Question for more experienced democratic communists/socialists

[Misanthrope]

In democracy there is a majority and a minority. The wolves and the sheep. These are two social classes, which are incompatible with communism. Does that make democracy incompatible with communism?

[bellyscratch]

There are many different types of democracy and they don't necessarily have to have a minority and majority to exist. Something like direct democracy is more compatible with a communist society.

This shows the variations of democracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_types_of_democracy

[Misanthrope]

There are many different types of democracy and they don't necessarily have to have a minority and majority to exist. Something like direct democracy is more compatible with a communist society.

This shows the variations of democracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_types_of_democracy

Even in direct democracy there is still a minority and majority. Say the town is voting on whether to establish a new school or not. Hypothetically, 15 vote yes, 14 vote no. The fourteen are in the minority and therefore an inferior social class in that present time.

[Nwoye]

classes don't have anything to do with simple majority/minority in government. classes (in the Marxist sense) have to with socio-economic status and ones relationship to the means of production and property in general. what you're describing is certainly a valid concern of democracy (an ignored minority), but it is certainly not a contradiction of the Marxist goal of the elimination of classes. In fact, democracy is essential to the Marxist or socialist cause, as only an empowered populace - democracy literally meaning "rule of the people" - can overthrow capitalism and the class relations that go along with it.

[bellyscratch]

Even in direct democracy there is still a minority and majority. Say the town is voting on whether to establish a new school or not. Hypothetically, 15 vote yes, 14 vote no. The fourteen are in the minority and therefore an inferior social class in that present time.

Ah right... I thought you meant minority/majority as in a ruling elite/masses

Sedrox gives a good explanation though

[A_Ciarra]

I'm not the best person to answer this by any means at all, and I'm coming at it from a social anarchist position but; "yes", democracy is compatible with communism. Communism signifying more the economic aspect, and the choice of how they govern themselves being the social model. I don't know the details of how different state communists organize socially, but they can certainly choose any variance of social model.

I think what you might be getting at is consensus democracy - where the the goal is to strive at every point to serve every individual (?). Anarcho-communist's certainly fit this social model. I can't speak about Marxism, or the other state organized forms of communism.

There is one essay I can think of that you might be interested in by Murry Bookchin simply because in my view he speaks to consensus democracy very well. He is a social anarchist though, so I don't know, maybe your seeking something very specific to state communism. Insurrectionary anarchists don't like the term democracy, or any of the restraints they see with it, but Mr. Boockchin is not among those views. Anyway check out his essay What is Communalism, the Democratic Demension of Anarchism (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_archives/bookchin/CMMNL2.MCW.html) if you are interested. It does apply to social/anarcho_communism.

And if you like movies, there is a great seen with direct democracy being played out in the movie Land and Freedom by Ken Loach. You can watch it in full on Google videos here (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5904180592045722602&ei=ikBKSvypDpjcqAPd7uG5Bw&q=%22Ken+Loach%22&hl=en&client=firefox-a).