Does Democracy Mean Majority Rules?

There are rules for everything. We live in a world of rules. 

If they are taught by our family, if they are related to the family perspective, we call them manners. We call the rules that a wider mass, a certain part of the society, a little bit locally, has gradually established by itself in history, we call them traditions, and we call the general rules that society sets on behavior morality. If they are related to our beliefs, we call them religious rules. When the rules are a little more official, the name changes again, either becoming regulations or, if they concern the whole society, we call them laws. Even more fundamental rules are called constitutions.

As I said, everything we do has rules. Sports branches also have their own rules. Football has different rules, volleyball has different rules, all sports have different rules. 

We start going to school, the school has rules, we start working, the workplace has rules. We go to the movies, even watching a movie has rules.

We have limited ourselves with rules on every side. If you look to the right there is one rule, if you look to the left there is another. It's almost as if every direction you turn you come across another rule.

Even nature has rules. And there are rules that you can't easily break. If it's easy, let's fly for no reason, the earth won't allow it, you can only jump, and even then only for a second, and then you'll fall to the ground again.

Don't we make rules for ourselves? We all have principles. Aren't principles also rules?

Mrs. Türkan (Şoray) also had rules in the movie world. She wouldn't work on Sundays, she wouldn't act in movies with kissing and lovemaking scenes, rules, rules, rules. Love to her from here, she has contributed a lot to Turkish cinema to this day.

What about the military, the army? The army means discipline, absolute obedience, an order where rules must be strictly enforced. You have to be like this, after all, our army protects the country.

Our police organization is the same, again rules are very important for the police. After all, they are intertwined with citizens, they will protect us all. Discipline must be a priority for the police too.

So, if we are born into so many rules and live by them, why is it that not everyone is used to them? Why are there objections, why are there people who break the rules?

Is it the rules or the human nature?

Why don't people follow the rules?

For some reason, everyone tends to break some rules for some reason.

For example, some do not obey traffic rules. They know that speeding is forbidden, but they like to speed. 

Thinking they won't notice, they step on the gas, and when they are caught on the radar, they pay the fine. But he doesn't settle down and makes the same mistake again and again.

For example, don't criminals know they are committing a crime? They commit the crime anyway. Prisons are full of criminals!

As I said, we live in a world of rules, there are so many rules that sometimes people get really bored with all these rules. They want a little more freedom.

But when we say freedom, we also restrict our freedoms to ourselves. I mean, we ourselves are aware that freedoms cannot be unlimited. 

So what is it that limits us even from ourselves? Is it embarrassment, fear of something, or fear?

Yes, I think fear is an important emotion. We are all afraid of something. We prevent ourselves from certain things because if I do this or that, I will get in trouble. But some of us follow the rules, not because of fear or anything else, but because we think it's better this way.

They have set rules, the majority will live as the majority wants, and the minority will live as the majority wants! 

The majority is 50% + one person. So many people who are one less than half of the society have to live according to the rules that those who are one more than half want. 

Is this fair? According to today's rules, yes. What the majority wants is what the majority wants!

If not half the majority, but everyone except one person wants the same thing, doesn't that one person have the right to live the way he or she wants? I think maybe they should! In fact, I am sure they should.

If it does not harm others, if it does not interfere with the freedom of others, let that one person live as he or she sees fit.

But no, the majority wants it that way, so he will live as the majority wants! Rules are rules!

Isn't this democracy? You will obey the will of the majority!

They divide democracy into pluralist democracy and majoritarian democracy. Actually, it is always confusing because they are similar words, I would define it differently as minority rights democracy and absolute majority democracy. 

Pluralist, or minority rights democracy, means that the decisions taken by the majority cannot usurp the fundamental rights of the minority. 

Majoritarian democracy, on the other hand, requires everyone to obey the decisions of the absolute majority.

I think our problem stems from our misunderstanding of democracy. We have all internalized the idea that what can we do, this is what the majority wants and we don't worry about the rest. Even if we do worry, maybe we are afraid and don't speak up. 

However, we are all human beings and no matter how much we are used to living within the rules, in the end, we ourselves set the rules that concern our lives. 

These rules should not be absolute rules as the majority wants them to be. The decisions taken by the majority must also respect the fundamental rights of the minority. We need to internalize this as a society.

This is a very fine distinction, but it is the right of all of us as human beings.

The opposition parties have announced their joint proposal for a new constitution. But I don't think they addressed this issue loudly enough. I don't know, maybe they did and I missed it.

I think we need to teach the new generations in schools at an early age that this "majority rules" point of view is wrong. Maybe it is no longer possible to teach this point of view to the current society.

If we can teach this consciousness to new generations in schools, at least our future generations will be comfortable.

For now, it seems that we will have to try to live as the majority wants to live.

I hope I have made my point clear.

Love and respect to everyone from Moscow