crabs in a barrel

[icaruslived]

And so it came to be, once upon a time and so very long ago, that Death would rule on the kingdom of man.

Death was a fair and just ruler, for the most part. He did not ask for too much in taxes, he did not persecute for religion, and he stayed out of education. He tolerated people of all races, all political inclinations, and all ethical

Comments

[medleymisty]

Huh.

That's a tightrope that we need to figure out how to walk, I think. Because I like to think that I believe in freedom and democracy, but I also like leaders that are intelligent and have some idea of what they're doing.

I'd like to say there's a way to have both. But it would require a huge investment in public education, and I don't think there's any way to get our current crop of leaders to do that.

[icaruslived]

I'm also fascinated by how opinions on what a democracy even looks like, never mind whether it's a good thing or not, have changed over the bare few millenia we've been around on the planet. The original Greek arguments against democracy were exactly about the issues you mention; they just thought it far far more of a knockdown argument than we do.

(Then again, the proposed solution was philosopher-kings, so...)

[halfshellvenus]

It's true that another form of 'equality' comes of leveling society, so that none are wealthier/smarter/longer-lived than the others.

It's also the danger of the rule of the mob, where everything may sink toward the lowest common denominator. Surely, that is not a good long-term goal!

[icaruslived]

"Tyranny of the majority", right? That's what the ancients were so scared off, and probably because the voices we hear today were from the rich in general.

No less an august thinker as Aristotle worked his philosophy into contortions to support slavery, so, yeaaaah.

[meridian_rose]

An interesting fable.

[icaruslived]

Thanks!

[i_17bingo]

I would like to be a fan of Demos for what he allegedly stands for, but I've seen his work lately, and it's been sub-par.

[icaruslived]

Plato would have said exactly the same thing when the "common citizens" of Athens executed Socrates. And there certainly will always be reasons for influential folk to not want their power taken away from them.

[tonithegreat]

Crabs in a barrel as political allegory is a tough thing to tackle in an idol length entry.

[icaruslived]

I hope it's clear that the piece isn't the fable, but the fable as presented in historical context! I put the whole thing in blockquotes and everything :p