what makes a Nation a democracy?

The Fool said:
...one citizen one vote (or one value) in the election of the executive.
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Then it could be argued that the U.S. is not a democracy. Sometimes the candidate with the most votes does not win the election.
 
Skeptic said:
Yes, media is so much freer when it's owned by the state...
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Why not, Radio Canada is owned by the government and is doing a pretty good job. To be owned by government and submitted to ethic and public, doesn't mean to be owned by a political party.

Gaétan
 
Gaetan said:
Why not, Radio Canada is owned by the government and is doing a pretty good job. To be owned by government and submitted to ethic and public, doesn't mean to be owned by a political party.

Gaétan
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Um.....Pravda?

Der Sturmer?

A good democracy has a wide and diverse media. This includes corporate ownership of some..but not all.

If one day, only one corporation owns all major newspapers and tv channels, govt. will have to step in and fix that.
 
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Gaetan said:
To be owned by government and submitted to ethic and public, doesn't mean to be owned by a political party.
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And what "ethic and public" oversight and regulation is the independent media subjected to?
 
parky76 said:
Um.....Pravda?

Der Sturmer?

A good democracy has a wide and diverse media. This includes corporate ownership of some..but not all.

If one day, only one corporation owns all major newspapers and tv channels, govt. will have to step in and fix that.
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Well, what we don't see at Radio Canada is some morning man when peoples wake up or evening man or woman when peoples are tired to be stuffed head with right wing capitalist propaganda all year round because these peoples would be pull out of radio or TV. This is not perfect and this should be submitted more to ethic and public i agree.

Gaétan
 
Gaetan said:
Well, what we don't see at Radio Canada is some morning man when peoples wake up or evening man or woman when peoples are tired to be stuffed head with right wing capitalist propaganda all year round because these peoples would be pull out of radio or TV. This is not perfect and this should be submitted more to ethic and public i agree.

Gaétan
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right wing capitalist propaganda all year round
Which channels do this? How many channels are there? Hello? Build bogey men under your bed much?

On the other hand, are you suggesting the same producer offer left wing propaganda in spring and fall, with right wing propaganda in summer and winter?

Do you have any idea how the news business actually works?

DR
 
Do you have any idea how the news business actually works?

DR
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Absulutely, i was listening Fox news when i was on vacation and all they were talking about was against Obama health policy. You peoples are stuffed head with right wing propaganda backed by health insurance company in this case worry about to lose a huge amount of profit.

Gaétan
 
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I think that an informed public makes a real democracy. If most of the public only has access to the information of the corporate media, like the United States, then they can be influenced to vote a certain way.
 
The USA is a republic. We don't get to vote on things directly. It is not a democracy and no wonder. There has never been one. The Athenians? No way, no women, no slaves no vote. The early USA? No way, no women, no slaves, no people who didn't own land, no vote.
 
(Yawn)

When folks speak against the "corporate-owned media", what they really mean is "the media isn't as left-wing as I wish it would be. Why doesn't anybody do anything about that!"
 
Skeptic said:
So, let us see:



What if a nation is established by colonists who were mostly deported criminals, butchered all the local inhabitants they could find, and established a system of segregation which has been in place for a century or more favoring white Europeans?

You wouldn't want to call a national like that
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What is the system of segregation in Australia that affects its status as a democracy?
 
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The Fool said:
What is the system of segregation in Australia that affects its status as a democracy?
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As you know, Skeptic knows, and I'm sure most others may know, Australia of the White Australia Policy would not meet the definition in the OP. So Australia in historically recent times was not a democracy?

Rubbish.
 
Skeptic said:
(Yawn)

When folks speak against the "corporate-owned media", what they really mean is "the media isn't as left-wing as I wish it would be. Why doesn't anybody do anything about that!"
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what would we do without Sceptic? noone would know what all the people are saying without Scpetic telling us what they really mean, he knows it as an experianced mindreader.

But when you compare news on Private channels and News on SFDRS or BBC, you can clearly see that for peoples owned stations it still important to deliver unbiased news amd detaled news, not the crap you get on private channels, 2 min national news, 2 min international news, 10 minutes celebrity news.
 
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lionking said:
As you know, Skeptic knows, and I'm sure most others may know, Australia of the White Australia Policy would not meet the definition in the OP. So Australia in historically recent times was not a democracy?

Rubbish.
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I don't necessarily think that equality of citizens before the law and equal opportunity for immigration are necessarily the same thing.

I use equality of the citizen under the law as a strict marker but I'm not so sure about equal opportunity for immigration. It can be racist and abhorrent but is it a knockout blow for a claim of democracy?
 
The Fool said:
I don't necessarily think that equality of citizens before the law and equal opportunity for immigration are necessarily the same thing.

I use equality of the citizen under the law as a strict marker but I'm not so sure about equal opportunity for immigration. It can be racist and abhorrent but is it a knockout blow for a claim of democracy?
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Okay. How about aborigines not being able to vote?
 
lionking said:
Okay. How about aborigines not being able to vote?
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They got the vote when they became citizens. Until then...they were simply disregarded as people. But I believe their treatment was certainly not support for the case of Australia at that time being regarded as a democracy.
 
The Fool said:
They got the vote when they became citizens. Until then...they were simply disregarded as people. But I believe their treatment was certainly not support for the case of Australia at that time being regarded as a democracy.
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Alright Australia was not a democracy until 1967. What was it then?
 
lionking said:
Alright Australia was not a democracy until 1967. What was it then?
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It was Australia.

A nation that claimed to be a democracy....some of its behavior was not consistent with what I see as a democracy. Does the word "democracy" sit well with you? Considering the government policies of the time?

Can I claim to be a democracy, where all citizens are equal before the law..except for those guys over there because technically they are not full citizens?
 
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