"They talk about conscription as a democratic institution. Yes; so is a cemetary"

Meyer London’s quip about conscription likens compulsory military service to a cemetery, underlining a profound skepticism toward the idea that forced participation is truly democratic. The basis of conscription is the state’s ability to mandate that its citizens, regardless of their will, serve in the military. Proponents of conscription often frame it as the ultimate equalizer: the rich and poor, powerful and powerless, are all subject to the same demand. On its surface, this appears democratic, since it treats all citizens equally under the law.

London’s comparison to a cemetery, however, exposes the hollowness of this logic. A cemetery is, in a sense, supremely democratic, once buried, all are equally dead, stripped of status and distinction. Yet, this equality is the equality of powerlessness and loss, not of empowerment or meaningful participation. By equating conscription with the cemetery, London suggests that the demanded “equality” achieved through compulsory service is the equality of coercion, of sacrifice imposed by the state, rather than true democratic participation rooted in freedom and choice.

His wit highlights the paradox at the heart of conscription’s supposed democracy: it is an institution where choice is removed. Rather than a reflection of collective will, it becomes an exercise in state power over the individual. Democracy, in its ideal form, values not just equal obligation but meaningful consent and personal liberty. London implies that when everyone is forced into compliance, whether to serve or to die, democracy has fallen silent; the graveyard is level, but it is also mute.

Thus, London’s statement is less an outright rejection of duty or sacrifice than a warning about the misuse of democratic rhetoric. He cautions that institutions should not simply be called democratic because they are universal. There is a fundamental difference between equality achieved through consensus and that achieved through force.