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

[email-animal.livejournal.com]

Finally, a reaction from you (-:

I did not get a feeling that he was saying "anything can be thought of as a form of democracy." I think, rather, he was making the point you are making - that democracies differ, only with slightly more negative overtones.

There are two subjects for conversation here: (1) categorization: drawing a line between democracies and non-democracies and (2) the implications of calling something a "democracy." The negative overtones come from his discussion of (2) - just because you call something a democracy does not mean that it is suddenly a perfect world.

Democracy

[cema.livejournal.com]

I think the reporter was trying to say something along the lines of "Bush wants you to be like us, please don't be like us, we are arrogant and do not deserve it". :-) Warning against blind borrowing would be wise, but this is not it.

The word "democracy" is a code word in the modern political discourse. Somewhat less so than "socialism" used to be during the Cold War. Then a warlord could have come to Moscow, declare his interest in the "socialist way" and get money. Another warlord would come to Washington, declare his interest in fighting against the "socialist way" and get money.

These days the situation is different: proclaiming democratization is not sufficient, but pretending is, in many cases. And claiming that a nondemocratic society is democratic (because that is how democracy appears in its culture) is one popular way to perform this demagoguery. I think I recall hearing Soviet talking heads talking like that too, before they were swept away with the events. And I am sure there were Western journalists then who took it at its face value.

Re: Democracy

[email-animal.livejournal.com]

Now, there is something to discuss.

you appear to be mixing your metaphors a bit. On one hand you are talking about the "democracy is in the eye of the beholder" crap of the "Russia has its own unique way to do democracy, conveyed President Putin today..."

On the other hand you seem to be equating it with the statements of the form "Democracy by itself does not mean that everything is good." What the WP editor was saying, in my opinion was that "democracy is implemented differently in different DEMOCRATIC countries" (and here "DEMOCRATIC" corresponds to your common sense understanding of the term). The continuation of the thought was that US implementation of it is far from perfect - a feeling I wholeheartedly support, and will continue supporting until this country moves to direct presidential elections.

PS. I am leaving town, but will continue this conversation with you at some other time and place.