The Cold War? Child’s play compared to what lies ahead, according to U.S. historian Robert Kagan. Trump, he says, is leading the world into the most dangerous era since 1945.
There is a brutal man with a gun, controlling and threatening a group of good citizens with consciences. He’s going to do terrible things to them, and make them do terrible things themselves.
They have him outnumbered, but he has the gun. If they rush him, they can easily defeat him. But, the first one or two or three or four people to move forward will be shot and probably die painfully. Going first is going to cost a terrible price and you don’t know for sure that anyone else will follow you, that your sacrifice will be for anything at all.
You feel a little paralyzed and at the same time ashamed you are just standing there.
What happens next?
What happens next?
Everyone pulls out their phones and starts scrolling for what’s new and trending, several people answer their discord messages.
One man can’t keep a hundred of his peers in subjugation, but a million can keep 400 million so. It’s about organization and leadership. The analogy you give doesn’t really fit, and neither do my statistics as they’ve far more than a million at their disposal. Half the country still supports them to boot and they’ve millions under arms, following orders and we have, the democrats organizing what passes for resistance.
But also, fuck neocon Robert Kagan
Just reading his Wikipedia page is scary as hell for an American president. Unreal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_presidency_of_Donald_Trump
I’ve mentioned this before to others whenever this comes up. most or a great majority of people in the US have it “good enough” to not “risk it all”.
Things over here “aren’t bad enough” for people to full-on revolt. I’d say we’re kinda close but modern, white, boring america just doesn’t want to get caught in the shit storm. They understand it might come for them at some point but that time isn’t now so why “stick their neck out”
We have a lot of people willing to fight for a better future.
We don’t have nearly enough people willing to die for a better future.
First they came for the ‘illegals’, but I did not do anything as I wasn’t an illegal.
Then they came for the trans, but I did not speak up for I wasn’t trans.
Then they came for etc etc etc.Waiting for dictators to do the right thing is never ever a good idea.
most or a great majority of people in the US have it “good enough” to not “risk it all”.
Most of the people I know are barely hanging on and desperate to keep the little they have. When you’re barely getting by, like 60% of Americans currently living paycheck to paycheck, you can’t afford to risk anything.
They’re too busy making sure their kids don’t starve, or making sure they can stretch the last bit of money until the next check. Doesn’t help that all we do is exploit these people any chance we can.
And I’d bet a lot of people in that situation don’t really care to help repair a system that never really worked for them in the first place.
It’s not the right approach, you and I know that. But desperate people don’t act rationally. They act emotionally. And our society has gotten really good at manipulating peoples emotions.
The people living paycheck to paycheck are ones who would make the most impact by striking, but are least able to as they will starve, be evicted, lose utilities/cell/internet if they do.
The people who are making enough money to be comfortable are afraid that if they upset the people above them, they will become the people living paycheck to paycheck.
The independently wealthy and top tier capitalists are the ones that have the most financial freedom to protest, but have the least reason to, are the smallest group, and are mostly fine with how things are (at best) or actively making things worse (most likely).
Sadly yes, when it finally does get to the point where most of America says “we’ve had enough!” I feel the water will be boiling and the frog will be almost cooked.
The water is so full of toxins we won’t even have to wait for it to boil. Endocrine disruptors and whatever else have turned us into compliant slaves of the ruling class without a fight. I’m serious about that, something dosing us is making us compliant, I’m convinced of it, it could be endocrine disruptors perhaps, which are everywhere.
If the micro plastics don’t get us global warming will for sure wipe us all out.
Tyrants always have the advantage in a “civil society”…
(Almost) Everything he does is legal so people treat it as fair game even if we don’t like it, and aside from ICE murdering people, there isn’t any direct violence to fight against so the “civil society” has to wait until it’s wayyyyyyyy too late, to the point that we’re all being sent to the gas chambers, until it decides it’s morally correct to use violence.
Until that point we’re left hoping our “representatives” will “fight” for us (hahahahahahahahahahahahaha… Ughh…)
:(
People forget that morality, legality, and constitutionality are all different. Andrew Jackson ignored court orders regarding treaties with the Cherokee, nothing bad happened, because the people supported him. Lincoln blockaded the South without congressional approval, that was a good thing, also unconstitutional. He suspended habeas corpus, which was also unconstitutional. ICE is likely not breaking the constitution in many instances. However, that doesn’t make their actions the slightest bit less abjorrent and evil. The constitution is a centuries old piece of paper. If anything, the Bill of Rights and some ot the other amendments (namely the 14th) are significantly more valuable.
Ice is detaining people without cause or warrants, it’s most definitely breaking the constitution.
