These current dictators rumbling around and creating more chaos - is personally frightening to me. With our own country, the US, in its current state of chaos. We have our own potential "dictators" - cum fascists: The entire Republican party. Threatening to tamper with Social Security and Medicare. As a medically bankrupt person already - what MORE do they want of my Boomer generation?
Steve, you summed up our "proto-fascist Republicans" quite well. I'm getting more active about contacting my representatives in Congress. I'm happy to say my particular rep in the House actually had tele-town hall the other night. And it was a Q&A! We have to stand up for the good ones. It has be a difficult duty to face these barely-a-majority wannabe fascists.
I agree, we can't give up and must support and build upon the good. I feel we are called upon like the original patriots of the 1700s to restore. It's work. "The hardest job you'll ever love"-- Peace Corp motto is my inspiration.
yes, and I would even add that a virtue gets manipulated into a tool to confuse and use against the unsuspecting, busy citizen/voter. Opposites game. and as Ruth says an upside-down world.
It's easy for them to communicate across organizations because they all use the same strategy. Opposites. So they can support each other broadly. It's so simple.
Jan, I wish I still believed that much in love. If we don't face our real ills and corruption, the fascists will take over. Read Steve Rasmussen below.
I agree. But how? What are the tactical steps we can take? I look to 2024 and feel now is the time to influence. Facing those systemic ills and corruption is the work of the journalists, Washingtonians, state level leaders and law enforcement. I don't fit into those categories! With 330 million, there is only so much the institutions can do. If we get only stuck in echo chambers we'll not make a difference. We need to turn outward. The problem and attitudes and acceptance are much more pervasive in the streets and homes. While reaching out listening/ talking with people outside of our comfort circle, I believe we also have to at the same time have an eye to un-doing this madness on a grass roots level. If only we could work this daily as we transact in our lives. I have seen corrupted individuals melt like Popsicles into lawfulness in an environment of love. So that's my marker. There are alot of 'minor players' out there. They are needy people with unmet needs. I think if folks like us work to expose with dignity the bullying/ rudeness/ bigotry of individuals we see in front of us, we could start to make a difference. And with an eye towards the 2024 election winning folks back over to pro-democracy. Not sure, of course. Just a concept.
Agree, bankrupt myself. It's a money game. As I use to say to my perpetrator, ' how much do you need in this life?' It limitless. It's a game of ego, the accumulation of dollars. The 30% national sakes tax is ruinous. These people have no bottom.
Nice job, Ruth, of presenting a terrifying vision of authoritarian overreach. "We had better be prepared," you advise. I am wondering how are we to be prepared? I will answer my question. With the foreknowledge and foresight you provide, we can know in advance the worst that might occur and watch our breath, keeping ourselves in balance, in and out.
When I lived in Sicily in the late 1980s, I knew an elderly tailor who was a veteran of Italy's Ethiopean "adventure." He always referred to Mussolini as "that one with the swollen head," i.e. the egotist ("chiddu cu' u testu grossu"), and remembered little bits of Fascist marching tunes such as "Allungheremo lo stivale fino all'Africa Orientale!" ("We will stretch our boot over East Africa!") At that time, there were still, especially in Sicily, many widows wearing black whose husbands had been lost in the war; many men who still bore scars and wounds both physical and psychological.
Unfortunately, much time has passed and they, like us, have forgotten much. They've just elected their first openly Fascist premier since 1943, and there, as here, the fascists are coming out of the woodwork and becoming mainstream. Once again, the lamps are starting to go out, in Europe and here.
It's frightening how short human memory is. I hope the rest of the world "wakes up" before it's too late. And Sweden - never would have guessed they would elect a fascist - but they DID.
I agree. Who would have thought. Somehow we are missing the boat on driving this message down to the voter level. That's on all of us. So far we haven't hit the sweet spot in messaging that's effective for voters. Keep trying we must.
Most of those who voted for Trump don't recognize that what he was selling was fascism. Even after explaining to them what fascism is, they still don't acknowledge it. It's the Backfire Effect and confirmation bias in action.
