Weird shiz in Thailand.

So I don't know if you've been paying attention, but the middle classes in Thailand are revolting because they don't want the peasants to vote, and they've actually overthrown a couple popularly elected governments in the last several years if I'm not mistaken. This is not supposed to happen. Before I blab on too much, here's the article that prompted this post.

By most narratives, the road to democracy from feudalism begins with economic liberalization, which fosters a powerful bourgeoisie that eventually overthrows the aristocracy/nobility (violently in America's case, or gradually in places like Great Britain). Think about the movie Amazing Grace when Wilberforce plays poker with an aristocratic fellow member of the House of Commons. The Noble raises the stakes and someone reminds him, "Your Grace, you know these merchant boys are richer than we are."

This narrative isn't playing out in Thailand. The bourgeoisie is now rioting in favor of anti-democratic reforms to the government. Looks like the mainstream narrative is wrong, or at least misinterpreted.

I tend to think it's partially wrong at least. The United States Constitution, for example, is not nearly as democratic as people think. Last summer, my personal project was to read James Madison's notes of the Federal Convention. And really, the vast majority of the founding fathers were not democrats (small "d"). Except with James Wilson and maybe a couple of others, a general distrust of the common people prevailed.

The United States Senate was put originally in the hands of the state legislatures for that reason (and there were even proposals to have them specifically elected by the economic elites). And in all the debates about "minority rights" they aren't talking about black people (obviously) or religious minorities for the most part. They're talking about rich people – they were afraid the people would try to confiscate their wealth.

It's possible that Thailand moved too quickly to a modern-style popularly elected government and now the middle class is up in arms, just as they may have been here had such reforms been put in place in the very beginning before loyalty to our constitutional government became a cultural and (almost?) religious necessity for anyone who wants to be accepted in polite company. Could a similar thing happen in China (which would shake most of the reason American foreign policy justifies such close economic and diplomatic ties with a communist country). Should we care? Is there any reason to think a free market (which is mostly where we get our benefit from other people's democracies I think) can't function in a partially non democratic regime? Anyway, it's interesting to think about.