9 ms·

As someone who spent most of his life in a dictatorship, I don’t think you appreciate how easily a society can slide into a totalitarian state and how apathetic

As someone who spent most of his life in a dictatorship, I don’t think you appreciate how easily a society can slide into a totalitarian state and how apathetic most of the population can become. It’s also interesting that you served in the U.S. military and didn’t recognize how self-serving and institutionally corrupt it is. I come from a country with an oversized military relative to its government, and the parallels I can draw between its behavior and that of the U.S. Army are uncanny.

ramoz 2y ago
I appreciate what you’ve been through. However, comparing American society with one of the Middle East does not resonate with me. That goes hand in hand with comparing a military of a dictatorship with one of a democracy.
- mlnj 2y ago
  Trump has already floated - Imprisoning criticizers - Removing the broadcast licenses of news network that questions him. He's been calling them fake news for years. - More power to the rich buddies. Not just more money, now they get more control over government affairs. Musk and Thiel are frothing over this. - Control over women and minorities. - More power to the theists. Looks like "comparing American society with one of the Middle East does not resonate with me." will soon become apparent as the parallels start to be clearer.
  - ramoz 2y ago
    Right, you’d be better off without any media that convinces you of this fear. /s
    - greenie_beans 2y ago
      nobody needs media to tell them this. it comes directly from his mouth. it's hilarious that you think people get their opinions from media. no, just listen to what the politicians say. he said he's gonna do mass deportations? believe him
      - idunnoman1222 2y ago
        Lmao how? To where?
        greenie_beans 2y ago
        twitter, instagram, tiktok, facebook, etc
    - swifthesitation 2y ago
      I urge you to read this: https://acoup.blog/2024/10/25/new-acquisitions-1933-and-the-definition-of-fascism/ https://acoup.blog/2024/10/25/new-acquisitions-1933-and-the-...
    - bcrosby95 2y ago
      I guess repeating his words are a bigger sin than speaking them in the first place.
- aibrahem 2y ago
  There is nothing inherently special about Americans that makes them more democratic. I agree we shouldn't compare the U.S. with Middle Eastern countries; they were never democratic in the first place. A more appropriate comparison would be with the German Weimar Republic, where a charismatic leader managed to overthrow democracy. Many people raised in democratic societies don't fully understand the intricacies of the relationship between the military and dictatorships; they see the military as a tool in the dictator's hand to wield at will. This couldn't be further from the truth. A (strong) military in a dictatorship is its own institution, largely isolated from the rest of society and granted its own perks and benefits. The dictator can wield the military only to the extent that it aligns with the institution's goals. Competent ones try to align the military's goals with their own; incompetent ones get overthrown. Because of this isolation from broader society, the officers and soldiers believe that what is good for the institution is good for the country. They're not suppressing their citizens; they believe they are protecting the republic. The U.S. Army is already operating as an isolated entity from broader U.S. society. Monetary corruption is quite substantial—consider the medium- to high-ranking officers and their relationships and revolving doors with defense contractors. I'm not saying the U.S. is going to become -insert non-democratic country here-, but if we ignore the usual Western caricature of Stalinist-style dictatorships and realize that there are multiple forms of eroding democracy, you'll start to understand why it's not such a far-fetched idea.
  - codersfocus 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - beepbooptheory 2y ago
      There was that whole civil war thing that happened. And it didn't even matter who won this election, it's clear we are very driven by us/them thinking just considering alone how much purchase you have as a politician when you promise to deport people. If you are looking at the breadth of history, you would be much more justified in saying that "struggle" and even "violence" is what makes things happen or not. There are political formations, disruptions, rifts, responding to endogenous and external factors. There is now also the extra-political force of capital which is a big player. What you see, or what you desire, is the so-called "End of History". Where all things are just variations parliamentary-democratic struggle, where in fact globalism is the very thing that assures you of the USA's (very broad) stability. You can allow for a superficial rollercoaster of politics, just insofar as you truly believe (and I bet you do) there is a trajectory and it is good. Good ole' USA. Its very much like believing either that the world is just 200 years old (again, that whole civil war thing was a big deal), or that we are in a kind Groundhogs Day decade (of the 90s). I could say a lot, but ultimately I envy you and the world you live in. I understand how it can really sustain you. I hope at least you don't live long enough to see your worldview shattered. You don't, truly, deserve that. Noone does.
dalmo3 2y ago
> I don’t think you appreciate how easily a society can slide into a totalitarian state and how apathetic most of the population can become. We all lived through 2020-22, yes.
misiti3780 2y ago
Im not even a trump supporter but last night he said he was leaving the white house after this term on live TV, so i think the whole trump-wanna-be-dictator thing goes out the window - no ?
- okdood64 2y ago
  I think the concerns about him trying to stay on a third term are way overblown, but outside of that: you can't trust what he says versus to what he will do later.
- LeafItAlone 2y ago
  Not picking a side here, but didn’t he say if he lost 2020 we’d never hear from him again?
- maksimur 2y ago
  He’s not the first leader of a democratic country to claim it will be his last term, only to have another term thereafter.
  - Izikiel43 2y ago
    He would need to change the US constitution to do that.
- rcpt 2y ago
  tbf he looks nothing like the guy he was in 2016 and it's not like he signed up to a relaxing job
- dudefeliciano 2y ago
  he has proven to be a man of his word
- joshlemer 2y ago
  "Don't worry, man who famously lies every single time he opens his mouth about even basic objective facts before everyone's eyes, says he won't abuse his powers, so there's nothing to fear!" Also even going by his own words, what about his "dictator on day one" comments?

