Words Poorly Used #71 — Majority

The two party system has grown from the fallacy of conflation.  Each party annexes wedge issues, then does nothing with them other than to form majorities within the herds of people.  Neither is a true majority, but a majority of a majority and/or a majority of a minority.  The former is rare, the latter is dominant, often describing both majors, then “third parties” are perforce smaller and smaller minorities, the majority of each must be smaller than its minority share of the whole.  Thus, even if there are 100 choices, 98 of them will have less effect than the top two — the oligarchy only has to recognize and manipulate the top two.  If some third party should unseat the second party, then the oligarchy only has to pretend that it makes a difference.  The cases in which a third party overtakes both of the leading two parties are nearly unheard of.  In any event, we can be assured in every realistic sense that a majority will never rule.  Only the oligarchy rules.

— Kilgore Forelle