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IanDOsmond t1_iu3y9sz wrote

Reply to comment by Anonimous-X in What's the difference between a hippo, a zippo, and a stick of glue? by QWERTYspoons

I have never understood why people say this. A representative republic is a form of democracy. As far as I can tell, when folks say that, they mean "we are a representative republic, not a direct democracy", but "representative republic" and "direct democracy" are both examples of democracies.

So I don't understand where that talking point comes from, why people say it, or what they think they are proving. I note that I see it more often from American conservatives, and my only theory is that it is said by people who think that "Democrat" and "Republican" are just team names.

Is that about right?

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Anonimous-X t1_iu3z33u wrote

In a democracy, 51% rules. In a Representative Republic, 2-3% of the population can be over represented, and influence an entire national platform. 15% can hold sway over 51%. Both, less than 1/5, less than 20%, can hold a state or nation hostage. There is very little democracy involved.

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IanDOsmond t1_iu41xqk wrote

I am not arguing about the relative benefits of direct democracy versus representative republics. I am asking why you think that representative republics aren't a form of democracy - where that talking point comes from. Where did you first hear that talking point, and why do you repeat it?

"The United States is not a democracy; we are a republic" is a false statement.

"The United States is a democracy; we are a republic" is the true one.

"The United States is a democracy; we are a direct democracy" is also false.

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Anonimous-X t1_iu42lsz wrote

In order for the US to be a democracy, every citizen would have one, equal vote for every bit of legislation, bill, or law proposed.
However, we elect others to represent us in these matters. Therefore, by simple definition, we are NOT a democracy. We ARE a Constitutional Republic. Your argument does not hold water.

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IanDOsmond t1_iu44dox wrote

No; that would make us a direct democracy,

Okay, the simplest web page I was able to find to explain this was from an Australian site. I feel like the Kahn Academy site is perhaps a bit loaded, in that it classifies "representative democracy" as an "elite democracy", which it technically is, but it makes it sound bad, and the Wikipedia page gets bogged down in the weeds with a lot of stuff that isn't relevant to what we are saying, but feel free to check those out, too - but here's a simple page to summarize:
https://www.moadoph.gov.au/democracy/defining-democracy/

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Strutsfarm t1_iu85wgo wrote

Your problem here is that you don’t seem to understand the meaning of words. Democracy and Republic are not antonyms. The antonym of Democracy is Dictatorship, democracy meaning that it is the people being in charge. (One) antonym of Republic is Monarchy, republic meaning that the power is by election and not by inheritance

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Anonimous-X t1_iu879w0 wrote

Republic: "A state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch."

Democracy: "A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives."

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Anonimous-X t1_iu86y3o wrote

I'll simplify it more for you.. You and your 4 buddies want to go eat, 3, want McDonalds, one wants Taco Bell. So, you all go to McDonalds. 3 out of 4 votes.. a democratic vote, a democracy in action.

Conversely, everyone in the office is hungry, and want different things. THEN, the company CEO comes in he will pay for it if everyone in the company is fed, determines by the department heads..
SO, the 20 people in your office and 10 people in accounting want Subway. There's 30 votes.

The 5 people in shipping, 10 in maintenance and 5 in HR want Dairy Queen. That's 20 votes.

NOW, there are 30 for Subway, but only 2 votes. There are only 20 who want Dairy Queen, but 3 departments, or 3 votes.

So, the CEO buys Dairy Queen. POPULAR VOTE did NOT win as in a democracy, because it is NOT a democracy. It was a REPRESENTATIVE democratic vote in a company (Republic)

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Strutsfarm t1_iu87giq wrote

Understanding what words mean before arguing is helpful. Your example has nothing to do with Republic nor Democracy. Try agin.

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Anonimous-X t1_iu87rj4 wrote

My example is ACCURATE..

Republic: "A state in which supreme power is held by the people and THEIR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES (the department heads), and which has an elected or nominated president (the CEO) rather than a monarch."

Democracy: "A system of government by THE WHOLE POPULATION (you and your buddies) or ALL the eligible members of a state, "typically" through elected representatives."

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