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15 Jan 04 - 05:57 PM (#1093643) Subject: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Helen 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. |
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15 Jan 04 - 06:15 PM (#1093653) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Little Hawk Interesting concept. How do we determine who the "worst" citizens are? - LH |
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15 Jan 04 - 07:08 PM (#1093690) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Bee-dubya-ell "Idiocracy" - Government by George W. Bush |
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15 Jan 04 - 08:08 PM (#1093732) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Amos Cacastocracy, then, would be government by shit-heads? And penistocracy, by dickheads? And here in the U.S., we must be practicing proctocracy? A |
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15 Jan 04 - 08:43 PM (#1093749) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Peace I thought plutocracy was the running of a country by someone from Disneyland. Ah, well, it's hard to tell the difference at times. |
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15 Jan 04 - 09:17 PM (#1093770) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Helen LH, "How do we determine who the "worst" citizens are?" By the number of votes they get? Helen |
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15 Jan 04 - 10:58 PM (#1093825) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Amos 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 |
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16 Jan 04 - 12:15 AM (#1093852) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: MarkS Maybe it is a good thing that Mike Dukakis did loose that election. If he had won we might have had a Dukakistocracy. |
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16 Jan 04 - 12:56 AM (#1093868) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: mack/misophist 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. |
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16 Jan 04 - 03:12 AM (#1093898) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Wolfgang 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 |
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16 Jan 04 - 08:54 AM (#1094078) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Amos Wolfgang: You do remarkably well with that pun stuff for a furriner!!! LOL!! Hippocracy!! When the big guys throw their weight around. LOL! A |
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16 Jan 04 - 09:32 AM (#1094110) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Little Hawk 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 |
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16 Jan 04 - 01:33 PM (#1094290) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Little Hawk I wonder what one could earn as a Dukakistocratic protologist under a Clintonocratic administration which was encouraging Ochlocracy? |
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16 Jan 04 - 02:07 PM (#1094324) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Bill D a PhD in glottal stoppage? |
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16 Jan 04 - 02:25 PM (#1094344) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Bill D so, a proctologist who was operating on Dukakis would be performing a Dukakistroposcopy? |
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16 Jan 04 - 05:19 PM (#1094437) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Wolfgang 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. |
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16 Jan 04 - 05:39 PM (#1094459) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Bill D ohh...that scares me, Wolfgang...because I DO remember who was there before Castro..*grin*...fellow named Batista |
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16 Jan 04 - 06:02 PM (#1094475) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: GUEST,Viva Cuba 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. |
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16 Jan 04 - 07:43 PM (#1094553) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Gareth Errrr ! - Amos - From this side of the Pond, Who is the foriegner ???? Gareth. |
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17 Jan 04 - 12:48 AM (#1094690) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Amos Now, Gareth, keep your yewma woikin'!! It was all offered with a large grin on the side, y'know! A |
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17 Jan 04 - 10:22 PM (#1095268) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Thomas the Rhymer Long live reciprocitocracy! ...and paxocracy... |
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17 Jan 04 - 10:27 PM (#1095271) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: Little Hawk Reciprocitocracy is great, Thomas! Best word yet on this thread. |
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18 Jan 04 - 08:51 PM (#1095899) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: GUEST,ozmacca 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. ) |
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18 Jan 04 - 10:06 PM (#1095944) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: pdq In Arizona they have a Kactusocracy, where the ones with the biggest spines win. |
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19 Jan 04 - 04:33 PM (#1096522) Subject: RE: BS: Kakistrocracy: gov't by worst citizens From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton 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 |