English Test

[TPaine7]

Poll question: English Test

A well-informed electorate being necessary to the proper functioning of a democratic society, the right of the people to keep and read written materials shall not be infringed.

or, as it might have been written over 200 years ago,

A well-informed electorate, being necessary to the proper functioning of a democratic society, the right of the people to keep and read written materials, shall not be infringed.

Pick either version, then select a meaning below:

[RandomThoughts]

1. If information is part of the weapons of societies or government

And that was established with the study of effects of propaganda on populations.

Then


Community supervision and even partial control over information flow such as the Internet and TV is a public right guaranteed by the Constitution. And because it makes sense.

It would also invalidates copyright laws. Which are laws to allow monopoly distribution so that people can get some monetary reward out of creating something, or control of its usage.

[TPaine7]

2. Why didn't you vote?

[RandomThoughts]

5. I really don't vote in many polls, would rather express thoughts

then if it matches some thought in the poll that would be my view.

[Euromutt]

3. Option #3 is superficially tempting

But then the question arises, how do you determine what materials are--and more importantly, are not--relevant to the electoral process? Coming myself from a background of having enjoyed a liberal education (in sense of "the liberal arts"), I'm a great fan of a well-rounded education, in which just about anything is potentially relevant in forming one's opinion as a citizen. Should we discount Coriolanus, or the writings of Milovan Djilas? Or The Communist Manifesto, What Is To Be Done, Mein Kampf, The Doctrine of Fascism, or Quotations From Chairman Mao? Sheez, even the Harry Potter series can be useful in forming a political opinion.

So option #4.

[Chulanowa]

4. False comparison

"Electorate" in your example could cover just voters, as you state, or it could mean the geographic area - and everyone therein - of a particular election. For instance, in a presidential election, every man woman and child in the United States and its territories is part of the "electorate" even if they do not or cannot cast a ballot.

"Militia" however, does imply some exclusivity, especially given the "well-regulated" descriptor.

When you turn 18 in this country, you are by default part of the electorate - alternately, just by being born, you are a member of the second definition of electorate. But when do you, by default, become a member of a well-regulated militia?

Using similar phasing in the sentences does not actually make these two comparable.

[NewMoonTherian]

6. When you turn 17, if you are an able-bodied male...

you become a part of the unorganized militia until you reach the age of 45. Becoming well-regulated is the responsibility of individuals to execute as they see fit, as is becoming well-informed in the OP's analog.

[TPaine7]

7. When do you by default become well-informed?

Would you read my sentences as restricting voting to "well-informed" people?

Would you support a poll test of, say, politics, philosophy, US history, ...?

And since my sentence is obviously referencing literacy, would you favor literacy tests?

[TPaine7]

8. Your critique is self-contradictory

"Militia" however, does imply some exclusivity, especially given the "well-regulated" descriptor.

"Electorate" also implies exclusivity, given the "well-informed" descriptor. There is no reasonable definition by which a 4 month old infant is "well informed" in the context of either of my sentences.