ramoz 2y ago

I appreciate what you’ve been through. However, comparing American society with one of the Middle East does not resonate with me. That goes hand in hand with comparing a military of a dictatorship with one of a democracy.

mlnj 2y ago
Trump has already floated - Imprisoning criticizers - Removing the broadcast licenses of news network that questions him. He's been calling them fake news for years. - More power to the rich buddies. Not just more money, now they get more control over government affairs. Musk and Thiel are frothing over this. - Control over women and minorities. - More power to the theists. Looks like "comparing American society with one of the Middle East does not resonate with me." will soon become apparent as the parallels start to be clearer.
- ramoz 2y ago
  Right, you’d be better off without any media that convinces you of this fear. /s
  - greenie_beans 2y ago
    nobody needs media to tell them this. it comes directly from his mouth. it's hilarious that you think people get their opinions from media. no, just listen to what the politicians say. he said he's gonna do mass deportations? believe him
    - idunnoman1222 2y ago
      Lmao how? To where?
      - greenie_beans 2y ago
        twitter, instagram, tiktok, facebook, etc
  - swifthesitation 2y ago
    I urge you to read this: https://acoup.blog/2024/10/25/new-acquisitions-1933-and-the-definition-of-fascism/ https://acoup.blog/2024/10/25/new-acquisitions-1933-and-the-...
  - bcrosby95 2y ago
    I guess repeating his words are a bigger sin than speaking them in the first place.
aibrahem 2y ago
There is nothing inherently special about Americans that makes them more democratic. I agree we shouldn't compare the U.S. with Middle Eastern countries; they were never democratic in the first place. A more appropriate comparison would be with the German Weimar Republic, where a charismatic leader managed to overthrow democracy. Many people raised in democratic societies don't fully understand the intricacies of the relationship between the military and dictatorships; they see the military as a tool in the dictator's hand to wield at will. This couldn't be further from the truth. A (strong) military in a dictatorship is its own institution, largely isolated from the rest of society and granted its own perks and benefits. The dictator can wield the military only to the extent that it aligns with the institution's goals. Competent ones try to align the military's goals with their own; incompetent ones get overthrown. Because of this isolation from broader society, the officers and soldiers believe that what is good for the institution is good for the country. They're not suppressing their citizens; they believe they are protecting the republic. The U.S. Army is already operating as an isolated entity from broader U.S. society. Monetary corruption is quite substantial—consider the medium- to high-ranking officers and their relationships and revolving doors with defense contractors. I'm not saying the U.S. is going to become -insert non-democratic country here-, but if we ignore the usual Western caricature of Stalinist-style dictatorships and realize that there are multiple forms of eroding democracy, you'll start to understand why it's not such a far-fetched idea.
- codersfocus 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - beepbooptheory 2y ago
    There was that whole civil war thing that happened. And it didn't even matter who won this election, it's clear we are very driven by us/them thinking just considering alone how much purchase you have as a politician when you promise to deport people. If you are looking at the breadth of history, you would be much more justified in saying that "struggle" and even "violence" is what makes things happen or not. There are political formations, disruptions, rifts, responding to endogenous and external factors. There is now also the extra-political force of capital which is a big player. What you see, or what you desire, is the so-called "End of History". Where all things are just variations parliamentary-democratic struggle, where in fact globalism is the very thing that assures you of the USA's (very broad) stability. You can allow for a superficial rollercoaster of politics, just insofar as you truly believe (and I bet you do) there is a trajectory and it is good. Good ole' USA. Its very much like believing either that the world is just 200 years old (again, that whole civil war thing was a big deal), or that we are in a kind Groundhogs Day decade (of the 90s). I could say a lot, but ultimately I envy you and the world you live in. I understand how it can really sustain you. I hope at least you don't live long enough to see your worldview shattered. You don't, truly, deserve that. Noone does.

dalmo3 2y ago

> I don’t think you appreciate how easily a society can slide into a totalitarian state and how apathetic most of the population can become. We all lived through 2020-22, yes.

misiti3780 2y ago

Im not even a trump supporter but last night he said he was leaving the white house after this term on live TV, so i think the whole trump-wanna-be-dictator thing goes out the window - no ?

okdood64 2y ago
I think the concerns about him trying to stay on a third term are way overblown, but outside of that: you can't trust what he says versus to what he will do later.
LeafItAlone 2y ago
Not picking a side here, but didn’t he say if he lost 2020 we’d never hear from him again?
maksimur 2y ago
He’s not the first leader of a democratic country to claim it will be his last term, only to have another term thereafter.
- Izikiel43 2y ago
  He would need to change the US constitution to do that.
rcpt 2y ago
tbf he looks nothing like the guy he was in 2016 and it's not like he signed up to a relaxing job
dudefeliciano 2y ago
he has proven to be a man of his word
joshlemer 2y ago
"Don't worry, man who famously lies every single time he opens his mouth about even basic objective facts before everyone's eyes, says he won't abuse his powers, so there's nothing to fear!" Also even going by his own words, what about his "dictator on day one" comments?