I think we need to be clear in calling it out - "if the jackboot fits, wear it." My local school board had a meeting last night in which one of the board members launched into what is now the typical spiel about grooming, wokeness, CRT, etc. - the usual list of non-existent bogeymen. He and his fascist followers had stacked the audience, and the chair couldn't or wouldn't maintain much decorum. It will be interesting to see, going forward, if she really wants all voices heard, or only those with torches and jackboots.
Laurence Britt's 14 points are helpful, as are Umberto Eco's 14 and the opinion of Emilio Gentile (although Gentile's ten indicators speak more to a government in power than to a movement). Eco grew up in the Fascist era (b. 1934) and Gentile has chronicled the rise and life of Italian Fascism extensively, although I'm not sure to what extent his work is available in English. It's a dense read in Italian, like you'd expect political history to be. :)
"... the typical spiel about grooming, wokeness, CRT, etc. "
As you know, there are many aspects of fascism but what I find the most fascinating is the psychological aspect. This woke/CRT/grooming nonsense fits into the classic fascist creation of wild conspiracies, victimhood, bamboozlement, scapegoating, paranoia generation and vengeance normalization. Fascism can twist the human mind into a pretzel. Since Mussolini was a sociopath, we see a connection between a sociopath's manipulation of individuals and fascism's manipulation of the masses.
You ain't seen nothing yet, my friend. As far as Psych goes, ChatBot will be our new Neurolinguistic Programming. 45% is already "Groomed". Mistakes will be made in 24, but the program is up and running.
Psychology is the foundation. Your last sentence seems key, untangling the sociopath as early as possible. With strategy call out / untangle the bullies you meet in your villages. Untangle the web(s) at the ground level. That can be a strategy too. These people are cowards and can be dismantled as individuals is my theory.
The entire essay is good. I think he originally wrote it in English, which is helpful; I didn't have to worry about mistranslations. Eco makes some interesting connections between things I wouldn't ordinarily connect with fascism.
I found Robert Paxton's "Anatomy of Fascism" helpful as well, above all his observation that "fascism is more plausibly linked to a set of 'mobilizing passions' that shape fascist action than to a consistent and fully articulated philosophy." In keeping with that, the nine points he lays out right at the end are what I'd think of as "practical" rather than philosophical.
I agree. I sometimes think that many are benefiting from living in a land governed by favors rather than law. We do need to be strategic but get proper lawful control back. Favors are fine inside your family but shouldn't govern towns or corporate governance. Boundaries/ laws make for sound living.
THANK YOU for bringing Jared Yates Sexton on! He's an important voice and his new book is wonderful.
Is the Sexton date a typo in today's announcement? Is it Jan, 29th (this Sunday), not Feb. 29?
("I am also excited to announce an event on Sunday, Feb. 29, 8-9pmET with Jared Yates Sexton. We will bring our newsletter subscribers together to discuss threats to democracy, resistance, and Jared’s new book, Midnight Kingdom: A History of Power, Paranoia, and the Coming Crisis. We’ll be taking questions ahead of time for this event. I’ll let you know more about it later in the week.")
"Political scientists call this phenomenon “gambling for resurrection,” and almost all autocrats lose the wager." Gamblers call this "going on tilt" or "steaming". And it seldom turns out well.
Ones vision is narrowed and they lose sight of all but their obsession to getting even.
Having personal knowledge of this state of mind I find it terrifying that these unstable people have access to nuclear weapons.
As these types double down and double down, they lose their agility, flexibility, spontaneity and joy. Their mind becomes burdened networking their lies with others. That is why the continuing lawsuits are good. Clusters their minds. Less brain power.
The question of 'memory' is really worrisome because we see this authoritarian/fascistic rise around the world at the same time those of 'living memory' to the past global horror show--WWII, the Nazis and Holocaust survivors--are dying out.
I suspect that's not a coincidence.
We have history books, of course, memoirs; newsreels; letters; even touchable, seeable forensic evidence but direct oral histories and eyewitness accounts are growing faint. It is, therefore, easier to falsify the details, particularly on social media where information is deliberately distorted, facts skewed and 'alternative' theories bolster wild conspiracy.
In addition to the current crop of despots, I recall the end of Nicolae Ceausescu, who as I remember, gave an ill-fated speech in Bucharest only to be jeered and booed by the crowd. Reportedly, the man was genuinely surprised. After all his violence and beastly decisions against his own people, he was visibly shocked.
