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-Ch4s3- t1_is6w2mw wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Police Killings per Capita v Homicide Rate per Capita for Select OECD Countries [OC] by dr5c

Yeah it’s the wrong comparison IMHO. It may be compelling to call the US a failed Europe, but it’s more correct to look at it as a very successful post-colonial democracy.

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Frank9567 t1_is98n3j wrote

I'd agree with the very successful part, but democracy is probably not quite accurate. It certainly has democratic elements, but the system incorporates a number of features, some unique like the electoral college, and systematic high corporate influence, and others not so unique like gerrymander and voter suppression, that make classing the US as a democracy is problematic.

That's NOT to criticise, because the US IS successful as a result of the system. It's just misleading to compare with democracies which don't have the unique non-democratic elements that the US does.

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-Ch4s3- t1_isa8j3k wrote

Being the first mover in designing a system has some draw backs. That said the system involves voting directly for a congress and a president, it’s more direct that some parliamentary systems.

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angrybirdseller t1_ise7kyv wrote

Parts of USA had one party rule the Deep south until the 1960s. Jim Crow was the rule.

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