4 ms·

Many of us see it, but many others seem to be embracing it and trying to hasten it for reasons unknown. They pine for the glory days of post-WWII US hegemony bu

Many of us see it, but many others seem to be embracing it and trying to hasten it for reasons unknown. They pine for the glory days of post-WWII US hegemony but are actively undoing the institutions that were instrumental in US economic and political power at that time. They have no coherent world view, they are severely confused, but unfortunately numerous.

Waterluvian 9mo ago
I actually have a greater disgust for those who see it but don't act. I think this line from an incredibly relevant book is precisely this: > "Your ‘little men,’ your Nazi friends, were not against National Socialism in principle. Men like me, who were, are the greater offenders, not because we knew better (that would be too much to say) but because we sensed better. Those who act on behalf of evil are not free from guilt, of course. But the truly damned are those who sense better but look the other way. They walk in the footsteps of the millions who tacitly supported the last time this evil took hold of the world, by not acting. This entire book, but especially this exerpt, is a must read: https://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/511928.htm https://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/511928.htm
- FrustratedMonky 9mo ago
  "What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise" Wow, seems on point. Wow "kept us so busy with continuous changes and ‘crises’ and so fascinated, yes, fascinated, by the machinations of the ‘national enemies,’ without and within, that we had no time to think about these dreadful things that were growing, little by little, all around us."
- scottyah 9mo ago
  I think it's fair to say that neither ideology is free from evil, and choosing the "lesser evil" is still choosing evil. Every good or well-meaning movement I've seen has been taken over once it reaches a certain size.
- deleted 9mo ago
  [deleted]
- chmod775 9mo ago
  The US wasn't exactly "friendly", but comparing US hegemony to Nazi Germany is a bit much, don't you think? /s
  - Waterluvian 9mo ago
    Y'know, yeah I think you're right. It's not like they're dressing the part and marching through the streets like some sort of secret police agency. https://ibb.co/qMynfBBW https://ibb.co/qMynfBBW
  - touwer 9mo ago
    It wasn't of course. But the current regime looks more and more like them. Including all the minions going along with it
- hommelix 9mo ago
  Thanks for sharing this except of the book.
qaq 9mo ago
Well people pushing for this have a world view. They see a bipolar world with China dominating Asia, US dominating it's hemisphere and Europe fending for itself. They also have major crypto holdings so instability of both major currencies benefits them financially.
- outside1234 9mo ago
  Except that Crypto is also falling with the stock market (and faster), so if anything, it is correlated the wrong direction
  - qaq 9mo ago
    I am not arguing it's a sane world view
ericmcer 9mo ago
I feel like many are going to upvote this because they think it is an indictment on the current administration but it isn't exactly.
- Jtsummers 9mo ago
  > I feel like many are going to upvote this because they think it is an indictment on the current administration but it isn't exactly. Is it not? Quoting myself: >> are actively undoing the institutions that were instrumental in US economic and political power at that time. Who is undoing those institutions? That'd be the current administration.
  - ericmcer 9mo ago
    Ah I was seeing a parallel between: 1. Our post WW2 neocolonial activity and the current admins push to sort of blatantly get control over Venezuela and Greenland. 2. Our WW2 manufacturing and export based economy that made us wealthy. Is similar to the current admins push to reform us from importers to exporters using tariffs and rebuilding manufacturing (at least on the surface the execution of this has been terrible).

Waterluvian 9mo ago

I actually have a greater disgust for those who see it but don't act. I think this line from an incredibly relevant book is precisely this: > "Your ‘little men,’ your Nazi friends, were not against National Socialism in principle. Men like me, who were, are the greater offenders, not because we knew better (that would be too much to say) but because we sensed better. Those who act on behalf of evil are not free from guilt, of course. But the truly damned are those who sense better but look the other way. They walk in the footsteps of the millions who tacitly supported the last time this evil took hold of the world, by not acting. This entire book, but especially this exerpt, is a must read: https://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/511928.htm https://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/511928.htm

FrustratedMonky 9mo ago
"What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise" Wow, seems on point. Wow "kept us so busy with continuous changes and ‘crises’ and so fascinated, yes, fascinated, by the machinations of the ‘national enemies,’ without and within, that we had no time to think about these dreadful things that were growing, little by little, all around us."
scottyah 9mo ago
I think it's fair to say that neither ideology is free from evil, and choosing the "lesser evil" is still choosing evil. Every good or well-meaning movement I've seen has been taken over once it reaches a certain size.
deleted 9mo ago
[deleted]
chmod775 9mo ago
The US wasn't exactly "friendly", but comparing US hegemony to Nazi Germany is a bit much, don't you think? /s
- Waterluvian 9mo ago
  Y'know, yeah I think you're right. It's not like they're dressing the part and marching through the streets like some sort of secret police agency. https://ibb.co/qMynfBBW https://ibb.co/qMynfBBW
- touwer 9mo ago
  It wasn't of course. But the current regime looks more and more like them. Including all the minions going along with it
hommelix 9mo ago
Thanks for sharing this except of the book.

qaq 9mo ago

Well people pushing for this have a world view. They see a bipolar world with China dominating Asia, US dominating it's hemisphere and Europe fending for itself. They also have major crypto holdings so instability of both major currencies benefits them financially.

outside1234 9mo ago
Except that Crypto is also falling with the stock market (and faster), so if anything, it is correlated the wrong direction
- qaq 9mo ago
  I am not arguing it's a sane world view

ericmcer 9mo ago

I feel like many are going to upvote this because they think it is an indictment on the current administration but it isn't exactly.

Jtsummers 9mo ago
> I feel like many are going to upvote this because they think it is an indictment on the current administration but it isn't exactly. Is it not? Quoting myself: >> are actively undoing the institutions that were instrumental in US economic and political power at that time. Who is undoing those institutions? That'd be the current administration.
- ericmcer 9mo ago
  Ah I was seeing a parallel between: 1. Our post WW2 neocolonial activity and the current admins push to sort of blatantly get control over Venezuela and Greenland. 2. Our WW2 manufacturing and export based economy that made us wealthy. Is similar to the current admins push to reform us from importers to exporters using tariffs and rebuilding manufacturing (at least on the surface the execution of this has been terrible).