Shortly thereafter, Ceausescu and his wife were executed but not before thousands of men, women and children had been slaughtered in an attempt to stem the resistance and ultimate overthrow of the government's iron fist.
It appears to follow a grim pattern: the grandiose visions, the hubris, the paranoia, the opulent life style of the cult leaders, the savagery against resisters.
The endings have a familiar echo as well.
Which is why memory is so important and why what we're seeing now has been seen before. Professor Ruth has certainly provided the historical roadmap from there to here.
On a bright note? We still have a choice. Push back now or lie down to be run over later.
I agree. How right you are. This is our time. Before the next election cycle, each of us has to open doors and minds daily -- without the pressured structure of an election cycle. Casual loving interactions.
That's the scary part, Jan. There's no one to save us but . . . us. No white knight, no anointed savior that's going to turn things around. President Obama made a comment years ago that made me scratch my head mightily at the time but makes perfect sense now:
We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Rachel Maddow made an equally important point in her podcast Ultra, a look back at the last time an American fascist movement in the 30s and early 40s came very close to turning things upside down. Seditious elected officials (think there were 27 at the time) were by-and-large not ousted by the courts or the law but by the American electorate who purged them from the system. They voted them out.
We all have our roles to play as citizens, neighbors, community organizers, whatever to build pro-democracy coalitions because together we can open those doors and minds.
It's frequently the casual, loving, genuine interactions that work best, flesh on flesh, eyeball to eyeball. Won't change everyone's heart and mind but as long as it changes enough that's okay.
Interesting because I've been reading that the Evangelical community overall is seriously questioning their support for Trump. They're worried now his antics may drag them down, put them out of business. On the other hand, they're leaning in DeSantis' direction, a man who is equally craven and ambition-driven. Just a bit more disciplined.
Doesn't cast the Christian community in a very good light. But then when you look at these autocrats they frequently pull in the churches as willing allies.
Lahmeyer sounds as if he's a 'preacher of the moment.' Never let a good grift get away.
Unfortunately, the most vile factions of society are attracted to leadership positions, due to their grandiose self image. Once in power, they are difficult to remove because many view themselves as demigods and superior to mere political constituents and their opinions. The worst leaders in history also had serious mental aberrations. The lesson for us is to make sure these people never get into leadership positions..... recognize what sociopaths/psychopaths/megalomaniacs act like.
My mother’s cousin was married to a man who had been a personal bodyguard to Mussolini; said cousin met him in South America after the war. I had an opportunity to speak with him a few years ago about the war and Mussolini and it was a very interesting conversation. He was a supporter of M right up until his death. He explained to me that M was a hero, saving Italy from Hitler’s regime. He claimed that M only allied himself with Hitler to prevent Hitler from waging war against Italy. It was amazing to me that after all these years, and so much knowledge about Hitler’s atrocities, he continued to be loyal to him.
As an aside, this gentleman was arrested in Italy and sentenced to death, but he managed to escape to South America, and spent the rest of his life serving as a missionary along with my mom’s cousin.
I know someone who lived in Italy during that timeframe, and that is their view of M too. I wonder if Italians re-wrote history in their storytelling to save face because of the atrocities?
With all our resources and attention focused on the war in Ukraine, it makes me wonder if Xi is calculating that when deciding when and how to order an attack on Taiwan?
When authoritarian leaders gamble for resurrection like Mussolini and Hitler for example, it almost always backfires--'Autocratic backfire'. The logic is.. out of desperation they're reckless and don't give shit about the worst consequences. They live in a hubristic bubble of their own propaganda and lies and wind up dead in the bunker or strung up like the II Duce in 45. The world's reaction to Ukraine you would think might be a deterrent to Xi but I agree with Ruth, we better be prepared.
I agree we’d better be prepared I’m just disputing what that means.
I just think being prepared means demonstrating maximum opposition to terroristic authoritarians committing atrocities first and foremost. Not holding back resources in that battle. Cheers again! 🍻
Just read an interesting article on Xi, how his popularity and perception as the strongman has been diminished by the Covid debacle and economic woes. Reportedly, he's been searching for a way to prop up his reputation. Taiwan would be a risky gambit (for everyone) but then authoritarians are not known for their rationality when their political grip begins to weaken.
