on this subject of matter

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  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  12. I'm certain it was not a hoax. There were thousands of people working on that project. You can't get thousands of people to cooperate on a hoax, and keep the secret.

    My doctorate is in aerospace engineering.

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  13. oh that's nice
    but what about all the allegations made against the video footage and the pictures taken on the moon. lots of scientific proof has been provided to support these allegations.

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  14. and by the way
    my name is Jean Claude and I am from France
    but I have been in India since last year as an intern in hospitals in different regions of India

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  15. Nice to meet you Jean Claude. This is not the most convenient way to chat. If you go to my profile, and then my web page, you can contact me by clicking the Comment button. That way we can exchange email addresses without showing them to the whole world.

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  16. About the the moon landing: I don't believe that there is any scientific proof that it did not occur. People can say anything on the internet.
    I know many engineers and scientists personally, since that's the field I retired from. NONE of them believe that the moon landing was a hoax.

    Were you worried a few months ago when the "rapture" was supposed to happen? That's the same sort of thing.

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  17. maybe you are right about the moon landing.

    right now in India, one of the major issues is the anti corruption movement lead by Anna Hazare

    if you are aware of this issue,
    do you believe that corruption can be eradicated in society and the government by passing a bill in the parliament against corruption?

    and do you think it is right to put the chief justice of a country under patrol as the bill suggests that even the chief justice should be put under the anti corruption bill called the LOKPAL BILL

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  18. I am aware of the anti-corruption issue, but I don't know any of the details. I approve of the goal. Corruption is bad for any society. All societies have some, but some are much worse than others. I think that any laws should apply to everyone, even the chief justice and the prime minister. You may find this website interesting:
    http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/results

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  19. I have checked out the link and it is quite interesting.
    its good to know that you support this as many Indian youngsters and adults are retaliating.
    but this man who is fighting for the bill to be passed by the govt is using unconstitutional methods such as hunger strike to achieve his goal
    do you think the govt to succumb to such blackmail.

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  20. I have not read the Indian constitution, but I doubt that there is anything in there forbidding a hunger strike. If there was not widespread popular support for anti-corruption measures this hunger strike would be mostly ignored. This is a way of forcing the government to do what the people want, which they should do anyway.

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  21. I understand what you are trying to say
    and yes , it is considered unconstitutional go on a hunger strike in India.
    thank you for your opinion
    and I'm sorry for what I did earlier
    it was very childish on my part
    and I hope to have more of these intellectual conversations with you.

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  22. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  23. YO Mitchell
    why did you remove the post
    Its okay I don't mind
    you can say whatever you like whenever you like
    dude peace out

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  24. Hi everyone
    my name is harry
    and I wanted to know that if dictatorship was accepted globally then will it help eradicate corruption from countries if good leaders are chosen

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  25. Harry, dictators are not chosen. They rise to power by means of corruption and violence. Only occasionally do we get a benevolent dictator.

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  26. but according to survey and past events
    it is proved that dictatorship leads to efficient functioning of a country even though force is used.
    even if you see china which is a socialist country if growing the fastest and it is something like a dictatorship don't you think so

    - harry

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  27. Harry, there are many dictatorships, past and present. Only some of them are efficient. Many are just the opposite. Zimbabwe is an example of that kind.

    Mitchell

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  28. Alright I get what you are trying to say.
    I am applying for admissions in the U.S.A universities and was wondering if you are aware what can help me with my SAT exam as I am from U.K

    Harry

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  29. You don't have to prepare for the SAT exam, but if you want to, there are several study guides available, as well as sample tests. You can find them in bookstores or libraries.

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  30. So then what was your SAT score like when you gave it
    and which university did you do you undergrad and postgrad studies?
    and which universities do you recommend....
    which ones are good ?

    Harry

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  31. I attended Carnegie Institute of Technology for my BS in Mechanical Engineering. After working as an engineer for several years I went back to school. I got my Ph.D from the Univ. of Calif. at San Diego, in 1970.

    The only standardized test I remember taking was the GRE, on which I had a combined score of 1420.

    As far as which university is best, that depends on what you want to study. For science & engineering I think MIT can't be beat.

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  32. ohhhkay ....
    and do you think in this time of recession
    is it wise to ask for a scholarship as a foreign student. as many universities would face many difficulties in providing it don't you think?
    it might just lower my chances of getting into one of the ivy league universities.

    Harry

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  33. Well, Harry, I don't think a person should go to college unless they have a good reason for going. Why do you want to go to college?

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  34. Hello Mitchell
    my name is Mr. James Williams
    i am the head at Braley Private school in Florida
    i would like to invite you to give a talk to our students about your career path.
    i would like to meet you personally so could i have your address and contact number.
    it would be a great honour and a good opportunity for the children to interact with an individual so qualified.
    Thank You

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  35. James, you can reach me through the "contact" button at the Earthchurch website. Be sure to include your email address. If I was to speak at your school you would have to provide transportation & lodging. I live in Arizona.

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  36. I am glad you replied Mitchell,
    yes we are ready to provide you lodging and transportation. As it is only a one day event, we would like you to come to Florida for three days.
    Thank you for the notification and i will give you my email address.
    Hoping to meet you soon.
    James

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  37. Dictators violate the rights of people and totally disregard the opinions, feelings, and well-being of others.

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    Replies
    1. Well, yeah, but I think you missed the point of my article.

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  38. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  39. but can todays world become a happy place is dictatorship is there instead of democracy

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  40. No. In most dictatorships, most of the people are not very happy. There are probably some exceptions. The thing is, there are many democracies where the people are also unhappy!

    I strongly prefer democracy, but I acknowledge that occasionally there is a benevolent dictator who does a good job.

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  41. democracy is the best

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    Replies
    1. democracy is not always the best solution in my country we have so many damn politicans i would love that one can change constitution and rule cuse we are full of corruption!

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  42. As an academic, you could you ensure your freedom of inquiry in a dictatorship where a man/woman who rules is not subject to law outside of himself/herself? On the other hand, pure democracy, which is very rare, is not a very good solution. As I see it, the best way to safeguard our liberty, including our academic freedom of inquiry (I'm an academic, BTW), is by means of a society governed not by men, but by the rule of law. Leaders are merely stewards of that law who must be held accountable to it. A populace that is aware of and educated in that rule of law is the best means of accountability to the rule of law. John Dewey throwing out history, and the critical thinking that goes with it, out of public education has not helped that case.

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