2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Why have we heard nothing about this incredibly important development in Iceland? News black-out?!? [View all]Cal33
(7,018 posts)my estimation that the GOP members of yesteryear and those of today belong to two different
species -- among their leaders, at any rate. Sociopaths, be they of today, 50 years ago, or
2,000 years ago, are the same. I believe that a vast majority of the GOP leadership today is
made up of sociopaths. Their values and behavior point this out so clearly. Unfortunately, the
Democratic leadership has them also - perhaps fewer in number and less vicious in degree - but
they are there, too.
Historically, democracy is a rather recent thing - a little more than 200 years old. The ancient Greeks
started that idea, but it was for Greeks only. They did own slaves. And even the idea of democracy
didn't get very far before it died down completely for the next two millenia. Humans have had 6,000
years of written history, in which democracy showed up in the last 200+ years only. For the rest of
the time, ordinary people were more or less the property of their masters - the royalty and nobility.
We have had far more experience with fascist dictatorship than with democracy.
Once having had a taste of democracy, some humans may be lulled into a semi-comatose state
and have it taken away from them. But the experience of slavery itself will re-awaken them. And when
they do, they will revolt - as has happened so many times in the past.
Sociopaths are incapable of seeing that far, of course.