Putin is a prime example, particularly if the rumors of his fading health are accurate.
Yes, we need to be prepared for a worst-case scenario.
Speaking of feeling threatened and the chaos that can come from it, I’m reminded by this article we’re drowning in doomsday cults here in the US and it seems by design.
Whether it’s religious crazies in Judaism, Christianity or Islam predicting impending apocalypse, Qanon, Bugaloo boys, The I AM cult crazies, the race war crazies, they are all pushing maximum end times or civil war. Seems part of our current global power struggles imo.
There is a fantastic podcast called American PysOp I can’t recommend enough.
Its about left wing figure Wes Clark Jr, son of former head General of NATO command, General Wes Clark. The son of a very powerful man, we get a glimpse into the spycraft-filled world of elite influence, one that must look like what Hunter Biden’s has had to navigate.
It is WILD. While he is obviously patriotic and intelligent, he’s also had a psychotic break, so his reliability is difficult to fully contend with. However a journalist helps clarify noting when they can and cannot corroborate his story. But in any case, it is very clear he was targeted for psychological operations, that were likely the source of his psychotic break, to be manipulated by various global power centers, especially around his advocacy around the Standing Rock protests of 2016. There, Mr Clark was quite literally up against Big Oil and their mercenaries.
It is fascinating! Mr Clark believes there may be some sort of attempt to create the conditions in the US that existed under the TaiPei rebellion 150 years ago. With rising rents, awash in opium after the Opium Wars, and also (American) religious propaganda, that Christianity-based insurrection caused 20 million to die and effectively weakened the Chinese as a global power center.
Ruth, thank you for a helpful historical review. These are dangerous times.
In this excellent Lucid article we referred to Italy’s late Mussolini as fascist, once. Otherwise, the label often used for Mussolini, Chinese President Xi Jingping and Russian President Vladimir Putin was “authoritarian.”
Fairly or unfairly, I cringe when fascists like Xi and Putin, are referred to with Orwellian euphemisms such as authoritarians and strongmen. Not all authoritarians and strongmen are fascists, but all fascists are authoritarians and/or strongmen. Fascist, is a pejorative, well deserved by Xi, Putin and others of their ilk—at home and abroad.
I strongly recommend “Putin Isn’t Just an Autocrat. He is something worse,” by Alexander J. Motyl, Politico (3/14/22.) He’s a professor of political science, Rutgers University-Newark.
Motyl stated: “Putin is the undisputed leader of an authoritarian political system . . . he is a charismatic leader who courts praise from the masses and elites and has constructed a personality cult that features him as a hypermasculine . . .
“Analysts have [avoided] asking just what type of regime has these . . . characteristics . . . preferring to say that Putin’s Russia is . . . merely authoritarian. But there is a word that many historians and political scientists use for an authoritarian state with a charismatic leader who promotes a personality cult . . . FASCISM.” (My emphasis.)
Xi and Putin share arguably similar traits. When deserved/appropriate we ought to call fascist, fascist, to accurately inform the public—especially, as we approach the 2024 general elections—than we are facing fascists that are virtual clones of Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, Pinochet, et al.
The American electorate should know that we’re facing a stark choice, either democracy or fascism. Let’s urge the media to overcome denial; we’re also threatened by fascists, White supremacists terrorists,the GOP, that must/should be identified and charged as such. As they say, Justice delayed is justice denied.
Thank you, Ruth, for this opportunity and for doing what you do. Words fail to help me express my gratitude. I find Lucid cathartic; an antidote to despair.
The Earth is dying, but the chronic illness can be reversed; The late Ian McGarg, renowned author, landscape architect and professor, warned humans in 1971, in a lecture entitled: “Man, Planetary Disease.” Healing is long overdue. Anosognosia, denial, is a mayor impediment. Let’s contribute to the healing by unabashedly naming the disease, fascism, which includes plundering the Earth, ecologically and politically.
Ruth, again thank you for a helpful historical review. These are dangerous times.
In this excellent Lucid article we referred to Italy’s late Mussolini as fascist, once. Otherwise, the label often used for Mussolini, Chinese President Xi Jingping and Russian President Vladimir Putin was “authoritarian.”
