[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fEci-XP76bEY3lHAxcqbLTJFc63jo8qxVbEFP9zQtla0":3,"$f2AG2uE2dLqD81JDxJMMy1lqDaI0uYpInFqy7EST8oyM":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},70737,"Fred Reed","F",12,null,"fred-reed",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":78},[14,23,29,35,41,47,54,60,66,72],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":22},3032687,"The proper response toward what we occasionally imagine to be democracy, methinks, is to retain one’s self-respect by not participating in it.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis quote is attributed to Fred Reed, an American author and journalist known for his contrarian views on politics, society, and culture. The quote reflects his skepticism towards the concept of democracy and the societal pressures that often accompany it. It's likely from one of his essays or articles, written during a time when he was critiquing the excesses of modern society.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a counter-intuitive truth: that participation in democracy can sometimes be a form of self-sacrifice, where one's individuality and autonomy are compromised in the name of conformity. By not participating, Reed suggests that one can maintain a sense of self-respect and integrity, even if it means opting out of the democratic process.\n\n**How to Use This**\nIn today's hyper-partisan environment, this mindset can be applied by individuals who feel disillusioned with the democratic process or the societal norms that come with it. By choosing not to participate in the noise and rhetoric, they can maintain their critical thinking and creative autonomy, even if it means being a minority of one.",{"id":24,"quote_text":25,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":26,"source":27,"quote_tag":28,"commentary":9},3032682,"Though the Floundering Fathers didn’t intend it, we now see that representative government quickly turns into the dictatorship of the proletariat. If you doubt this, I congratulate you on not having a television.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":30,"quote_text":31,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":9},3032678,"Those who wash regularly should not stoop to democracy.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":36,"quote_text":37,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},3032665,"In fact, the gravest obstacle to the restoration of civilization in North America is universal suffrage. Letting everybody vote makes no sense. Obviously they are no good at it. The whole idea smacks of the fumble-witted idealism of a high-school Marxist society.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":42,"quote_text":43,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":9},3032657,"Kids esteem themselves when they have accomplished something worth esteeming.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":48,"quote_text":49,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":50,"source":51,"quote_tag":52,"commentary":53},3032648,"Voting in particular is an embarrassment, being a public display of weak character and low intelligence. Let us face the truth: Democracy, like spitting in public or the Roman games, is the proper activity of the lower intellectual and moral classes. It amounts to collusion in one’s own suckering.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nFred Reed's quote reflects his characteristic skepticism and contrarian views, which he expressed throughout his writing career. As a journalist and commentator, Reed often critiqued societal norms and institutions, including democracy. This quote likely dates back to the 1990s or early 2000s, when Reed's writings frequently addressed the shortcomings of modern society.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nReed's statement reveals a paradoxical truth about democracy: it can be seen as both a manifestation of collective weakness and a means to empower the masses. By acknowledging the \"lower intellectual and moral classes\" as the primary participants in democratic processes, Reed highlights the tension between individual agency and the herd mentality that can prevail in democratic systems.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, recognize that your participation in democratic processes is not solely a matter of exercising your right to vote; it can also be seen as a reflection of your values and priorities. By acknowledging the potential for collective weakness and the influence of groupthink, you can approach democratic engagement with a more nuanced understanding of its limitations and opportunities for positive change.",{"id":55,"quote_text":56,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":57,"source":58,"quote_tag":59,"commentary":9},3032643,"Evolution writ large is the belief that a cloud of hydrogen will spontaneously invent extreme-ultraviolet lithography, perform Swan Lake, and write all the books in the British Museum.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":61,"quote_text":62,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":63,"source":64,"quote_tag":65,"commentary":9},3032628,"Wars are the hobbies of half-informed children who have somehow come into possession of the levers of power.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":67,"quote_text":68,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},3032623,"I may think that hornets do not have an ideal social organization. But I know better than to poke their nest.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":73,"quote_text":74,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":9},3032616,"Without men, civilization would last until the oil needed changing.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":79,"totalPages":80,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":81},1,2,10]