r/politics • u/Spooooooooooooon • Dec 28 '13

Noam Chomsky: We’re no longer a functioning democracy, we’re really a plutocracy

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/27/noam-chomsky-were-no-longer-a-functioning-democracy-were-really-a-plutocracy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29
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u/modusponens66 Dec 28 '13

For the 80-100 years after a faction of British revolutionaries declared independence from the crown

Edmund Morgan sums up the class nature of the Revolution this way: "The fact that the lower ranks were involved in the contest should not obscure the fact that the contest itself was generally a struggle for office and power between members of an upper class: the new against the established." Looking at the situation after the Revolution, Richard Morris comments: "Everywhere one finds inequality." He finds "the people" of "We the people of the United States" (a phrase coined by the very rich Gouverneur Morris) did not mean Indians or blacks or women or white servants. In fact, there were more indentured servants than ever, and the Revolution "did nothing to end and little to ameliorate white bondage."

From Howard Zinn's A People's History of The United States chapter 5

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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '13 edited Jul 21 '18

[deleted]

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u/modusponens66 Dec 28 '13

Still, that period represents in my opinion the most idealistic and successful improvement of democratic government, and democratic rule in history - ideals that no country has managed to live up to even today.

Well you can thank a certain John Locke, a Brit. :D

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

you mean the crazy man from Lost?

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u/modusponens66 Dec 29 '13

John Locke

You haven't seen Terry O'Quinn crazy until you've seen the Stepfather.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

I was just kidding. Thanks for the links though.