3 ms·

It's weird how many people seem to want a king

ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
From what I understand, one of the reasons that Putin got so much authority, was because a significant number of folks were pining for the "good ol' days," of Joseph Stalin.
duxup 2y ago
“The strong man will solve everything.” Is a very tempting fantasy.
PlunderBunny 2y ago
"...deep down inside, you secretly long for a cold-hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalise criminals and rule you like a king!" - Sideshow Bob
scarecrowbob 2y ago
My politics are wingnut (left libertarian, and I don't expect any respect for that) but they offer me at least a different place from which to observe US politics. From where I sit, where almost everyone wants someone "better informed" to "represent their interests". Which is to say, almost everyone in the US has a lot of faith in other folks making decisions for them. If you don't feel that way, it doesn't seem like a big leap from a representational system (where we have little power over the specific policies, and often have no power over who other folks select to represent us) to a system where a single autocrat (soviet or king) makes those decisions. Since I functionally have no input in any of those three systems, it's hard to see broad-strokes differences. And, given that most of the folks who are now working under the neoliberal order were previously, only a couple of hundred years ago, working under absolute God-powered monarchs, it'd be not very surprising if they somehow returned to that position. I understand that there are deep contradictions in my own views (which probably seem dumb when people can't see the contradictions in their own positions), but still, I am very much in agreement with the statement that a lot of folks I know want some authority to take care of them even if it doesn't seem super "weird" to me.
- goatlover 2y ago
  The big difference is that a representative system has a lot of checks and balances on the power of any individual in government, whereas an autocrat doesn't. So you're at the whim of that individual instead of many different people and agencies with competing interests. Of course a direct democracy of several hundred million people isn't really going to give you that much more say as your vote will a tiny fraction, even if you do decide to participate in most of the decision making. Assuming you want to spend your day on all sorts of policy decisions and judicial rulings.
  - scarecrowbob 2y ago
    Everybody always says "communism is a great idea but doesn't work in practice". I am not a communist (in the normal Marxist/Leninist tradition), but my feeling has always been that what I've been presented with as Democracy doesn't really function as such. At the same time, when I complain I keep getting told that "it's an imperfect system but it's what we have". I suspect that would be the same answer I'd get if we had a king. And FWIW, it's really what we are seeing now that the executive branch of the US gov has unified around Trump/Musk. So it actually doesn't seem to be a big difference from where I am sitting. Any time I have interacted with about anyone with any amount of power, I have very much felt like I was beholden to their whims- I get that I am not -supposed- to feel that way, so I don't expect validation for my feelings. I am just reporting an alternative view of the situation. I do believe in democracy, but the kind of thing in Ursula Le Guin's fictional worlds. I believe that kind of consensus is what guides the better small groups I've interacted with, country dance bands, families, small programming companies, etc.

From what I understand, one of the reasons that Putin got so much authority, was because a significant number of folks were pining for the "good ol' days," of Joseph Stalin.

duxup 2y ago

“The strong man will solve everything.” Is a very tempting fantasy.

PlunderBunny 2y ago

"...deep down inside, you secretly long for a cold-hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalise criminals and rule you like a king!" - Sideshow Bob

scarecrowbob 2y ago

My politics are wingnut (left libertarian, and I don't expect any respect for that) but they offer me at least a different place from which to observe US politics. From where I sit, where almost everyone wants someone "better informed" to "represent their interests". Which is to say, almost everyone in the US has a lot of faith in other folks making decisions for them. If you don't feel that way, it doesn't seem like a big leap from a representational system (where we have little power over the specific policies, and often have no power over who other folks select to represent us) to a system where a single autocrat (soviet or king) makes those decisions. Since I functionally have no input in any of those three systems, it's hard to see broad-strokes differences. And, given that most of the folks who are now working under the neoliberal order were previously, only a couple of hundred years ago, working under absolute God-powered monarchs, it'd be not very surprising if they somehow returned to that position. I understand that there are deep contradictions in my own views (which probably seem dumb when people can't see the contradictions in their own positions), but still, I am very much in agreement with the statement that a lot of folks I know want some authority to take care of them even if it doesn't seem super "weird" to me.

goatlover 2y ago
The big difference is that a representative system has a lot of checks and balances on the power of any individual in government, whereas an autocrat doesn't. So you're at the whim of that individual instead of many different people and agencies with competing interests. Of course a direct democracy of several hundred million people isn't really going to give you that much more say as your vote will a tiny fraction, even if you do decide to participate in most of the decision making. Assuming you want to spend your day on all sorts of policy decisions and judicial rulings.
- scarecrowbob 2y ago
  Everybody always says "communism is a great idea but doesn't work in practice". I am not a communist (in the normal Marxist/Leninist tradition), but my feeling has always been that what I've been presented with as Democracy doesn't really function as such. At the same time, when I complain I keep getting told that "it's an imperfect system but it's what we have". I suspect that would be the same answer I'd get if we had a king. And FWIW, it's really what we are seeing now that the executive branch of the US gov has unified around Trump/Musk. So it actually doesn't seem to be a big difference from where I am sitting. Any time I have interacted with about anyone with any amount of power, I have very much felt like I was beholden to their whims- I get that I am not -supposed- to feel that way, so I don't expect validation for my feelings. I am just reporting an alternative view of the situation. I do believe in democracy, but the kind of thing in Ursula Le Guin's fictional worlds. I believe that kind of consensus is what guides the better small groups I've interacted with, country dance bands, families, small programming companies, etc.