Quote: on Tyranny, Monarchy & Representative Democracy

[mahnmut]

Terry Pratchett explains the socio-political structure of the city-state of Ankh-Morpork.

...
Technically, the city of Ankh-Morpork is a Tyranny, which is not always the same thing as a Monarchy, and in fact even the post of Tyrant has been somewhat redefined by the incumbent, Lord Vetinari, as the only form of democracy that works. Everyone is entitled to vote, unless disqualified by reason of age or not being Lord Vetinari.

And yet it does work. This has annoyed a number of people who feel, somehow, that it should not, and who want a monarch instead, thus replacing a man who has achieved his position by cunning, a deep understanding of the realities of the human psyche, breathtaking diplomacy, a certain prowess with the stiletto dagger, and, all agree, a mind like a finely balanced circular saw, with a man who has got there by... being born. *

However, the Crown has hung on anyway, as crowns do – on the Post Office and the Royal Bank and the Mint and, not least, in the sprawling, brawling, squalling consciousness of the city itself. Lots of things live in that darkness. There are all kinds of darkness, and all kinds of things can be found in them, imprisoned, banished, lost or hidden. Sometimes they escape. Sometimes they simply fall out. Sometimes they just can’t take it any more.

* A third proposition, that the City be governed by a choice of respectable members of the community who would promise not to give themselves airs or betray the public trust at every turn, was instantly the subject of music-hall jokes all over the city.
...

From the brand new book "Unseen Academicals" by Terry Pratchett

Comments

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

I've said it before. Vetinari is my role model.

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

How about this, then.

Practically anything can go faster than Disc light, which is lazy and tame, unlike ordinary light. The only thing known to go faster than ordinary light is monarchy, according to the philosopher Ly Tin Wheedle. He reasoned like this: you can't have more than one king, and tradition demands that there is no gap between kings, so when a king dies the succession must therefore pass to the heir instantaneously. Presumably, he said, there must be some elementary particles – kingons, or possibly queons – that do this job, but of course succession sometimes fails if, in mid-flight, they strike an anti-particle, or republicon. His ambitious plans to use his discovery to send messages, involving the careful torturing of a small king in order to modulate the signal, were never fully expounded because, at that point, the bar closed.

(Mort, 2001)

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Monarchy works by quantum entanglement of course.

[kardashev.livejournal.com]

* A third proposition, that the City be governed by a choice of respectable members of the community who would promise not to give themselves airs or betray the public trust at every turn, was instantly the subject of music-hall jokes all over the city.

lol!

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Indeed! ;-)

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

I have a difficult time really "getting" Pratchett, possibly because he's English, but then you're aren't, nor is Kol, but you all seem to get him just fine....

I just finished "Good Omens" by Pratchett and Gaiman, and I THINK I got it, but only because it kinda dealt with theology.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

He's designed to be 'got' even by kids, who haven't dealt with theology.

I sci-fi author, I think it was Dan Simmons, said that whoever gets to 'get' Pratchett would make an excellent sci-fi writer.

Perhaps I should try writing a book LOL! :-))

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Thats because you're trying to "get" it all, as a whole. You should adopt a different approach: read it case-by-case, i mean sentence by sentence. Then it makes much more sense ;)

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

It's entirely possible that my problem is that I am looking for more than what is actually there, being as how I'm expecting it because they are English......Perhaps they are not comparable, but I loved Myth World stories (by Aspirn) but I was lost in Disc World :D....perhaps I'll try the sentence by sentence idea :D

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

What do you mean "because he's English"? English is not the Moon, you know. Besides, most of his stuff is universal and is valid for any culture. Moreover, the English and US culture are so similar.

There IS more than that is actually there. That's the idea about Pratchett after all. :-)

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

Since H.L. Mencken wrote an 800+ page book (with at least 2 800+ page supplements) on the difference between English and American, I stand by what I said :P. Besides I read fiction to escape, not think. I suppose you "got" Douglas Addams too (hey, at least I try)

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Good. Someone splashed 800 pages to say something. :-P