Opinion: What authoritarianism would look like in America

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Donald Trump and Republicans are shoving America toward authoritarianism. That’s why many of us are shouting about a threat to democracy.

Many Americans don’t fear a potential slide into authoritarianism because they have no basis for doing so. Our oceans and hegemony have coddled us; we take democracy for granted. But democracy and the rule of law are not the normal state of governments, certainly not historically.

Authoritarianism wouldn’t happen overnight, but authoritarian regimes have shown us a road map. Here’s a picture of what it would look like here.

If Trump and his enablers get their way, how you experience your life would depend on whether you identified — and were identified — as a Trump Republican.

Identified as a Trump Republican by your bumper sticker, you would be more likely to get a warning instead of speeding ticket. You would gain the inside track for government jobs, grants, and needed permits. Decisions about government benefits, like unemployment and disability, would be more likely to go your way. Your children would be more likely to win scholarships and admission to their chosen schools. You would get more favorable loan and mortgage treatment and better access to scarce goods, the best tickets.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/opinion-authoritarianism-look-america-134451329.html

[EYESORE 9001]

1. Even if MAGAts get favorable treatment

sooner or later, a time will come when the authoritarian regime will hand down a decree they don’t like. There will be a bunch of disgruntled Cartmans who had grown accustomed to saying, ‘I do what I want!’ Their expressions of displeasure will be countered by the regime.

[TheRealNorth]

4. Not so sure about that

They have drank the kool-aid, and will thank the GOP and ask for another.

[DBoon]

12. happened in Hungary with an overtime pay law

There were demonstrations against it, but by that time Fidesz was firmly entrenched.

The demonstrations eventually ceased and the law remained in place, benefiting Orban's wealthy supporters.

[Hortensis]

14. Yes, inevitably. But that's a huge reason authoritarian regimes

demonize groups targeted for persecution: to both reward the loyalty of supporters by fulfilling their "campaign" promises AND to deflect their anger back to the targets.

After all, the hard-core supporters who chose and elevated authoritarian leaders to power also already chose most of the targets to be persecuted, and their leaders are experts in using their mindless hate to direct them.

A way of saying, long before they were ready to consider the next in the series of disastrous revolutions that authoritarian takeovers often only begin, those targeted as enemies would have been suffering for years.

Most persecution would come from local sources, and both emotional satisfaction and material gains from that could make up for losses for some time. Anyone here have a job someone else might want, be paid "too much," hold a license required to be able to practice a profession, own a business that has to be licensed or could be discovered to violate code? Have a social media record that could be used to identify one's sympathies?

[EYESORE 9001]

2. I wonder if emigration will become easier due to political oppression?

[Woodswalker]

3. Problem is

In this world of computerization we would easily be identified as Dems. As far as the country is concerned I'm sure we would slip even further to a third world society. Healthcare would suffer. Homelessness would quadruple. At a certain point even those who supported it from the beginning would suffer but it would be too late for even them to do anything about it.

[Srkdqltr]

5. I'm glad I'm old.

[BigmanPigman]

13. Me too.

Also glad I chose not to have kids. I always go with my gut instincts.

[Dan]

6. You've identified the upside of being on the right side, now what about the downsides...

At some point, you would be required to kill those that disagreed with the rulers;

At some point, you would be required to turn in your friends/acquaintances that were not in tune with the rules;

At some point, you would see your children become indoctrinated to the point where you would fear them;

At some point, every day of your life would be based on a lie, living a lie, repeating a lie, and lying to yourself;

At some point, you will have no respect for who/what you are - because the decent people would no longer be part of your life.

[SharonAnn]

18. "Neither you nor your kin will ever get a job in this town" - said to Dem friend in a GOP town.

[pfitz59]

7. Diss the "Beloved Leader"

go to jail or be erased.

[MadameButterfly]

8. The article is mild

We have already had concentration camps on our borders. Inaction about Covid because Trump perceived it to affect only the Blue states. Can you imagine what Trump would do if he had absolute power? He'll do things the rest of us can't even imagine. Think Hitler, Caligula. You don't know how bad they are until it's too late.

As for his supporters. Some will always see what they want to see. Some will eventually face the truth.
They are too ignorant now to understand the point of democracy: when you don't like how your leader behaves you can change your mind.

[Hortensis]

15. Agree. tRump/Repubs began the round-up of over 9 million people before

they were stopped. The Navy refused to allow the holding camps tRump sought on its property, but analysts reported the initial camps, to supposedly hold tens of thousands, could have expanded to hold a couple hundred thousand. And that was just one of the placed planned to hold those rounded up, many of whom had been here all or most of their lives, while finding places to get rid of them. If they'd had the power, how many would have been crowded into camps in the desert when Covid broke out?

That article didn't attempt to discuss the fate of American minorities at all, probably in part because just how it would play out and how bad it would be in different areas with different peoples is unclear. Jews in Germany were only about 1%. Here in GA, nearly a third identify AA. Would whole states be abused? Would Hispanic Americans anywhere be caught up in the deportation raids, recurrent "mistakes" that needn't be corrected (of course, already happened)? Would minorities be favored for certain jobs and industries, playing them off against each other and local whites, all needing the jobs? How would all that work? I'm sure they'd be creative.

But women would deserve special mention in even a slightly more comprehensive discussion. Women are half of every demo group, including trumpists, and authoritarian states subjugate women to men. Period. They might, would, mostly start slow, denying reproductive rights is an obvious one, and increase it over time, but it would happen.

[MadameButterfly]

16. I didn't know Jews were only 1% of Germany

It gives you perspective the scale of the problem we could be dealing with here.

[Hortensis]

17. Of course, 1% made a very DOABLE victim. America's scale would be

the white male nationalists' problem.

13+% AA who are used to being empowered and have become downright thin-skinned activist, an even larger Hispanic bloc, and other minorities. And in the 1930s women's accepted role was to be oppressed and highly dependent on men's favor, not so much now. It'd have to be very different.

Regardless, though, depowering ALL voters would be #1. I assume any authoritarian state would do the SOP and turn "the people" on each other to keep them busy and from uniting any other way. Funny, not-ha-ha, most people in Europe didn't even know any Jews personally, yet not an impediment.

[ymetca]

11. Yeah, I don't think

we're headed toward an authoritarian regime any time soon. Too much diversity here. Too many "out" groups, which can coalesce around destroying any single "in" group. Whip-saw politics, only curtailed by fear of upsetting the status quo, which might make things even worse. Everyone campaigns on preserving something, but ultimately everything is consumed.

We're actually damn close to something like anarcho-capitalism, where money is god and everything is commodified, right down to the air we breathe.