Democracy

#UrbanMyths

"In a democracy the majority is right."

Very often you will come across this statement from well educated and well placed people to counter any argument .  Some of them go a step ahead and try to extend the scope of the statement with a specious logic. As a final argument hey come with the clinching statement - " and hence criticism of a government elected by the majority is against democracy."

I know many of the readers of this post perhaps also harbour the same idea about democracy . May be not the corollary about criticism . I have due respect for everyone who thinks this way individually and also to their education. But let me remind them that this construct about democracy which they nurture in their mind is simply asinine.

Maybe those who have such notions about democracy may not have bothered to study social sciences or their teachers never explained the subject properly. But it irritates me to the point of contemplating violence when I hear such nonsense being believed , propagated and discussed in society , social gatherings and social media too . By so called educated and well heeled persons whose idea about democracy starts and ends with the Sensex maintaining an upward trend .

The biggest fallacy in the whole idea about democracy is about the majority being right in a democracy .

No it is not .

Majority may decide who forms the government or rules in a democratic setup . But democracy is not defined by the way how a a government or ruler is chosen . It goes beyond that and actually means the participation of everyone . Majority or minority , whoever, whatever and however they may be . And that's irrespective of caste, creed, colour, race, sex, language, religion, education, money or any other such discrimination. In short democracy gives equal rights to the majority who decides the ruler and the minority who do not agree.

The very mindset that believes that majority is right is against democratic ethos . So my earnest request to the readers of this post who believe in this idea is to throw it out of their minds . Further please don't spread such ridiculous idea in your family and more importantly in the progeny. #Randomthoughts