On Thu, Sep 19, 2013 at 11:13:15PM +1000, Russell Coker wrote:
It's a democracy, you can vote for a party that will change the law. When the popular opinion in favor of a law is so strong that no party advocates change, none of the vested interests want to pay for it, and there's not even a fringe party advocating change it's a sign that it's got wide popular support. Why should a small number of anti-social people be allowed to get away with it?
actually, what you're talking about is NOT democracy. it's tyranny of the majority. or *a* majority. which is pretty much the same thing as tyranny by those who can manipulate a majority - politicians, celebrities, newspaper owners, etc. what you're saying is that because a majority don't like something, it's OK to ban it - without regard to the rights of those who are banned from the activity. so, if a majority don't like homosexuality, it's OK to ban same-sex couples kissing or holding hands in public. and if a majority of whites don't want to work with non-whites, it's OK to exclude them from being hired. and, of course, if you take it to a grassroots-level of localised democracy if a majority of people in a restaurant wanted to smoke, then a minority who didn't would just have to put up with it or leave. craig -- craig sanders <cas@taz.net.au>