Socialism!

[Macfistowannabe]

It's a semantic argument, thus not the bottom line. Still important in pursuit of discussion.

I don't mind the term "social democrat," it seems accurate enough. Collective interests are the focus, and they're decided on through a democratic process. It distinguishes itself from republican individualism and the strongman culture of socialism embodied by Hugo Chavez.

"Capturing the whole picture" takes years of literature and world events to observe (at least in getting anywhere near that end in any meaningful sense).

 

[Macfistowannabe]

On democracy itself... all civic religion aside, is it an end, or a means to an end? Is it worth having without the right to withdraw or secede from a political territory, be it the British Empire, the United States, or the European Union? Is the average voter sufficiently educated to determine the most fit of overlords for hundreds of millions of people? Was Thomas Jefferson correct in saying it could only work meaningfully in a small town?