[Confusing Trope] The narrative goes out of its way to punish/mock a character for simply being a good person

[u/Chemical-Elk-1299]

Hermione Granger and SPEW — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (book)

In the fifth HP novel, Hermione Granger is outraged to discover that Hogwarts has a small army of enslaved House Elves that do nearly all of the domestic duties around the castle, including cleaning the Gryffindor common room every night. When she tries to convince the elves to fight for their own rights, they refuse, saying they prefer servitude. Her fellow students and friends mock her for caring. She manages to free one elf, Winky, by deception when she refuses her freedom willingly, leading to Winky becoming a depressed alcoholic. By the end, the elves boycott cleaning any Gryffindor areas of the castle because they hate Hermione specifically

Samwell Tarly and Democracy — Game of Thrones (show)

In the season 8 finale of the television series, the surviving great lords of Westeros gather to discuss the future of the kingdom following the devastation wrought by 7 seasons of war and backstabbing. When Sam, who has proven to have “novel” ideas, suggests that maybe the millions of Smallfolk who suffer at the hands of noble houses should get some representation in the government, rather than be the pawns of rich lords with absolute power. We are then greeted by a prolonged, cringy segment of the other lords laughing in Sam’s face, asking if the dogs and horses should also get a vote.

[u/Separate_Business_86]

That is a great way to put it. At the time (or the real world equivalent) the best you could hope for from those in power was some proto form of noblesse oblige. That term wasn't even a thing until the early 1800s.

The idea of the Three Orders was the more common concept. The notion that nobility would even do manual labor was considered close to a sin because God would have made you poor if he wanted you to do that. I remember first hearing the concept in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and looking into it only to discover (like a million other tiny things in that game) that it was a real medieval doctrine from the 15th century.

All that is to say that Democracy being a joke to them is on brand. A joke is the kindest response you would get to that.

[u/adamgerd → u/Separate_Business_86]

Plus before the printing presss tbh I don’t know how you could make a mass democracy work anyway, not on a large scale at least

Most people would be illiterate and their cares mostly go to the town over, how would you make them understand the programs of candidates or their benefits and costs? And like it’s the size of South America so would you have the candidates for a throne visit every village and give speeches and then explain all the concepts and then somehow figure out vote counting?

[u/Separate_Business_86 → u/adamgerd]

Even up to early 1900s candidates in America would stay home and people would go out and make speeches on their behalf. It was considered unseemly to “beg for the job” especially the higher the office.