In my opinion many want democracy but few only exercise their democratic duty (vote) and fewer are active beyond that.
Couch potatoes and complacent consumers will get ruled by dictators in the long run.
I don't see any contradiction between wanting to live in a democracy and taking an active part in it. In fact, quite the opposite — I think there's something truly anti-democratic about places like Australia where voting is compulsory. In my ideal world, fewer people would vote — everyone would still, of course, have the right to, just fewer would choose to.
