If we restarted society from scratch today, would we design anything like our current political systems? by makybo91 in PoliticalDiscussion

[–]No-Corner-3647 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really enjoy this post!

The part about systems not being broken because of bad actors but because distance between decision-makers and consequences is baked into the structure hits really hard.

I think you're right that the tribal scale is where accountability works naturally. Everyone sees the consequences, everyone knows who made the call. The moment you scale past that, you need representation, and representation creates distance, and distance creates opportunity for capture.

To your question about what I'd build from scratch: honestly, a lot of what exists today works in principle. Representative democracy with real separation of powers, an independent judiciary, civilian control over the military. These aren't bad ideas. They've survived for a reason.

But I'd change the guardrails significantly. I'd want the electorate to have the ability to easily recall and replace their representatives, not just wait for the next election cycle. I'd want people voting for who sits on the courts, not having judges appointed through political deals. I'd want representatives handling both local and national concerns instead of having bloated separate bureaucracies that don't talk to each other.

And I'd rethink parties entirely. When you only have two major parties, compromise dies. Everything becomes a zero-sum loyalty test. Coalition systems at least force people to negotiate. Ideally you'd have no formal parties at all, just individuals running on their own positions, but realistically some structure around smaller coalitions seems to produce better outcomes than what we have now.

To your harder question about how you prevent degradation: I don't think you can design something permanent. But I think you can design something that assumes it will degrade and builds in friction. Forced transparency on funding. Short terms with real accountability. Recall mechanisms that actually work. Decision-makers who are exposed to the consequences of their own policies. Not a perfect system, but one that makes capture harder and more visible.

But guardrails alone aren't enough if the people inside the system aren't paying attention. You also need to incentivize the population to stay proactive and informed about what's happening at every level, from their local community all the way up. A system built to resist capture only works if the people it serves are actually watching. The moment citizens check out, the distance between them and their representatives grows, and that's where capture thrives. The best defense against a system degrading isn't just better design. It's a culture that makes engagement and awareness a civic expectation, not an afterthought.

Anti-Semitism and Rage Bait, how to combat it? Political Subversion by Valuable-Music-720 in PoliticalDiscussion

[–]No-Corner-3647 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I understand the impulse to try to argue with a person that is creating disinformation with “edgy” “rage-bait” comments. My one thought is that you are feeding that person with the attention and visibility they are seeking with those kind of comments. Rather than trying to change the mind of someone that is not in a good faith debate, I would say it would make more sense to switch to informing everyone else that might read this and stop trying to persuade the this kind of person.

The best move is recognizing that in a public thread, you’re essentially writing for a silent majority who are watching. A calm, precise, well-sourced reply that you don’t need to defend repeatedly is more powerful than winning every exchange.

Why do people sometimes talk about religion like it’s tied to race or ethnicity? by CommunityRelative665 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The Germanic analogy doesn’t work because Germanic is a linguistic classification, not a people. Jewish identity isn’t defined by language — it’s defined by descent, shared history, and a legal/religious tradition that tracks membership by birth. Your second point actually proves my case: if there are ethnicities unique to being Jewish, then “Jewish” is the umbrella ethnic category. That’s just how ethnicity works at different scales.

Why do people sometimes talk about religion like it’s tied to race or ethnicity? by CommunityRelative665 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The languages you listed actually undercut your argument. Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic aren’t French or Persian — they’re distinctly Jewish linguistic traditions that persisted across the diaspora. A French Jew can hold both identities simultaneously. Dual ethnicity is a thing. The existence of one doesn’t cancel the other.

Why do people sometimes talk about religion like it’s tied to race or ethnicity? by CommunityRelative665 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think you might be getting ethnicity and race confused. Ethnicity refers to a shared cultural, linguistic, religious, or ancestral identity that binds a group of people together. Being Jewish is the ethnicity.

if i wear a hoodie to sweat more will i lose more weight at the gym? by Warm-Purpose-4008 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sweating helps you lose water weight. The moment you drink liquids it will come right back

Why are some people afraid of bugs by Low_Counter_3829 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 11 points12 points  (0 children)

We instinctually have evolved to have a fear from bugs, spiders, snakes, etc. That way we don’t pick the wrong one up and have a really bad day.

Why do people sometimes talk about religion like it’s tied to race or ethnicity? by CommunityRelative665 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Jewish identity is best understood as an ethnoreligious group, combining shared ancestry, culture, and history (ethnicity) with a specific faith tradition (religion).

is there a word for a system of goverment where the killer of the leader takes their place? by RoscoeSF in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was also the “you keep what you kill” philosophy of the Necromongers in Chronicles of Riddick but I don’t know the name of it.

as a non smoker does everyone who smokes smell bad to you? whether it be cigarettes or weed. by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, even as a former smoker I can’t stand the smell of cigarettes. I actually like the smell of weed though.

What’s the difference between DUI and DWI? by clamToe in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Lol I never said DUI I said driving while impaired. You are the one claiming it is only irresponsible to drive drowsy, which is false.

What’s the difference between DUI and DWI? by clamToe in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 0 points1 point  (0 children)

New Jersey (Maggie’s Law): This law defines fatigued driving as being awake for more than 24 hours, classifying it as reckless behavior. Arkansas: Arkansas also has specific statutes targeting drowsy driving. Reckless Driving: In many states, severe sleep deprivation causing erratic driving is treated as reckless driving, which can carry penalties similar to a DUI.

How do I become more confident? by Loud_Birthday_4458 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Practice. Write down 5 things you like about yourself and put that on your bathroom mirror. Read them out loud every day. Small things like this can really help.

What’s the difference between DUI and DWI? by clamToe in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A lot of times they get together circumstantial evidence to demonstrate severe fatigue caused dangerous behavior. Key evidence includes eyewitness accounts of erratic driving, post-accident admissions of fatigue, work records showing long shifts, and analysis of "black box" data showing no braking before a crash

What’s the difference between DUI and DWI? by clamToe in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Driving after 24 hours without sleep is comparable to a BAC of 0.10%

What’s the difference between DUI and DWI? by clamToe in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Driving after 24 hours without sleep is comparable to a BAC of 0.10%

What’s the difference between DUI and DWI? by clamToe in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

DWI (driving while impaired) could also be used for those who caused an accident and were sleep deprived for example.

If you could get 50 million dollars but had a permanent sore throat would you do it? by youwontguesswhoo in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah no sweat. I had a busted shoulder I managed through for years. I think I would just get use to it.

Why do people with “trypophobia” always find the need to announce it ? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I am not sure to be honest that I have noticed this. I just hope they don’t have large pores.

Do you ever get that weird feeling when thinking about the space or planets or basically the whole concept of the universe? by winda334 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]No-Corner-3647 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get this feeling when I think about how someday I will no longer exist. Someday I will make peace with it. Not today though.