karaoke democracy
n.— «The term “karaoke democracy,” coined by Takashi Inoguchi, a professor at the University of Tokyo, is part of a theory that focuses on the dominance of the bureaucracy in Japanese politics. He describes this relationship in terms of the main menu that appears on the catalogue of songs (issues) on a karaoke machine from which the politician may select one. Even if the politician has no grasp of that song (issue), he or she can read the lyrics that appear on the video screen, follow the melody that comes from the machine and simply follow the lead of the karaoke.» —“Social trust deficit” by Afiya Shehrbano The News (Pakistan) Nov. 6, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Amid court-ordered busing in the 1970s, a middle-school teacher tried to distract her nervous students on the first day of class with this strange assignment: find a monarch caterpillar. The result? A memorable lesson in the miracle of metamorphosis...
There was a time when William Shakespeare was just another little seven-year-old in school. Classes in his day were demanding — and all in Latin. A new book argues that this rigorous curriculum actually nurtured the creativity that later flourished...