In your opinion, is the democracy vs dictatorship dichotomy a question of scale or absolutes?

[Mitryejd]

how could it be absolute?

[Tooting Carmen]

how could it be absolute?

What I mean is the notion that you are either a democracy or a dictatorship versus the notion that there are different gradations of both.

[El_Jibaro]

Dictatorships are more direct with their citizens(Belarus for example) while democracies divide et impera their citizens into the left that sees racists everywhere and the right that sees socialists everywhere so they can fight amongst each other meanwhile their "elected" politicians sell them all out to the highest corporate bidder such as big pharma.

I prefer a good dictatorship to a crap democracy. Because deep down it's the same but undercover.

[Tooting Carmen]

I prefer a good dictatorship to a crap democracy. Because deep down it's the same but undercover.

Yeah I would argue that Singapore and (take a deep breath) to a somewhat lesser extent even Cuba are, in many ways, preferable to many 'democracies'.

[El_Jibaro]

Yeah I would argue that Singapore and (take a deep breath) to a somewhat lesser extent even Cuba are, in many ways, preferable to many 'democracies'.

Singapore is an imperfect example of how a country governed in the manner of a large corporation can be very beneficial to its inhabitants

[El_Jibaro]

Singapore is an imperfect example of how a country governed in the manner of a large corporation can be very beneficial to its inhabitants

As for Cuba, they basically screwed up cutting economic ties with the United States, and worse with the fall of the USSR, but the situation prior to 1959 was not entirely good either

[Tooting Carmen]

Singapore is an imperfect example of how a country governed in the manner of a large corporation can be very beneficial to its inhabitants

Yeah, and contrary to what some right-wing propagandists claim, it is far from being a free-market. Although taxes are indeed low, the State owns all the transport, utilities, banks and has several shares elsewhere, mainly through its Temasik Investment Bank.

[Tooting Carmen]

As for Cuba, they basically screwed up cutting economic ties with the United States, and worse with the fall of the USSR, but the situation prior to 1959 was not entirely good either

Um, the USA imposed the embargo on Cuba, not the other way round...

[El_Jibaro]

Um, the USA imposed the embargo on Cuba, not the other way round...

Yes, this is what I meant but English is not my first language

[Andullero]

Um, the USA imposed the embargo on Cuba, not the other way round...

That's a zombified Cold War relic that definitely needs to go.