Tuesday, April 04, 2006

How to deal with masses? Encourage their apathy

Bernard Berelson lists the conditions necessary for the survival of democratic systems:
  1. intensity of conflict must be limited
  2. rate of change restrained
  3. social and economic stability maintained
  4. a pluralist social organization and basic consensus must exist
With these conditions combined, Berelson argues that political apathy amongst a majority of the populace [the masses] is actually good for the system rather than bad because "limited participation and apathy ... cushion shock of disagreement, adjustment and change."

If, on the other hand, you would like to flush the system down the toilet because you percieve it to be disfunctional or unjust, then you know exactly what to do: Practice your herding skills!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

So whats with these academic quotes. (You have access to a political science text?). Have you noticed that these are of no interest to anyone?

Raja said...

I LOVE reading them because they provoke me!

They spark a flame of curiousity in me.

Very well written stuff that I thought I would share.

Anonymous said...

These are interesting quotes because it puts everything from human rights, liberty, equality, freedom, liberalism, for the people by the people etc... straight down the toilet...its why others prefer communism and socialism.
Beiruti
ps if your going to censor me say it out so i don't bother

Raja said...

I wont sensor you, beiruti. But I am curious. This particular quote argues against participation and equality, but you need to clarify how it disposes of the other values (especially Barber).

Once you answer, then maybe, I'll decide to censor you!

Anonymous said...

differentiation between masses and citzenry i believe is actually a subtle way of politically differentiating between people of different socio economic status
Beiruti

Bobby Coggins said...

The posts on this blog are well-written and informative.


As an American, I wish that President Bush would quit speaking about spreading Democracy around the world. What we have and wish to share with the rest of the world is our form of government: a Constitutional Republic.
Democracies are inhrently unstable because they are majority rule with no regard for minority opinion.

Here is a collection of The Federalist Papers that might help you understand the strengths, and weaknesses of a our form of government.
I honestly don't know whether our President is misspeaking when he says, "Democracy" or not.