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Humans look for "strong leadership" whenever they feel threatened, respectively have an uncertain outlook onto the future. Authoritarian states are the result

Humans look for "strong leadership" whenever they feel threatened, respectively have an uncertain outlook onto the future. Authoritarian states are the result of a societal phase-change, occurring when a majorty feels this way. Those presumably "strong leaders" usually lack any sense for democratic ideas of relinquishing their position. And manufacturing further "threats" down the line is easy to do. Which is why authoritarian regimes behave the way they do. If you want to counter authoritarianism, you have to help people feel save about their future.

gavinhoward 3y ago
Okay, I guess I worded things poorly. I believe that without general-purpose computing in the hands of regular folk, getting out of authoritarianism is impossible. Why? Because authoritarians will still have access to general-purpose computing, and that gives them an even greater amount of power that is even harder to overcome.
tracker1 3y ago
+! on the above... I think a lot of this comes down to more positive messaging. The past 20+ years has seen a progression in USA sucks (as a US citizen) and that has eroded confidence, along with a lot of other issues. Saying the US is a great nation is absolutely frowned upon. There are plenty of things wrong, and the past is anything but perfect. That said, societal breakdown leads to that level of insecurity which means more chances for a loss of freedom. Share at least one positive interest story a day on social media with friends... more people do that, more people see more good in the world. Make an effort. Sometimes it's harder to seek out though. I'm not immune from the negativity even if I don't always agree with it. Make an effort not to confuse people with their views, and don't talk down to people with differing political perspectives. Most people are mostly good most of the time... stop making assertions that tear people down.

gavinhoward 3y ago

Okay, I guess I worded things poorly. I believe that without general-purpose computing in the hands of regular folk, getting out of authoritarianism is impossible. Why? Because authoritarians will still have access to general-purpose computing, and that gives them an even greater amount of power that is even harder to overcome.

tracker1 3y ago

+! on the above... I think a lot of this comes down to more positive messaging. The past 20+ years has seen a progression in USA sucks (as a US citizen) and that has eroded confidence, along with a lot of other issues. Saying the US is a great nation is absolutely frowned upon. There are plenty of things wrong, and the past is anything but perfect. That said, societal breakdown leads to that level of insecurity which means more chances for a loss of freedom. Share at least one positive interest story a day on social media with friends... more people do that, more people see more good in the world. Make an effort. Sometimes it's harder to seek out though. I'm not immune from the negativity even if I don't always agree with it. Make an effort not to confuse people with their views, and don't talk down to people with differing political perspectives. Most people are mostly good most of the time... stop making assertions that tear people down.