People
“I like the idea of democracy. You have to have someone everyone distrusts,” said Brutha. “That way, everyone’s happy.”
— Terry Pratchett · Small Gods
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The speaker describes democracy as a way of giving everyone someone to distrust. Turning shared suspicion into a reason for happiness creates the joke. Agreement is imagined as possible through a common complaint, rather than through confidence in the person chosen.
Context reviewed