When I was a kid and I noticed examples of how horrible the US government was (and commented), I got the standard apologetics mantra: "Democracy is the worst form of government- except for all the others."
This knee-jerk bit of propaganda shows such a lack of understanding, I don't even know where to start.
First off, yes, democracy actually is a horrible thing. It is nothing more than mob rule. That's why the otherwise misguided founders of America didn't "do" democracy, but chose to set up a republic instead. Regardless of what most Americans seem to believe, America was never supposed to devolve into a democracy.
Never mind that those "founders" ignored the fact that republics always degrade into democracies, and that no form of government is within anyone's rights to impose on others.
And, yes, maybe the US government is less evil than many of the other governments throughout history-- or even most current ones-- although that's debatable. It's a low bar. As many have pointed out, it's like getting the low achiever award at a mass murderer convention. Or, perhaps more realistically, like a mass murderer who smiles and pretends to be polite.
You can't justify your evil actions by finding others who did worse. You've got to straighten up and stop doing wrong even if no one else joins you. Don't do evil.
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