I don’t want to sound like a Bible beater because religion is very much not a part of my life. But I know the Bible. If the warnings in Daniel, Theologians, revelation about an antichrist is true, everything that describes an antichrist, Trump fits to a a T, and this board of peace. I dunno it’s starting to be more than a coincidence to me.
I suspect most people feel that if things get too bad (too late) things will be taken care of for them, someone else will do it, etc. Despite all the rhetoric there is still a lot of faith in the system, at least from the older folks. I have to say it is quite eerie and weird though and not in a good way.
There is a combination of factors that is turning America, a country founded on evicting a King from our government, into a country with a de-facto one.
First, one of the foundational principles of the country was the separation of powers. Specific powers were given to specific branches of government. The founders anticipated that ambitious people would fill those branches, and they would not give up that power so easily. They did not anticipate a Congress that would abdicate it’s power over directing the Executive branch when their guy is there. And a Supreme Court picked expressly to choose sides.
Second, the founders realized that there needed to be someone in charge of the Federal executive that had some real power. Recall that we had already formed one government , under the “Articles of Confederation”, with a weak central government that was not working. But, they did not trust the general electorate to pick it. That is the original purpose of the Electoral College: State Legislatures would name delegates, and those delegates would pick the President. We retain the Electoral College not because it still works in the modern era, but because it is too hard to change. (The fact that Congress hasn’t changed in size for 100 years also contributes to the inequity of the Electoral College, since each state’s votes are tied to their representation. In fact, I think the EC might still be workable if each district were smaller…).
Third, we had built up a strong tradition of non-partianship in the executive branch, with career civil servants doing their jobs across administrations, providing continuity. We even thought that protection was entrenched in law. But then this guy comes along, and decides that none of those laws matter. Once that merit-based expertise leaves, it is very hard to get back. And he can violate laws with impunity because of Point #1.
So, while we don’t call Trump a King officially, his office is being turned into a monarchy, where his opinion rules all and the rule of law is subject to it.
There are a couple of factors that play into the “lack of resistance.”
- Healthcare and employment are intertwined in the US. Also, healthcare is more expensive in the US than just about anywhere else in the world.
- Employment in most states is “at will,” meaning employees can be fired without cause. For most employees, there is also no employment contract. Unions in the US are very weak for the most part.
- Most people in the US live paycheck to paycheck, and don’t own their primary residence.
These are the ingredients of a captive population. They can hate something all they want, but objecting to it is a risk of losing everything they have. And that’s not hyperbole. There have already been reports of people being fired for social media posts, and ICE collecting info on “anti-ICE” social media content. Unfortunately, this is going to have to get to a point where enough people are willing to die to oppose this. When the economy starts hurting the upper-middle class, things might change, but I don’t know.
There is and has been resistance, and it’s resulted in American deaths. There just hasn’t been the craziness of, e.g., Jan 6 (irony intended)!
Also, it’s important to remember, if resistance gets to the level of Jan 6, this president likely won’t hesitate in implementing the Insurrection Act. That would effectively start either a mass slaughter of civilians and/or a civil war.
One reason is that the US is just too big and too different to fight back effectively.
I think the most practical resistance is the west coast trying to split off.
It’s a lot easier to rally an entire state than an entire country.
Americans are cowards. Been hearing about defending freedom and the second amendment since before 9/11. Well?? Nothing but excuses and toxicity from Americans, blame everyone else, come up with a million reasons why fighting back is not their job, etc.
Every American on the right and left is responsible for this shit show they have unleashed on the world. Every one of you to some extent or another.
Americans are stupid moreso. If you are calling them cowards for not overthrowing their government, I could probably say the same thing about you, and also the dumb part, not realizing you will follow the US. You think your country is special, it’s not, you will fall like dominoes, barring some real leadership in opposition.
Everyone trusts the wrong people is the problem, and trusting the democratic establishment to run resistance is the problem more than cowardice. Without leadership and organization there is nothing a regular person can do, or any person, that will make a difference, and any act of “bravery” would be throwing your life away.
We have been sufficiently divided to prevent collective action until it is too late. Those who should be allied with us are too distracted by gender arguments and religious propaganda to notice the boot coming down for us all.
You’re not seeing real resistance because people in this country have been convinced that they don’t need to exercise their 2nd Amendment. That it’s an outdated amendment that only “those other people” feel a need to exercise and that police and national guard are going to fill the role that a citizen formed militia would. Also they’re trialling this stuff in cities where armed resistance isn’t likely to occur. Let’s not forget that they only teach the non-violent aspect of the civil rights movement and completely gloss over the impact armed minorities had in the face of violent oppression. Folks need to wake up.
Something something society hinges on eight meals.
If the meals keep coming people will avoid violence and put up with a lot.
