[EM] Preference Cascades

[Ted Stern]

An interesting item I just read:

     http://instapundit.com/archives/021490.php

     "This illustrates, in a mild way, the reason why totalitarian
     regimes collapse so suddenly. . . . Such regimes have little
     legitimacy, but they spend a lot of effort making sure that
     citizens don't realize the extent to which their fellow-citizens
     dislike the regime. If the secret police and the censors are
     doing their job, 99% of the populace can hate the regime and be
     ready to revolt against it - but no revolt will occur because no
     one realizes that everyone else feels the same way."

Originally he was talking about flags up 6 months after 9/11.  Now
he's talking about Lebanon and Syria.

But the real point to take home is why people on this list should be
working for voting method reform -- the true preferences of the people
are not fully expressed.  When people have the opportunity to express
their true preferences and see what others are expressing, tremendous
positive change can result.

I would add that polls are insufficient for communicating the
prevailing sentiment of the general populace.

Ted
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	ted stern at u dot washington dot edu

Frango ut patefaciam -- I break so that I may reveal