An editor of the Washington Post on democracy

[cema]

As a Chinese journalist, you may have your own definition of democracy which corresponds to your history and your way of seeing the world.

I wonder what his definition of democracy is, and to what history and what seeing the world it corresponds.

Democracy in one sense means the majority decides, but it also means the rights of the minority are protected. As UK late Prime Minister Winston Churchill said, democracy is the least bad system that we have ever thught of. So democracy is never perfect. It always has problems. Our democracy here in the US has many contradictions, problems and challenges. So democracy is not a cure that could turn everything bad into good. It has its own advantages and its disadvantages.

Has he graduated from the kindergarten already?

Update. Apparently, my point was not understood. Read inside for more enlightenment.
Update. The editor is now saying he was misquoted by the Chinese agency. His point was milder, but still along the same lines.

Comments

[cema.livejournal.com]

Absolutely trivial. He sounds like a "cultural colonial" officer who is treating the locals with platitudes (which he does not seem to understand himself).

[email-animal.livejournal.com]

I do not know the context, but it does occur to me that the mentality of the folks he is addressing is different from yours and mine. He has not said anything that, in my opinion, constitutes a challenge to common sense. And what he said is definetely better than "We in the mighty USofA know how to do democracy! You, commies, have to learn from us."

[cema.livejournal.com]

I do not know what's worse. Both ways are condescending. Both are incorrect.

[email-animal.livejournal.com]

Among all the things that are going on in the world you choose this to bark at???

[cema.livejournal.com]

I am concerned about the journalists. Do they do their work or not?

[email-animal.livejournal.com]

Out of all potential examples of bad journalism, this is what you are selecting?

[cema.livejournal.com]

Yes, and here is why. This reminds me how American journalists and professors would come in the USSR during perestroika and teach the aboriginals how important it is to vote etc.

At the same time, this guy does not understand that what he is saying is that democracy is culturally defined. Maybe when he is saying "democracy" he means "good life", I do not know. But the word "democracy" has a certain meaning loosely understood by everyone and denoting the same thing all over the world. Elections did not make Slatinist USSR a democratic country, and neither did the declared principle of the "democratic centralism", and corruption in Brooklyn does not make the USA a non-democratic country.

I thought you would understand this.

[email-animal.livejournal.com]

You either need to give your own, non-trivial, in your eyes, definition of "democracy", or you cannot really complain. Again, I did not see anything outrageous in his comments. Something that you and I know - yes. But nothing that get me riled.

[faceless-lady.livejournal.com]

lol