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As the lockdown showed, many people are happy with authoritarianism if they think their government is keeping them safe and well fed. Only until the majority st

As the lockdown showed, many people are happy with authoritarianism if they think their government is keeping them safe and well fed. Only until the majority starve will there be revolution.

shakezula 7y ago
The French have a saying - “revolution is only three meals away.”
- pacoverdi 7y ago
  As a Frenchman, never heard of it.
  - blaser-waffle 7y ago
    As a Frenchman he's never missed 3 meals
- 411111111111111 7y ago
  So, Lenin is French now?
  - shakezula 7y ago
    I have heard this attributed to Lenin but I've also seen other earlier and/or different attributions to it, so /shrug
californical 7y ago
I can't disagree more -- I am completely following all social distancing in California. Staying home, only going out when necessary, having virtual gatherings with friends. I'm also supporting our government enforcing these policies for others. But it's absolutely not because I trust our government to keep us safe, nor do I trust them to decide to keep people home. I trust the greater scientific community, and my own due diligence in understanding the issue, and am making an informed decision. I abhor the fact that people are protesting the stay-at-home order en masse in some states, but I believe that they're looking at it from the same perspective as me. I feel it was a failure of their education to not understand the issue, and that they're doing the rational thing if they believe they're being forced into authoritarianism. I also believe they're doing the rational thing since we have very little social support system for many of those people, but that's beside the point. If the government made all guns illegal and said "we haven't gotten rid of all guns from the streets, you must stay home or risk being shot by rogue gunmen, with a fine of $1000 for leaving home", I would also be protesting in the same way as those people today. I can't speak for other countries, but people in the U.S. are very opposed to being told what to do, especially by their government. Most are okay with it in a pinch for a short while, but I don't think any sort of authoritarianism is going to fly in the U.S. long term.

As the lockdown showed, many people are happy with authoritarianism if they think their government is keeping them safe and well fed. Only until the majority starve will there be revolution.

shakezula 7y ago

The French have a saying - “revolution is only three meals away.”

pacoverdi 7y ago
As a Frenchman, never heard of it.
- blaser-waffle 7y ago
  As a Frenchman he's never missed 3 meals
411111111111111 7y ago
So, Lenin is French now?
- shakezula 7y ago
  I have heard this attributed to Lenin but I've also seen other earlier and/or different attributions to it, so /shrug

californical 7y ago

I can't disagree more -- I am completely following all social distancing in California. Staying home, only going out when necessary, having virtual gatherings with friends. I'm also supporting our government enforcing these policies for others. But it's absolutely not because I trust our government to keep us safe, nor do I trust them to decide to keep people home. I trust the greater scientific community, and my own due diligence in understanding the issue, and am making an informed decision. I abhor the fact that people are protesting the stay-at-home order en masse in some states, but I believe that they're looking at it from the same perspective as me. I feel it was a failure of their education to not understand the issue, and that they're doing the rational thing if they believe they're being forced into authoritarianism. I also believe they're doing the rational thing since we have very little social support system for many of those people, but that's beside the point. If the government made all guns illegal and said "we haven't gotten rid of all guns from the streets, you must stay home or risk being shot by rogue gunmen, with a fine of $1000 for leaving home", I would also be protesting in the same way as those people today. I can't speak for other countries, but people in the U.S. are very opposed to being told what to do, especially by their government. Most are okay with it in a pinch for a short while, but I don't think any sort of authoritarianism is going to fly in the U.S. long term.