To answer the second part, our history education is very focused on an a “progression of the west” ice of history. They first teach us about the revolution, then the continental strains of thought that led to it, Ancient Greece into to the Rome, so on and so forth in that it presents a deeply Eurocentric perspective from an american propaganda perspective.

The hinge point is that part of Americas internal propaganda is that direct democracy is dangerous. They point to oligarchy of Athens (I. Different terms) as good. They point to the monarchy fascist whatever you call Sparta and say “had some good ideas but took it too far”.

The Rome education is very Optimates biased, after all, “if bread and circus buys them they are proof that society needs stewards”. It’s just elitist bullshit. America always was, by, and for those who abused their power to lark as the romans.

Point is, direct democracy is portrayed as antithetical to the “holy will” of the founding fathers (praise be upon them) and their sacred writ if the constitution.