Recently I feel my life can also fit into the international politics theory. Such theories are after all empirical. It’s proper to say that the strong man has the legitimacy to exist. I think sometimes it’s even better for the public good.
Mass democracy=Mass stupidity
Mass democracy means that the mass/ people decide where the whole group is going. People aggregate their view and then they formed the final decision. However, if this mass is an organized one, the group would be easily misled. If a person said something, other people think that they also think the same thing. This is a sort of decision that would easily go wrong because the process of forming the consensus without the deliberation is dangerous. At the same time, it’s also perilous if the people have all sorts of opinions. The opinions can be so divided that the mass cannot go anywhere. Because everyone is equal in the system, everyone could just doubt one another’s opinion and propose an alternative. In this sense, the mass need to put up with the chaos before actually reaching somewhere.
For example, several people and I went to see the fireworks on a Saturday night. That was the beginning of chaos. One would say let’s take this road to the Water Front. One got his guidebook and pointed the wrong direction. One said, “No, my friends said that we should take the 9th street.” One said that he wanted to meet his friends so we had better take another street. Suddenly, we passed by the 9th Street and I told that person that it’s already 9th Street. I know I was right but the mass just did not listen. That person said that he did not think it’s the 9th Street. I felt the depressing frustration. I think at the perfect moment, I realized why Plato said that he want to participate in the political forum. He said he did not want to be ruled by the stupid people. I think it’s the same frustration that Plato and I share when the people who know the truth are not listened to. Finally that person took us to the 12th Street and he could not find the way to the Water Front. The mass started to blame each other, but luckily 15 minutes later we happened to find the Water Street. Although we did not get a very good view at first, I motioned to move forward and the crowd followed. We finally got a better view near between the 7th and the 9th Street.
I knew from the beginning that I was right. However, I don’t understand the reason why I did not insist. Perhaps I am still the minority in the mass. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave was a perfect illustration for this. When there is only one person having insights, he is often oppressed. Hence, I say “Mass democracy is actually the mass stupidity.”
Strong Man
There is another way to make decision in the International Student House. Sometimes there would be a strong man in the group and everyone just accept his decision. Everyone accept because the mass don’t care about the outcome of some issues or because everyone respects the authority of the strong man. The decision making process would not be fussy. However, the single man leading could go wrong if the man is heading to the wrong direction. If the mass thinks that he did not do a good job this time, the strong man’s authority would be challenged. In international politics, the strong man would use a more suppressive ruling style to strengthen the regime lest his authority would be threatened.
Take my life in ISH for example, I don’t think I am the strong man, but I am often asked to lead the crowd, to show the direction and to make a decision. Nonetheless, this leadership is not solid because everyone can contradict me. I have no means to control the crowd or I have not that authority to make the mass to obey. This is the gap between the daily life and the international politics.
It’s interesting how we can reflect on Plato’s wisdom and democracy theory in our daily life. It shows the students of international relations that there is only a subtle difference between the theory and the practice.
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