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The flaw of Democracy
Democracy is government by the people. If we accept that people are stupid ( i.e ignorant and short-sighted ) then democracy is government by stupidity. Is this really the best system for the modern world?
That is essentially Plato's argument against democracy. The obvious counter-argument is: since any system of government would be government by people, every system of government would have the same flaw or risk in this regard as any other.
In any case, though, democracy isn't really government by the people; like every other government, it's government by a small minority. The vast majority of people don't get to have any involvement with government beyond voting, and a plurality (a clear majority if you count children) don't even participate that much.
As they say, democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Democracy is a golden calf the people worship, and hot air on the lips of our political leaders--who would much prefer to wield complete authority over the bothersome rabble that places them in office! Plato's Republic elaborates their philosophy.
The people need a voice in order to prevent tyranny, but when they become stupid and incapable of self government, they need a tyrant to control them. So, it appears, the U.S. is shifting from a representative republic, which crumbles without a self-governing populace, to oligarchy as centralized government becomes increasingly powerful.