Quote:
Originally Posted by manasecret
Seems kind of silly to me. I don't think government can exist without being patronizing to some people. If the masses (including you and me) don't want anyone telling them what to do, that I think taken to the extreme would be anarchy. The fact is, despite what the masses may think it wants, they/we all do want some form of control, which means someone in power telling people what to do.
But maybe I'm not getting it. Care to elaborate, with examples perhaps?
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I didn't that article the same way you did. I don't feel the author is advocating anarchy by any means. I think he was talking about populist arguments in today's day and age, and how the dems are aiming their barbs at an old audience and thats not fitting with today's far more well educated and informed society who have created their own boogeymen and don't need a political party to create them. As Seth Godin says when speaking about social networking technology "No one cares about you, they care about them." This can be translated culturally to massive shifts in how people view politics and governance.
Also, anarchy is an unworkable system because inevitably power will recentralize through force, but also keep in mind
all government is inherently oppressive. Any law that is passed oppresses all that fall under it. Now many times these laws are necessary to maintain an individual's freedom, such as laws against violent behevior, theft, fraud, etc because those crimes are example of one individual oppressing another. It think we can all agree that it is right for a government to oppress those that would oppress others.
But laws and government can easily grow, often with good intentions, to inhibit one's personal liberty. There cannot be individual liberty without individual responsibility. When a government or organization takes
responsibility for an individual, it then controls that individual because he or she is now dependent on it.
In the end, it's a balancing act to decide to what level we wish to be controlled, and I think that is the heart of the debate that is taking place right now.
"Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one." ~ Thomas Paine