BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens

Subject: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Helen
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 05:57 PM

Oz's ABC Radio, Classic FM Breakfast Show has a Word of the Day segment every weekday. Why does this word seem so relevant in Oz, and somewhere else I could name?

Helen

Tuesday 13 January 2004

Kakistocracy

Kel Richards writes:

"Kakistrocracy" means "the government of a nation by its worst citizens". This is one of a family of words naming different types of government. The most familiar of these words is "democracy" meaning government by the "demos" – or "the people". There's also "plutocracy" – meaning "rule or government by the wealthy"; "aristocracy" (which originally mean "rule or government by the best citizens"); "autocracy" meaning a self-sustained ruler (that is, an absolute ruler); and so on. All of these words were originally constructed from Greek stems, with the added Greek suffix "kratia" meaning "rule" or government. However, some of the more modern coinages no longer stick to the old rule of using Greek words, and so you'll find a word such "meritocracy" – meaning "government by people selected on the basis of merit": this being the exact opposite of "kakistocracy". The first part of that word, by the way, comes from the Greek kakistos – "the worst". Some people would say that "kakistocracy" means government by professional politicians. You may very well think that, I couldn't possibly comment.

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Little Hawk
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 06:15 PM

Interesting concept. How do we determine who the "worst" citizens are?

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 07:08 PM

"Idiocracy" - Government by George W. Bush

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Amos
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 08:08 PM

Cacastocracy, then, would be government by shit-heads? And penistocracy, by dickheads? And here in the U.S., we must be practicing proctocracy?

A

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Peace
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 08:43 PM

I thought plutocracy was the running of a country by someone from Disneyland. Ah, well, it's hard to tell the difference at times.

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Helen
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 09:17 PM

LH,

"How do we determine who the "worst" citizens are?" By the number of votes they get?

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Amos
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 10:58 PM

I really like "proctocracy". I think it should be added to the lexicon of poliical systems. We could get the American Heritage to put it in their dictionary with a wee picture of W alongside, and the word "proctocracy" under it, by way of example.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: MarkS
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 12:15 AM

Maybe it is a good thing that Mike Dukakis did loose that election.
If he had won we might have had a Dukakistocracy.

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: mack/misophist
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 12:56 AM

The only reliable way to discover the worst possible candidate for president iws to elect one and see what happens; like we did with bush.

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Wolfgang
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 03:12 AM

Ochlocracy is one of the traditional Greek words missing. Something like mob rule, scum rule.

(Hippocracy, BTW, is when in African rivers the crocodiles are outnumbered and dominated by large mammals)

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Amos
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 08:54 AM

Wolfgang:

You do remarkably well with that pun stuff for a furriner!!! LOL!! Hippocracy!! When the big guys throw their weight around. LOL!

A

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 09:32 AM

Dukakistocracy is a horrifying sounding term. God help us! Anyway, no one with a name like Dukakis can possibly get elected president in the USA. Really! How stupid can the Democrats get? I suspect they knew they were going to lose anyway that time, and selected him as the sacrificial lamb.

Gore-ocracy sounds pretty bad too.

Clintonocracy, on the other hand, sounds great. Let's get Bill back or elect Hillary ASAP!

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 01:33 PM

I wonder what one could earn as a Dukakistocratic protologist under a Clintonocratic administration which was encouraging Ochlocracy?

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 02:07 PM

a PhD in glottal stoppage?

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 02:25 PM

so, a proctologist who was operating on Dukakis would be performing a Dukakistroposcopy?

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Wolfgang
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 05:19 PM

Thanks, Amos, but there are innumerable times when I just don't get what you guys are talking about and don't dare to ask ("Wes Ginny" for instance took me months to figure out). I would fail a vocabulary test for 12 year olds, especially on adjectives, but I'm strong with words coming from Greek or Latin. In 19 out of 20 cases I can't fail when I take the German word and merely replace k by c and ie by y. Sometimes that rule of thumb leads to a word that is (yet) unknown in English, like 'empiry'.

Wolfgang

P.S.: Starting from 'cacastrocracy', did you know that this type of government usually leads very quickly to catastrocracy. A type of rule of unsure etymology is Castrocracy, which is when someone rules so long that nobody anymore remembers who has ruled before him.

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 05:39 PM

ohh...that scares me, Wolfgang...because I DO remember who was there before Castro..*grin*...fellow named Batista

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: GUEST,Viva Cuba
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 06:02 PM

Yes, and if Cubans should be so foolish as to forget Batista, they will do so at their own peril. The big corporate mouth waits daily to gobble up that island and resume the marvelously profitable business of running gambling houses, drug rings, prostitution, and slave labour...WITHOUT a social safety net for anyone who is not already rich.

I've got 3 names for that: Dollarocracy. Wealthocracy. Deathocracy.

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Gareth
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 07:43 PM

Errrr ! - Amos - From this side of the Pond, Who is the foriegner ????

Gareth.

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Amos
Date: 17 Jan 04 - 12:48 AM

Now, Gareth, keep your yewma woikin'!! It was all offered with a large grin on the side, y'know!


A

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Thomas the Rhymer
Date: 17 Jan 04 - 10:22 PM

Long live reciprocitocracy! ...and paxocracy...

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: Little Hawk
Date: 17 Jan 04 - 10:27 PM

Reciprocitocracy is great, Thomas! Best word yet on this thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 08:51 PM

Would it be Paradoxicracy when nobody can figure out the difference between any of the parties standing because their policies are so interchangeable..... or is that just normal these days?

And how about Karkistocracy when the graveyard vote tips the balance (Aussies will recognise the source). Mabe even Kirkistocracy, when either (a)the candidate fielded by the Presbyterian Church gets in, or (b) William Shatner gets elected.
)

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: pdq
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 10:06 PM

In Arizona they have a Kactusocracy, where the ones with the biggest spines win.

Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 19 Jan 04 - 04:33 PM

When the Hip Hop generation takes over the government we can have"
Hiphopocracy. Or if it becomes spurious, we could label it
Hyp-hop-ocracy. It would require the Hyphopocratic Oath.

Babyboomocracy could apply to the followers of Dean.

Animositocracy could be applied throughout the world to beligerent
and bellicose nations.

It can only go down from here.

Frank