Sometimes the idiots outvote the sensible people.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the frustration that arises when irrational or uninformed opinions prevail over rational ones in decision-making processes.
H. L. Mencken's quote reflects a common concern in democratic societies where the majority opinion can sometimes undermine sound reasoning and sensible arguments. It emphasizes the idea that intelligence and critical thinking do not always lead to victories in public discourse, as emotions and populism can overpower logic, leading to decisions that may not be in the best interest of society.
In practice
In a debate about public policy, someone might use this quote to express their concern about how popular sentiment can overshadow expert advice.
I know a good many men of great learning-that is, men born with an extraordinary eagerness and capacity to acquire knowledge. One and all, they tell me that they can't recall learning anything of any value in school. All that schoolmasters managed to accomplish with them was to test and determine the amount of knowledge that they had already acquired independently-and not infrequently the determination was made clumsily and inaccurately.
It takes a long while for a naturally trustful person to reconcile himself to the idea that after all God will not help him
It is the theory of all modern civilized governments that they protect and foster the liberty of the citizen; it is the practice of all of them to limit its exercise, and sometimes very narrowly.
The central belief of every moron is that he is the victim of a mysterious conspiracy against his common rights and true deserts.
The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy.
It is my conviction that no normal man ever fell in love, within the ordinary meaning of the term, after the age of thirty.
A constitution, as important as it is, will mean nothing unless the people are yearning for liberty and freedom.
In inner-party politics, these methods lead, as we shall yet see, to this: the party organization substitutes itself for the party, the central committee substitutes itself for the organization, and, finally, a dictator substitutes himself for the central committee.
The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.
Every power vested in a government is in its nature sovereign, and includes by force of the term a right to employ all the means requisite . . . to the attainment of the ends of such power.
When it comes to terrorism, governments seem to suffer from a collective amnesia. All of our historical experience tells us that there can be no purely military solution to a political problem, and yet every time we confront a new terrorist group, we begin by insisting we will never talk to them.
The short memories of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office.
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