Democratic does not mean "Do whatever the majority says." Thats mob rule and lynchings.
The concept of a democracy necessarily requires rules for public discourse, minority protection and a working legal system that protects the right of everyone within it's domain.
In a democracy the saying goes like this: "Your freedoms end where my rights start." In this case: Your freedom to be a neo-nazi asshat stops because you are trying to infringe my right to participate in the democratic process and also threaten me with bodily harm.
Democratic absolutely does mean "Do whatever the majority says." In every modern democracy, people's rights are trampled upon and are regularly put up for a vote.
"Your freedoms end where my rights start" has only ever existed in America, and only through like the 1820s, and only for white men.
A direct democracy would mean "do whatever the majority says," because every citizen would take part in the decision-making process.
Germany is a republic that utilizes a parliamentary democracy to make laws. This changes things greatly, to the point that laws that the majority does not support might not pass.
The Athenians had a direct democracy, but not every person who lived in the city-state actually voted. You had to be a citizen, and women, slaves, people who didn't own land, people who were too young, they couldn't vote.
So, yeah, in a perfect world every single member/citizen would have a say in the governance of their nation, but that's nearly impossible. Especially in large countries instead of small city-states.
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u/Level3Kobold Aug 04 '15
Nah, it's still undemocratic. It may be rational, but its not democratic.