What is your favourite endorsement of democracy?

[Ashground]

It could be a political speech, a quote or anything at all that has moved/convinced you or maybe something that perfectly represents your opinion.

Mine is the 'Machine men with machine hearts' speech that Charlie Chaplin makes at the end of the film The great dictator (1940). If I'm not mistaken, he also wrote it.

I must have heard literally hundreds of speeches from politicians, academics and educators but this is the only clearly pro-democracy speech that has ever really moved me. I've rarely heard so much passion and sincerity talking about something so positive. So I'd like to say thank you, Charlie.

[Alex K]

Yeah, that speech was unexpectedly great.

[Alex K]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZe4LzAG1lA

(just to clarify, this is a satire)

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

An endorsement of democracy (sort of) in reverse. 

In the novel Contact, Sagan relates a scene between Ellie Arroway and her Soviet counterpart, where she tells him, 'I'm free enough that I can march up and down in front of the White House and denounce my nation's policies.'

The Russian replies, 'Then in this, at least, we are equal, for I am free enough to march around Red Square and denounce your nation's policies.'

(the quotes may not be exact, been a while since I've read it)

Boru

[Angrboda]

"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

~ Winston Churchill

[Minimalist]

One of the fundamental necessities in a representative government such as ours is to make certain that the men to whom the people delegate their power shall serve the people by whom they are elected, and not the special interests. I believe that every national officer, elected or appointed, should be forbidden to perform any service or receive any compensation, directly or indirectly, from interstate corporations; and a similar provision could not fail to be useful within the States.

– Theodore Roosevelt  1910

[Minimalist]

“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.”

― H.L. Mencken  The Baltimore Sun, 1920

Prophecy fulfilled   January 20, 2001





Mencken 1
Jesus  0

[shannonamyj]

"All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."

- good ol' Winny Churchill

[Anomalocaris]

"All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."

- good ol' Winny Churchill

While I think Churchill is an over glorified and unprincipled egomaniacal opportunist, I would not bet against his mastery of the English language being superior to that of anyone who would ever grace this forum.

[shannonamyj]

"All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."

- good ol' Winny Churchill

While I think Churchill is an over glorified and unprincipled egomaniacal opportunist, I would not bet against his mastery of the English language being superior to that of anyone who would ever grace this forum.

Ouch. If you're referring to me, I'd like to point out that not everyone can afford education, or speaks English as their first language - to assume that is classist and just plain ignorant. That being said, Churchill lived in a time when the internet wasn't around; who knows, maybe he would have been a 'text talker'. You do have a rather strong grasp on the English language, maybe you could use your advantage to teach us on here who are less 'superior'.

xoxo