And Slowly It Falls Apart...

Theory of the Herd Shows Weak Spots in Democracy

Aside from the Trump vs. Biden camp difference (they are like two different species) the persons of today comprise some kind of a big herd. Maybe two herds but there is a herd and the variations are small. One may notice this in birds. In a large flock sometimes an individual goes off on they own. For a little while. Otherwise they stay in a flock. One may easily observe this, just by watching birds, or ants.

You get a Chomsky or an Einstein once in a while, but it does not happen very often. I think these variations and exceptions are important. It is good to have this phenomenon of variation, or special people. I deem it equally important that a social theorist respectfully considers that most persons do not deviate much. They stay close to the norm; don’t just come up with original ideas, Say in linguists, or atomic energy. The demands of democracy are unique. It does not seem easy to have viable democracy. We have hardly tried — in this country or in any. Maybe ancient Athens had it; how long was that for? Forty years. No, really we have not even tried. Taking up arms, fighting the English, was one thing — that they did.

But, we do need democracy; the only way a chaotic, early capitalistic society can work is through democracy, or a reasonable facsimile. A capitalistic society cannot stably maintain one party rule. You would need at least the trappings of democracy. In any case, we do have the thought tradition. We think of it as a wonderful idea. One goes off to school and one sees the books about it, which is to say, “Civics” class.

The only way to develop a democracy is to tutor class after class of kids — this would be a group who would be able to grow up this way. Ushering class after class of kids into being democratic adults would take so much effort, though and this was definitely not something the U. S. ever did. Consider: First you would need to have enough teachers. Where are you going to get them? That is not to say there is no democracy at all.

Under developmental period capitalism, yes one may have a skeletal -or a seeming -democracy.

And slowly it falls apart. Think a little about the contrasting priorities of capitalism and political mass democracy. ~ two different animals… Capitalism, in due course, seems to develop as a technology system, and yet I do not think there could not be any technology of democracy. Democracy is just fallible human beings. As I mentioned, most of these are a bit like herd animals. But these are the human beings a democracy has to contend with.

We expect them to wander into a voting booth, then express their thoughts and feelings and desires by picking a candidate. And they should do it in the primary election, too!

It does not seem very likely — from where I sit. There is almost nothing to indicate that this is being done.

And, it never has been done.

People pretty much behave as a herd, and one would need to do a lot of training, with them, to make it any different.