Kevin Simler

@KevinSimler Circle of Life: you join the best team, make yourself useful to the guys at the top. This makes you eventually at the top.

@KevinSimler in principle democracy short circuits this by giving power to people who make themselves useful to those at the bottom

@drethelin Love the "short circuit" metaphor. But is it new to democracy? Even Genghis Khan was (had to be) useful to the rank-and-file.

@KevinSimler Hmm, happened in Rome too. Similar stuff in pirate cultures also

@drethelin @KevinSimler You don't even need to give power to the lower rungs, just the hypothetical possibility of it.

@ckhonson @KevinSimler it's not just about power. Whaling ships had similar practices, as well as gold miners in rushes.

@drethelin @ckhonson yeah you just need to make their lives better somehow. I think most ppl can smell when they're not getting a good deal.

@KevinSimler @drethelin @ckhonson if you can offer them slow-motion magic beans like education they will often fall for it