I originally wrote this as a comment on someone else's post, but I thought it needed to be it's own post. I failed to put a link to my inspiration in the original post, so here it is now. I see it a little differently than the original author did. I don't think he's wrong, but I don't think you have to put on a uniform to be a sheep-dog and I see the flaws and the virtues of being a sheep, and I hold the sheep accountable for their flaws.
I'm rather annoyed by the notion that Democracy is something awesome and that the loss of it is a loss overall. !Democracy =/= Totilitarian
Democracy is simply a slower, less oppressive path to becoming a shithole.
I see that there are three types of people. Sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs.
Sheep are followers. This is how Democracy is exploited. Sheep feel the needs to be accepted into a crowd, to be part of a crowd, and, in an effort to belong they will do what it takes to keep the crowd happy, so they are easily swayed to make dumbass decisions. They hate the wolves that prey upon them and the sheep-dogs that look like the wolves, but they're stupid, they can't always identify a wolf, especially one in disguise as a sheep.
Wolves prey upon the sheep and hate the sheepdogs. They see the sheep as a means to an end and possibly even as a problem since the heard is big and takes up too much room. If they can persued a few off a cliff the rest will follow.
Sheep dogs have every capacity the wolf does, except they have the morals not to prey upon the sheep, and even to attempt to protect the sheep from the wolves, but since sheep-dogs don't disquise who they are they are easily labeled as the bad guys by wolves in sheeps clothing, and of course the sheep quickly jump onboard with the "flock".
This is how voting is done. It's usually a couple of wolves against each other. Sheep dogs are usually taken out in the primaries - good ethics is a hindrance to the democratic process. In recent decades Ron Paul, Rand Paul, Donald Trump and a few others are among the few sheep-dogs to make it into office, and look how the wolves have pained each of them. I'm not pretending any of them are perfect, but I am arguing they want what they think is best for the flock, even if they're right or wrong.
We get the occasional sheep into office, they just spread the wolves propaganda for them - the people on the hill that we refer to as "welfare pimps" are generally the best examples of these.
Nope - I am not a fan of democracy, it's rule by the lowest common denomonator. I'm very much against "get out the vote" campaings. I think those who are attentive to what's going on and are participating in the process should get out and vote, those who want to sit on the couch munching on a bowl of grass while watching the latest reality-sheep show should just stay home and munch on that bowl of grass and let those who are paying attention do the voting for them.
I think the way our U.S. republic was setup was among the best things ever. The holes weren't in the way the document was written, it was in the human interpretation and abuse of the balance of powers afterward.
Democracy should be used sparingly and only when absolutely needed. The Republic "I do what I want" approach coupled with the non agression principal is the way to go. Democracy is mob rule - tyranny of the majority. When I walk around the city, and I mean really talk to the random person of the street I run into the occasional profound, intelligent, why isn't this guy in charge of more stuff? people. For every one of those I find I run into a dozen trendies with no thought process of their own - and they think the other guy is lame.
QUIT ASKING POLITICIANS TO DO THINGS FOR YOU. They might just do it, and every time they do something they justify their existence a little more. A do-nothing congress is a good congress.