Socrates....democracy?

[Sarcasticroad755]

Socrates wasn't "a bad guy", he just forced people to question their beliefs. This was at a time when the idea of doing that was quite foreign to people.

If Socrates was around now, his voice would just get lost in the noise that is the media and internet. EVERYONE is ironic now. He definitely wouldn't be seen as a threat to the social order. You have to do something much more tangible to get into trouble now, like expose secrets the government doesn't want others to know (Snowden). Being a smartarse isn't shocking anymore.

In North Korea it would be a different story. There Socrates would be condemned. But not in a liberal democracy, our society functions through its ability to cope with dissenting views.