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Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed sheep contesting the vote.

By No_score Wylie McGuire on April 14, 2009

Unknown author. Often attributed to Ben Franklin.

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Discussion (6)

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9 Glad Rag Kraken who hasn't voted, says

It's only liberty if all parties are well armed. Consider this counterexample:
Democracy is two people voting to split a resource of a third evenly, under threat of violence. Liberty is a well armed third party killing two people and adding their things to their own. Inevitability is two well armed third parties from different places killing the third party from my first example, and taking their loot before finding yet more allies to turn upon each other to squabble over the spoils.

Viewing people in the light necessary to make your parable work leads inexorably to the nihilism expressed explicitly in my parable(and implicitly in yours), and this sort of thought should be showed social disapproval, in order to postpone the results of such a belief system.

Note that I suggest these antisocial behaviors be met with disapproval, not censure or even more physical response. Humans are social creatures, and the entire concept of social disapproval is the only thing that has kept democracy working as far as it has. It is this, not force, that allows us freedom(such as we have it).

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No_score Wylie McGuire who agreed, says

Well, that seems to construe anarchy, not liberty. I just like to draw the line between mass consensus and individual liberties. The sheep's weapons are intended, for purposes of this parable, to be diplomatic rather than physical.

I believe that minority groups must assert themselves politically lest be consumed by the whims of the majority.

Example: motorcycle riders making sure to vote for local representatives that won't encroach on their rights to ride motorcycles.

Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.

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3 zxcvb who hasn't voted, says

It's a wolf in sheep's cloeuaaargg....

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2 alf from the tv show alf who disagreed, says

I prefer to think of democracy as a wolf and five sheep, but three of the sheep think they're wolves.

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3 zxcvb who hasn't voted, says

What about one wolf and x million sheep who are fed a steady diet of dead sheep?

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1 kriebly who disagreed, says

The claim's analogy leaves out the role of minority rights, which can be codified in a constitution.

The sheep doesn't need to be well-armed, because the wolves understand that the sheep is not on the menu.

So basically, in a democracy the sheep are confident and the wolves are vegetarians. You could argue that that is one way of running a civilization.

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