Liberals in the Democratic party have spent the last several decades “working with the right” to “get things done”. The only methods they know are to praise their bipartisan compromise.
They are just continuing what they have always been. A controlled opposition party that points to problems but never does anything to solve them. They were once the one step forward to the conservatives two steps back. But over the last decade that has changed. The conservatives stopped letting steps be taken forward and stopped playing the game they both benefited from.
So Fascism is here and all the liberals can do is point at things. Their role now is to normalize each step backwards. To be the party saying “hey, that’s not legal!” or “hey, this is bad”. It gives the greater population the feeling of normalcy as this has always been their role.
It makes the fascism feel like it’s just “another 4 years” and something to be waited out. The liberals are filling their own role to bring about fascism. And that role is in a passive opposition pretending that the existing systems are still something that can be restored. The very systems that brought about the rise of fascist in the first place.
I’d like to see an example of a democracy or other non-authoritarian system that has ever successfully resisted an authoritarian takeover like this where the authoritarian controls the military, the legislature, and the judiciary other than just by waiting for it to self-destruct or assassination. Seriously. It would be helpful to have a model to follow and I’m not familiar enough with history to know where to look.
I have a feeling if anyone is here to look back in fifty years, we’ll find any actions we took were too little and too late, and that it’s just human nature to think the worst isn’t going to happen to us.
You’re looking for an example of fascism not being allowed to take power? Because there are countless countries in the world today that are not run by fascist. Those are your examples.
The point is about the structures of liberal bourgeois run democracy that lead to fascist being supported by the ruling class in order to maintain their class power.
I think you’re misunderstanding how fascist take power and how they maintain it. I also think it’s very unhelpful to say “it’s human nature”. It’s a meaningless phrase we use to explain why things can’t change. Even though all of human history has been countless changes to the structures of power and the allocation of resources. And being human is literally about defying nature.
Humans can change. I’m not sure yet whether humanity can. Human nature is a thing, though I think the only difference between us and any other animal is enlightened self-interest.
Also I didn’t even specify fascist, but it does feel like the entire world has drifted rightward in the last 30 years, but if I’m honest it’s probably been since Eisenhower in fits and starts. Far right has been trending upward throughout Europe. I don’t know what democracies aren’t, as I said.
Looks to me like America is just ahead of the curve and shaping up to be the next big bad that gets everyone else to unite and decide fascism is bad again. Maybe I’m just feeling overwhelmed and cynical right now.
I am of the mind that human societies - and in turn, humanity as a whole - undergoes something like the Anacyclosis cycle. A new society is vibrant and lead by good people, but over time the leadership becomes increasingly corrupt. Eventually, that society dies and a new generation will create an initially good society that will go once again through the process.
We just are in the unfortunate position of experiencing the roughest part of the cycle. It is our task to ensure that our children and beliefs are allowed to become the best that they can be.
Liberals in the Democratic party have spent the last several decades “working with the right” to “get things done”. The only methods they know are to praise their bipartisan compromise.
They are just continuing what they have always been. A controlled opposition party that points to problems but never does anything to solve them. They were once the one step forward to the conservatives two steps back. But over the last decade that has changed. The conservatives stopped letting steps be taken forward and stopped playing the game they both benefited from.
So Fascism is here and all the liberals can do is point at things. Their role now is to normalize each step backwards. To be the party saying “hey, that’s not legal!” or “hey, this is bad”. It gives the greater population the feeling of normalcy as this has always been their role.
It makes the fascism feel like it’s just “another 4 years” and something to be waited out. The liberals are filling their own role to bring about fascism. And that role is in a passive opposition pretending that the existing systems are still something that can be restored. The very systems that brought about the rise of fascist in the first place.
I’d like to see an example of a democracy or other non-authoritarian system that has ever successfully resisted an authoritarian takeover like this where the authoritarian controls the military, the legislature, and the judiciary other than just by waiting for it to self-destruct or assassination. Seriously. It would be helpful to have a model to follow and I’m not familiar enough with history to know where to look.
I have a feeling if anyone is here to look back in fifty years, we’ll find any actions we took were too little and too late, and that it’s just human nature to think the worst isn’t going to happen to us.
You’re looking for an example of fascism not being allowed to take power? Because there are countless countries in the world today that are not run by fascist. Those are your examples.
The point is about the structures of liberal bourgeois run democracy that lead to fascist being supported by the ruling class in order to maintain their class power.
I think you’re misunderstanding how fascist take power and how they maintain it. I also think it’s very unhelpful to say “it’s human nature”. It’s a meaningless phrase we use to explain why things can’t change. Even though all of human history has been countless changes to the structures of power and the allocation of resources. And being human is literally about defying nature.
Humans can change. I’m not sure yet whether humanity can. Human nature is a thing, though I think the only difference between us and any other animal is enlightened self-interest.
Also I didn’t even specify fascist, but it does feel like the entire world has drifted rightward in the last 30 years, but if I’m honest it’s probably been since Eisenhower in fits and starts. Far right has been trending upward throughout Europe. I don’t know what democracies aren’t, as I said.
Looks to me like America is just ahead of the curve and shaping up to be the next big bad that gets everyone else to unite and decide fascism is bad again. Maybe I’m just feeling overwhelmed and cynical right now.
I am of the mind that human societies - and in turn, humanity as a whole - undergoes something like the Anacyclosis cycle. A new society is vibrant and lead by good people, but over time the leadership becomes increasingly corrupt. Eventually, that society dies and a new generation will create an initially good society that will go once again through the process.
We just are in the unfortunate position of experiencing the roughest part of the cycle. It is our task to ensure that our children and beliefs are allowed to become the best that they can be.
Is Every Civilization Doomed to Fail? - Gregory Aldrete
I fear exactly the same. I wish my fellow USAmericans had the courage of South Korea and Nepal.
Brazil just jailed Bolsanaro, South Korea just resisted a coup. That’s like, this year alone.