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From: lied@ihlts.UUCP (Doctor Bob)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: the net as a participative democracy
Message-ID: <456@ihlts.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-May-84 21:57:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihlts.456
Posted: Mon May  7 21:57:12 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 9-May-84 01:41:53 EDT
References: <2278@harpo.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 23

> The Net can be a testing ground on which to
> model a direct democracy.

Perhaps, but it would be a pretty poor model.  [Why?]
For at least the following reasons:

1.  The net population is relatively homogeneous, unlike
    any real population.

2.  Even in this small population, the number of active, continuing
    participants is only a fraction of the total participants.

3.  All the participants agree that participation is a Good Thing.

4.  There are no matters of real urgency to be decided, and
    even when a decision does need to be made, it's preceded by
    a lot of debate which becomes moot when the decision is made
    unilaterally somewhere (net.music.classical, most recent
    example).

I'm sure you can think of others.

	Bob "Status Quo" Lied	ihnp4!ihlts!lied