In order to deal with large problems humans find it necessary to form large groups. Unfortunately it’s impossible to get a group of humans to all agree on anything unless it’s how much they disagree with another group of humans. Many different systems of government have been used to try and compensate for this condition. None of them worked. So they tried democracy. As Churchill stated, quite literally, democracy is the worst form of government ever tried, except for all the others. If a large group needs to come to a decision then every member has a vote on what should happen or who should lead them and it is the opinion with the most votes that is put into action, therefore a unanimous decision is not necessary. The most essential elements to a modern democracy are;1. Free and fair elections.
2. A free media so that the people who voted for the other side can complain and remind us of that fact ad nausea.
3. A rule of law that guarantees all those accused of any crime a fair trial, under law created by elected officials, exercised by a court and judge acting independently of those officials, operating with all citizens accountable and equal before it {except for the President or the Queen or Diplomats or people who can afford much better lawyers than everyone else or.., well as stated the systems not perfect yet}.
If democracy is the best method humans have found for running a society the best method they have found for raising their children to prepare them for such a society is anything but democratic.
This is an actual transcript of a parent child conversation.
Parent: Didn’t I say you had to be back by nine?
Child: But I am only half an hour late.
Parent: Nine means nine.
Child: But all my friends are allowed out till ten.Parent: Well you’re not so I’m afraid you’re grounded for tomorrow night now go to you’re room without dinner.
Of course in a fair trial a person cannot be prosecuted or judged by their parents and yet as we see here parenting actually consists of very little else. It’s nearly all a process of prosecution and judgment. ‘What are you up to? Where are you going? What are you doing with that?’ These are the prosecuting questions children hear all the time followed by the summary judgements; ‘Get down. Get up. Get out. Put that down. Go to your room. Stop it. Be quiet.’ and we allow this desecration of jurisprudence and silence of free speech to take place in family homes on a daily basis. As if that were not bad enough the parent in question is both prosecution and judge and will often pronounce an arbitrary punishment that is both cruel and {outside the confines of the family} unusual. Not even murderers are sent to their punishment without dinner, even if it is their last meal. Attempts at mitigation and appeals to the democratic majority of their friends are useless for the child. What’s more the child is never offered a professional defense counsel who could represent them in an argument or ask for an out of home settlement. The child more often than not is forced to admit their guilt in this show trial against the blackmail of further punishment and only offered the ultimate solipsism as explanation: ‘Because I said so.’
Coping Strategies: A child can now divorce their parents and apply to a court to have their status as legal guardians removed making the child a ward of the state or the court until suitable arrangement can be made. This really should be a last resort by desperate children and yet is more commonly used as a first resort by greedy child stars that want all their money for themselves.
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