Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/10/12/dragged-by-voters.html
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I believe there should be greater accountability for politicians worldwide, but this is just fucked up.
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Mexico - power to the people.
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I mean, he did base his campaign on violence, it’s not like the farmers started it:
he promised to repair city’s rural roads, in a chaotic campaign that included accusations of a “brawl” with his opponent’s supporters.
And even when he betrayed the public, they didn’t really hurt him:
Escandón did not sustain serious injuries
I feel like they were pretty restrained. How else is one to get accountability from a politician in Las Margaritas, Chiapas? Write your congressperson?
Democracy is a peace treaty between the public and rulers. Sometimes rulers need to be reminded of that.
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So now he increases taxes to be able to afford to repair the roads and instead gets dragged behind a car full of people who hate taxes. Rule by lynch mob is not a good idea. No matter what you do some people will be angry. This just leave the most violent ones in control.
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I am SO stealing that.
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That sounds more like chance, or a very rapid arrest. Being dragged behind a car or truck is usually fatal, a really nasty way to kill someone slowly and painfully.
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It’s not ideal, but neither is rule by kleptocrats or narcos.
Failing to stand up to violent, corrupt rulers also leaves the most violent ones in control - it just makes sure it won’t be you. Nobody wants to be in a society where force is used to resolve disputes. But the reality is that force is a key factor in how power is structured. It’s only when all parties recognize that their interests would be best served by participating in good faith in civil society that it becomes possible to get justice through civility.
All too often rulers lose sight of this. They come to believe that they are the law - that their power is fundamental, rather than created by civil society. When this happens, the best way to show a ruler that civility is in their best interests is by giving them a taste of the alternative.
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I think the images here can very nicely replace BB’s guillotine meme.
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The day when none of that is necessary, or a part of our reality, is the day when the species has developed to point of not needing systems of control and management, as we have now. That day may never arrive, but the idealist in me hopes for a time when political and economic systems, at least as we know them, are outmoded and outdated.
“Does this road feel maintained to you?”
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You’ll never get to democracy with that kind of attitude. Try working towards eliminating the distinction between the public at large and the ruling class.
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I’m not a fan of violence. However, I live in a northern state where mismanagement of funds for infrastructure has become a chronic problem. We’ve gone from bad roads full of potholes to the worst case scenario - bridges that are falling apart.
I wouldn’t mind having local politicians forced to drive on those roads, to experience daily detours, and demonstrate their confidence in bridge repairs by driving across repaired spans first - before their constituents are asked to follow suit. To paraphrase an old joke by Chris Rock, I’m not saying they should’ve dragged him, but I understand.
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The question becomes, “Can waterboarding ever be punching up ?”
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Many years ago, (mid eighties), I recall reading a story (possibly in the new york times, possibly in the washington post) about some trial judge who spent a night in jail in an effort to learn more about the consequences of various sentences.
The sole detail I can recall after all these years? He wasn’t issued a toothbrush-- they ran out. When he “complained”, he was told – “use your finger”. I don’t remember anything more that that-- whether he turned out to be a fair judge or not.
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let them fix their roads with cake!
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Perhaps you know more about this mayor than I do, but I see no indication that he was among the most violent and corrupt or a kleptocrat or narco.
Las Margaritas is Zapatista territory. I don’t think that capitalist ideas like anti-taxation have much support there.
I don’t think the EZLN are responsible for this though. They haven’t taken credit for it, at least.
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Well, how careful and numerous are the bodyguards surrounding our purely hypothetical subject?
