Welcome to Gaia! ::

Basically, our whole society is based on tension. Tension breaks, causes conflict, which eventually drains out the tension and leads to reclamation of logic and so-called "humanity" which leads to finger-pointing and accusations, which creates more and more tension.....and the cycle begins again.

In all reality, our "quality of life" is our need to create tension, to create connections and to create pleasure for ourselves.

I have to agree. The whole 'spreading democracy' schtick, regardless of the advantages or disadvantages it brings to cultures, is predominantly America's Neo-Colonialism at a more subtle level. We are by our nature expansive; we just try to be tactful about it.

I think it depends on the defintion of democracy? I used to live in a selective democracy where full freedoms were only granted if you lived in the right area or "homeland" and being a certain colour was considered "primitive and lacking desire for advancement".

Now, everybody shares the same rights and freedoms. Sure there are still those that live in informal settlements and there is a large amount of people who were oppressed under the Apartheid regime that have suffered poorer education opportunities than what White children received.

I just fail to understand how religious ideas and affiliations means that you are anti-democracy? I know there is a link between religion and ideology, as in the past the Roman Church has greatly affected the ruling of nations throughout the world and as we can see with some modern-day examples with Islam. But surely, there are people in these oppressed nations already trying to fight for a democracy and can achieve it with dedication and determination? Sure, the ruling party here, the African National Congress (ANC) did get support from overseas and have received loans and the sort, yet, eventually Nationaale Party (NP) came to the conclusion that Apartheid isn't working and it isn't kosher and that it is in fact a proper democracy. Outside influence was there, of course. I know what these fanatics are doing is insane and derranged, yet, there are still Christians out there that harp on about the sin that is spreading in schools and condoning teenagers choosing to have pre-marital sex...The scale is different, but what makes those Christians different from these Muslims?

I'm not an expert on American policy, but the idea of "Spreading Democracy" to me screams the Marshall Plan implemented after the second World War...except the Marshall Plan went further to provide aid to those nations wanting to become a democracy without being dependent on Soviet Russia for funding (with the added clause of being Communist). What kind of Democracy does Bush want to spread? Does he want to seek some sort of benefit from the nations that he 'rescues' by his spread of Democracy? Cash incentive? Who knows! mrgreen

Until one has lived with little or no freedom, with little or no justice, or with little or no safety, they cannot truely appreciate liberty.

When I was at school in Kansas, we were not allowed to talk on the bus, during class, and only very quietly during lunch. We were not encouraged to form our own oppinions, and were always to be completely submissive to a teacher.

I was constantly sitting in the In School Suspension room, in my little Swastika desk (They shaped the desks like Swasticas, with little walls, so you were basically stuck in this tiny cubby which was hard to turn around and look behind you. I think this was so they could whip you, and you wouldn't know who did it.) writing an apology letter, or re-writing the student code of ethics, or the lunch room rules.

Now, let me get this straight. I never bullied another student. Sometimes I would get mad, start a fight, and swiftly have my a** kicked, but I would never really trod on the already downtrodden. This may have been because you could not get more downtrodden than I, but I doubt I would have if I could have.

On various occasions, I was thrown into the principles office, for having done something. Without Habeus Corpus, I was unaware of what I was being charged for doing. Thus, when the principle asked me why I was in there, I often gave a different answer. "I was napping." I would say. The responce to this would be "Well, it says here you were smartassing. Were you smart assing and napping at the same time? Or were you lying to me?" To this I would reply: "Neither. I woke up when forced to, asked if I could fall back asleep, and was sent down here."

I was given no chance to prove myself innocent, or my intentions. I had no jury of peers, or anything. I just got yelled at.

This was enough to send me home crying, to beg my parents to let me quit school. It was bad enough that whenever I'm called down to any of the multiple offices at my new school, I nearly pass out with anxiety. However, I always come back smiling, dragging behind me the lost item somebody had found, or the results from my last test which I'd requested, or something similar.

It's a releif to be free from an oppressive faculty. I can only imagine what it's like to be free from an oppressive government.

Democracy is not what makes this nation great, it is the rights of the people.

That's actually quite scary, not being able to freely speak. I've always taken that for granted, but now it's made me think.

I was watching this program on TV a couple of weeks ago, and there were these two girls, about 10 and 7, that were raised be Neo-Nazi parents. They were asked questions like "Do you like other races?" and they replied things like "Black people aren't worthy to live" and "The Jewish are pigs." It was truly frightening, seeing little girls say that.

But I suppose we do what we are taught. Like, from my parents, I always say "I'm home!" when I open the door, even if I KNOW no one will be there. It's waht I was taught.

As much as I find it somewhat hard to admit it, the way I was brought up was somewhat geared towards less "forming your own opinions" and more "do the damned work i'm telling you to do". It wasn't anywhere near as strict as Lavaske's, by any means, but having one's own opinion was highly discouraged. It was just a lot better to nod your head, go by the rules, and just don't step out of line.

Our school was like that. We didn't need a cane or anything to discipline us, we were pretty well-behaved in general. Falling out of line disrupted everything, got us knee-deep in trouble, and we all felt it was a waste of everyone's time.

Sounds like a certain governmental idea that democratic countries fought to free the world of, now that I think of it.

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Also, i'm a country-dweller. I live in a small rural village out on the very border of Wales, and my move to Cardiff (Capital of Wales, big city, etcetera) was quite the eyeopener.

In my rural village, there was only one negro. There were no Asian folks.

In Cardiff? Ha. I'm outnumbered 2-1 by Chinese folks, and at least 4-1 by Negro folks. I sort of understood, for a moment, how those Neo Nazis thought. "Hell, go back to your own tree", or whatever the latest phase is in insulting races.

Then, the last person in my Halls of Residence moved in. He's an Indian fellow (as in from India).

Know something? I get along more with him and the three Indian buds of his than I do with all of the white kids in my Hall. We sit up drinking and chatting away into the early hours of the morning, them trying to teach me Punjabi and me making an a** of myself. Good stuff all around, especially on karaoke.

Sometimes, life really does throw you an eyeopener.