Sunday June 28, 2020
126 Days until the election on November 3rd
206 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021
Okay, I got cute with the title, “Trump and the Autharians” sounds like a rock group from the 50s that didn’t quite make it. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs anyone? Sam made it, then found Jesus and everything went to hell. What I really wanted to dwell on today was a new outlook on Russia and how dictatorships and authoritarian systems of government come to power.
This is a topic I’ve referred to from time to time in my writing but I haven’t really read much on it since high school when I read several books about Hitler and how he came to power. Recently, like yesterday, my bud Frank sent me several links to articles along with his insightful analysis on Hitler, Stalin, Russia, and how the Soviets came to and retain power along with some general comments on “What all authoritarian regimes have in common.” (Maybe, I should post a click bait slide thing? “The Ten Most Things All Authoritarian Regimes Have in Common”? … #10 All Authoritarian Regimes Lie to the People They Govern, … #9 …)
Before I really get going on this topic I want to mention the odd number of disparate things that came to my attention within the last week that make this a topic to discuss.
The first was John Bolton’s comment that The Senate needed to stay in Republican hands because it was the last gap stop against “The Liberals.” I have to wonder what fantasy he harbors about what will happen if the Senate falls into the hands of “The Literals.” It seems to me that the new bogey man for anything these folks don’t like is branded as “Liberal” and hence bad and therefore must be stopped at all costs or ELSE! Or else what? Typically, this is where the argument falls into deranged fantasy. The problem I have is that when I confront someone at this point they attack me personally (called an Ad Hominem argument: Latin for “to the man”) and the only rationale that is provided falls into the realm of magical thinking (ie completely unsupported by any fact.)
The next was another buddy who said his mother-in-law was convinced that the Covid pandemic was a sinister plot foisted on us by (I guess) Nancy Pelosi and the Dems to discredit Trump.
Then Frank came in with something he got there in Texas about Nickie Haley blaming “the mob” or was it liberals? Or Democrats? Or Nancy Pelosi? For doing Black Lives Matter, etc.
Okay. Enough. Now onto why all this is so interesting at this point in time. It was an article in Foreign Affairs Magazine:
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russian-federation/2020-06-17/putin-not-smiling
In it the author made some astounding (to me) observations about Russia. The biggest of which was that the Putin wasn’t so interested in Trump winning (He and the Russians were just as astounded as many of us.) And he didn’t interfere in the 2016 election to help Trump win as much as he did it to show that he could (interfere). Why? In the Russian mindset there is a perceived notion that the U.S. had interfered in Russian affairs somewhere over something. That as far as I know, we did not, and when I read it, it didn’t make sense. Much like most of what is spouted by Rush Linbaugh or Fox News doesn’t make sense.
The article then described two very interesting things about the Russian outlook and mindset:
One) The word for protest in Russian is the same word for disorder. They loath disorder.
Two) The television commentators commented on the police response to the protestors. They were appalled. Not by what the police did so much as how unprofessional it was. The commentators debated the tactic of driving cars into the crowds by police – was that the best tactic? Etc.
The comments of the Russian television commentators was elaborated by a description by the author on the Russian mindset toward the protests and the protestors. The Russian mindset seems to be that someone or some party must be behind these protests. Someone is controlling it and them. The question for the commentators was who? Who benefited the most? The one thing that they never thought of, that was not even in their minds was the idea that the protests could be a genuine outpouring of distain for those in power. Obviously, someone was behind it.
This thinking is not far removed from the Nickie Haley or John Bolton comments or my friend’s mother-in-law. The fear of “They.”
Any analysis of the rise of authoritarian regimes or the learning of prejudice is the ability to label your opponents and enemies so that you can dismiss them as less than you.
It’s a first step really. “I’m better than you, because you are X, Y, or Z. Therefore it’s okay that I do to you the following …because I know what is right … (Rinse and Repeat).
126 Days until the election on November 3rd
206 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021
PS Hey! Watch me now. I’m pulling the old face dodge time warp. It’s just a step to the right and a jump to the left.
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