Honestly there's a big difference in the way people live in North Korea and Switzerland.

I mean there is also a big difference in the way people live in India and Switzerland, and both are democratic countries. Your examples are the result of economic disparity, not political systems.

But if you compare India to China, one democratic and one not, suddenly it's not super clear which countries' citizens have "better" lives.

There are eons of differences between different democracies. Russia is also a democracy on paper, yet it is absolutely unfathomable for someone to “shot themselves in the back of the head and jump out the window” in, say, Switzerland, while many political opponents, journalists “committed suicide” that way in Russia.

Oh you. You nailed it. That's the core difference. /s

The key is being able to throw the bums out every 4-8 years. This gives Democracy a self-correcting feature that doesn't work with lifetime rulers.

It also doesn't work with corporate sponsorship of the elected.

Interesting how the trajectory of the USA has changed since Citizen's United was decided. When and how are we going to fix the rationalization that immortal and unaccountable entities aren't people. AI legislation? I can dream of electric sheep.

I don't think other democracies have allowed travesties like rich people funding elections (aka Citizen's United). It's possible the US will be able to stop it, but the insidious impact of that wealth feels like it is unending.

But at some point the people get fed up with the same corporate message and do something crazy like elect Trump.

I feel like there's a limit to how much corporations can influence voters, the same way there's a limit to how much moviegoers will keep paying to see the same corporate movie over and over.

AI is controlled by the richest corporations.

How do you think AI would legislate, if AI legislation would become reality?

I meant human legislation of AI, (and other immortal unaccountable entities like corporations to boot) not the legislation by AI.

In most countries, that would be rotating between two or three leaders.

Somewhat better than a lifetime ruler, but this is far from what Democracy are on the textbook.

It's still very very different than what's happening in say Nicaragua right now, where the will of the majority of the people has no bearing.

i prefere rulers that care about general wellbeing of theyr populations. i know i might sound like a cattle or a sheep, but i prefere beying sheep that is treated well. this is provided that we really dont have a choice or say in things that happening around us. but this still needs to be shown. so far i feel like j can influence the path of my life quite a lot.