Little Hawk, I'm so glad to see you write that. I've been saying a lot of that for years, but no-one seemed to listen. Do you get that too?
Democracy worked (for a while) in ancient Greece because, as you said, Athens was then a small place where everyone knew, at least to a degree, who and what they were voting for.
What we so proudly refer to as democracy is nothing like the stuff the ancient Greeks were using.
What we do is to more or less authorise somebody (who we regard as not as bad as the alternative) to do as they please.
I have also been known to suggest a democracy of small regional councils, and with the current state of I.T., that would be all that's required to arrive at national consensus on any and all matters.

Glenn