It could just be me, but I thought this ironic enough that George Carlin could have worked it...

[HereSince1628]

into part of a routine. I am no George Carlin, but I was listening to NPR re Greece and the Eurozone financial crisis...one of the commentators said words to the effect:

Eurozone experts fear that Greece, the country credited with being the birthplace of western democracy is turning toward populist government.

Setting aside all the potential baggage of the term "populist", isn't populist government something of an expectation for a democracy that is of, for, and by the people?

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Damn, the things that fall out of ther mouths when they open them.

But of course the Athenian democracy was built on the back of slave labor, with the ancient equivalent of the 1%ers sitting around discussing the running of the city-state. So maybe in a very real sense they had democracy without populism.

[HereSince1628]

3. I'm sure George could have also worked that fact into a sketch in a meaningful way

[Vincardog]

2. YES and I wish we had one here

[bluerum]

4. I would say. imo any democracy (functioning democracy) worth its salt

is populist by nature. Otherwise it tracks towards oligarchy, fascism, capitalism or some other perversion of democracy.

[HereSince1628]

7. I have to say, it had that special "WTF???" effect

usually evidenced by Carlin's shrugged shoulders.

[Xolodno]

5. "Western Democracy"

"Western Democracy" may be the key word here. A democratic government in a sense that only the wealthy have a say in political affairs like that of historical Athens.....sadly, also of the USA. At the onset, one could only vote in elections if they met their states property ownership rights.

And as someone who got a piece of paper with thier name on it and economics...I can see why to a certain extent as people can be deluded into voting against their own benefit or well being for everyone (see Republicans in Mississippi, Alabama, etc.). But high school econ consists of usually mostly of a class on finance and propoganda on how great the the US economic system is.

[kentuck]

6. I don't know...

it's so rare anymore.

[HereSince1628]

8. Sad thing is the commentator went on the talk about how the 'governing elite'

were the preference of Eurozone finance types.

[malaise]

9. Brilliant

There's a classic old book by C.L.R. James called Every Cook can Govern - I think you'd enjoy it.

http://www.marxists.org/archive/james-clr/works/1956/06/every-cook.htm