H.L. Mencken is often regarded as one of the most influential American writers of the early 20th century. Here are some of his timeless quotes on politics, democracy, government and elections.
-
The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.
-
Government is a broker in pillage, and every election is a sort of advance auction in stolen goods.
-
Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.
-
Democracy, too, is a religion. It is the worship of jackals by jackasses.
-
Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.
-
Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.
-
Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.
-
If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would promise them missionaries for dinner.
-
As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
-
All government, of course, is against liberty.
I'll see your 10 H. L. Menckens and raise you 1 Marshall McLuhan:
"The medium is the message."
Studied McLuhan in college. In hindsight his observations seem so basic, but it's amazing how many people don't understand it.
I didn't until the https://youtu.be/fa7nSzCiGXk?t=2
🤣🤣🤣
#9 in action today
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute's most famous alum. I use Number 6 frequently.
Speaking of "democracy"...
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-6371#:~:text=I%20do%20not%20say%20that,is%20more%20bloody%20than%20either.
I agree with Adams... It sucks!
Because a constitutional Republic such as the USA incorporates and utilizes limited democratic processes, through participation in elections at various scales and in various jurisdictions. So long as there are any forms of elections to vest authority and power in representatives, such systems must be as fair, honest and transparent as possible. The people, in general, may very well be idiots, but that's what we've got to work with, and thus minimizing the potential collateral damage is essential.
Paraphrasing Adams' general opinions of the French Revolution and experiments with "democracy", the vast majority of the French people were illiterate, ignorant, and ill-prepared to govern themselves. He could not share his views publicly and risk being called an Anglophile or monarchist, but in private he was very clear (and as history proved, was correct).
I mean, all human beings 😂😭
Exactly 🙄😂
The (theoretical) hope is that the masses are at least competent enough for us to end up with the least idiotic of the bunch winding up in office.
If we are to live in a society built upon rules and systems built to at least make things as fair and rational a possible, then fraud (violation of those rules) cannot be permitted.
I prefer better education, or changing the system to lessen the ability for the most extreme idiots to negatively influence the system.