The Three Words Democracy Borrows Democracy is often praised as inherently good, but Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates saw serious flaws. A better view: rule by one, few, or many each has tradeoffs. A healthy society ideally combines a strong leader, a competent elite, and a virtuous citizenry—because, as Thomas Sowell said, “there are no solutions, only tradeoffs.” Democracy promises three virtues it can’t guarantee: freedom, wisdom, and consent. **Freedom:** Nozick’s thought experiment shows how slavery can be disguised by changing vocabulary—when power gradually shifts from overt domination to rules voted on by others, at what point is it “freedom”? A society can talk endlessly about freedom while restricting rights through taxes, regulations, and suspensions. **Wisdom:** Socrates doubted democracy produces wisdom. If a voyage were dangerous, you wouldn’t let every passenger vote equally on navigation. Yet political voting gives equal weight regardless of knowledge, inviting manipulation by those skilled in fear, emotion, and flattery. **Consent:** “Government of the people, by the people, for the people” can be an illusion. If the state is treated as “us,” coercion can be reframed as self-government. But representatives don’t truly follow your instructions the way a genuine agent must. Freedom, wisdom, and consent are real virtues—democracy just borrows their language, and the biggest risk is believing that choosing rulers collectively makes the ruled free, wise, and consenting.
India's communist parties, once influential rulers of multiple states impacting over 100 million people, have drastically declined, losing all state governments and reducing their parliamentary presence as identity politics and nationalism outpace traditional class-based politics, culminating in their recent defeat in Kerala after a decade of power. #IndianCommunism #PoliticalDecline #LeftPolitics
The 60th anniversary of China's Cultural Revolution, initiated by communist leader Mao Zedong on May 16, 1966, is being commemorated, marking a tumultuous period that led to widespread violence, the destruction of cultural heritage, and the persecution of perceived enemies, resulting in millions displaced and hundreds of thousands to millions of deaths, a controversial legacy that continues to challenge China's communist rulers. #CulturalRevolution #ChinaHistory #MaoZedong #CN
The 60th anniversary of China's Cultural Revolution is being commemorated, a tumultuous period initiated by Communist leader Mao Zedong in 1966 to eradicate capitalist influences and rivals, resulting in widespread destruction of cultural heritage, persecution of intellectuals, and the displacement and death of millions, with the ensuing chaotic years only ending with Mao's death in 1976, leaving a controversial legacy that continues to challenge China's Communist rulers. #CulturalRevolution #ChinaHistory #MaoZedong #CN
The 60th anniversary of China's Cultural Revolution is being commemorated, a tumultuous period initiated by Communist leader Mao Zedong in 1966 to eradicate capitalist influences and rivals, resulting in widespread destruction of cultural heritage, persecution of intellectuals, and the displacement and death of millions, with the ensuing chaotic years only ending with Mao's death in 1976, leaving a controversial legacy that continues to challenge China's Communist rulers. #CulturalRevolution #ChinaHistory #MaoZedong #CN
The 60th anniversary of China's Cultural Revolution, initiated by Communist leader Mao Zedong on May 16, 1966, marks a tumultuous era characterized by the mobilization of youth-led 'Red Guards' to eliminate capitalist influences, leading to widespread persecution, destruction of cultural heritage, and the displacement or death of millions, leaving a controversial legacy that continues to challenge China's communist rulers. #CulturalRevolution #ChinaHistory #MaoZedong #CN
As China commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution, the chaotic decade instigated by Communist leader Mao Zedong in 1966, marked by the actions of the Red Guards who destroyed cultural heritage and persecuted intellectuals, continues to pose a significant challenge for the Communist rulers in managing its controversial legacy. #CulturalRevolution #ChinaHistory #MaoZedong #CN
As China commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution, the chaotic decade instigated by Communist leader Mao Zedong in 1966, marked by the actions of the Red Guards who destroyed cultural heritage and persecuted intellectuals, continues to pose a significant challenge for the Communist rulers in managing its controversial legacy. #CulturalRevolution #ChinaHistory #MaoZedong #CN
Florentino Perez's press conference announcing José Mourinho's return to Real Madrid after over a decade highlighted the chaotic state of the club, marked by player discord and recent failures, but raised questions about whether Mourinho has learned from past mistakes and can adapt his management style to foster team unity and trust rather than rulership. #RealMadrid #JoseMourinho #FootballManagement #ES #PT #GB
They said English culture doesn't exist. They said it in English. 🏴 The most spoken language on Earth. Born on this island. Fifteen hundred years ago, three tribes crossed the North Sea. Angles. Saxons. Jutes. They brought words we still use today. Earth. Water. Fire. Love. Mother. Father. Child. They called their language Englisc. They called this place Engla land. Land of the Angles. Then the Vikings came. They didn't just raid. They settled. Became neighbours. And when you live next door to someone, your languages merge. Sky. Skull. Knife. Window, the Viking for "wind-eye." They. Them. Their. Those aren't English words. They're Viking. Ordinary people chose them because they worked better. Then came 1066. The Normans conquered England. The new rulers spoke French. For three hundred years, English had no official status in its own country. But the people never stopped speaking it. The farmer called it a cow. The lord called it beef. Pig and pork. Sheep and mutton. That class divide is still on your plate tonight. English didn't die. It swallowed ten thousand French words and came back stronger. Today. One and a half billion people speak this language. Every pilot on Earth speaks it. Half the internet is written in it. No academy designed it. No king commanded it. It was built by ordinary people. On this island. They said English culture doesn't exist. They said it in English. You're the reason these stories reach millions of people. Not sponsors. Not ads. You. https://t.co/rih7iKwnvf Be Proud Of Us. 🇬🇧 -
Pakistanis stormed the US consulate in Karachi to protest against the US attack on Iran. The US Marines opened fire. Eight Pakistanis killed. Washington should take note: deep-seated anti-American hatred runs through the Pakistani street. Whatever “friendship” the US believes it has exists only at the level of Pakistan’s rulers, men who trade allegiance for dollars and foreign backing, especially to sustain hostility against India. From major terror strikes to regional instability, the trail repeatedly leads back to Pakistan. This is not a misunderstood state but a persistent threat to global peace. It must be denuclearized, diplomatically or otherwise. -
