05-16-2022, 02:38 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-17-2022, 11:00 AM by Eric the Green.)
(05-16-2022, 07:09 AM)JasonBlack Wrote: People want "freedom" for themselves in some capacity, and most would prefer a democracy where they have a voice to an oppressive autocracy where they don't. Where things fall apart in terms of assuming this kind of broader liberal order is possible is that none of this implies that people are inclined to care nearly as much about other people's freedom. Even in the United States, where freedom is cherished more than anywhere else in the world, only around 50% of people approved of interracial marriage, and in took until around 2011 for that many to approve of same-sex marriage.
To prefer and/or demand democracy automatically means to prefer, support or help create democracy for everyone; that's the nature of democracy and human rights. That doesn't mean a "liberal order" is perfect from the start. Obviously that has not been true in the USA. Gradually greater freedom and voting rights have been attained though, first for non-property owners, then for slaves, then for women, then for people of color, and then for gays; and yet still poor people and middle class people are taken advantage of and exploited in the name of free enterprise, and democracy and other rights are still threatened by the Republican Party, so the movements continue.
Quote:Imo, the best thing we can do is focus on policies that draw in the best people. People who really do value the freedom of others, believe in personal accountability, work hard and possess exceptional talents. At the end of the day, most societies tend to get what they deserve. Granted, with this can only ever be true in the most general, aggregated sense, as people in any country very widely in terms of what they deserve, but the older I get, one simple truth becomes obvious: the easiest way to become happier and more successful is to surround yourself with good people and keep yourself away from bad people.
It's not easy to know which are which though, in my experience. And good and bad are not monolithic terms.