Fairly or unfairly, I cringe when fascists like Xi and Putin, are referred to with Orwellian euphemisms such as authoritarians and strongmen. Not all authoritarians and strongmen are fascists, but all fascists are authoritarians and/or strongmen. Fascist, is a pejorative, well deserved by Xi, Putin and others of their ilk—at home and abroad.
These current dictators rumbling around and creating more chaos - is personally frightening to me. With our own country, the US, in its current state of chaos. We have our own potential "dictators" - cum fascists: The entire Republican party. Threatening to tamper with Social Security and Medicare. As a medically bankrupt person already - what MORE do they want of my Boomer generation?
Most of our proto-fascist Republicans seem to want a Randian corporate paradise where powerful Atlases roam around stomping on their hated "other".
Steve, you summed up our "proto-fascist Republicans" quite well. I'm getting more active about contacting my representatives in Congress. I'm happy to say my particular rep in the House actually had tele-town hall the other night. And it was a Q&A! We have to stand up for the good ones. It has be a difficult duty to face these barely-a-majority wannabe fascists.
I agree, we can't give up and must support and build upon the good. I feel we are called upon like the original patriots of the 1700s to restore. It's work. "The hardest job you'll ever love"-- Peace Corp motto is my inspiration.
A group that lacks empathy and love. Corruption cannot exist where there is love. They are polar opposites.
Fascism substitutes vices for virtues. What was once a virtue is considered to be evil to fascists, and evil now becomes righteousness.
yes, and I would even add that a virtue gets manipulated into a tool to confuse and use against the unsuspecting, busy citizen/voter. Opposites game. and as Ruth says an upside-down world.
It's easy for them to communicate across organizations because they all use the same strategy. Opposites. So they can support each other broadly. It's so simple.
Jan, I wish I still believed that much in love. If we don't face our real ills and corruption, the fascists will take over. Read Steve Rasmussen below.
I agree. But how? What are the tactical steps we can take? I look to 2024 and feel now is the time to influence. Facing those systemic ills and corruption is the work of the journalists, Washingtonians, state level leaders and law enforcement. I don't fit into those categories! With 330 million, there is only so much the institutions can do. If we get only stuck in echo chambers we'll not make a difference. We need to turn outward. The problem and attitudes and acceptance are much more pervasive in the streets and homes. While reaching out listening/ talking with people outside of our comfort circle, I believe we also have to at the same time have an eye to un-doing this madness on a grass roots level. If only we could work this daily as we transact in our lives. I have seen corrupted individuals melt like Popsicles into lawfulness in an environment of love. So that's my marker. There are alot of 'minor players' out there. They are needy people with unmet needs. I think if folks like us work to expose with dignity the bullying/ rudeness/ bigotry of individuals we see in front of us, we could start to make a difference. And with an eye towards the 2024 election winning folks back over to pro-democracy. Not sure, of course. Just a concept.
Agree, bankrupt myself. It's a money game. As I use to say to my perpetrator, ' how much do you need in this life?' It limitless. It's a game of ego, the accumulation of dollars. The 30% national sakes tax is ruinous. These people have no bottom.
True. Stay current also
Nice job, Ruth, of presenting a terrifying vision of authoritarian overreach. "We had better be prepared," you advise. I am wondering how are we to be prepared? I will answer my question. With the foreknowledge and foresight you provide, we can know in advance the worst that might occur and watch our breath, keeping ourselves in balance, in and out.
And reach out in love daily beyond our comfort circle.
Keeping ourselves in balance and looking inward to be in a state of clarity is so important.
When I lived in Sicily in the late 1980s, I knew an elderly tailor who was a veteran of Italy's Ethiopean "adventure." He always referred to Mussolini as "that one with the swollen head," i.e. the egotist ("chiddu cu' u testu grossu"), and remembered little bits of Fascist marching tunes such as "Allungheremo lo stivale fino all'Africa Orientale!" ("We will stretch our boot over East Africa!") At that time, there were still, especially in Sicily, many widows wearing black whose husbands had been lost in the war; many men who still bore scars and wounds both physical and psychological.
Unfortunately, much time has passed and they, like us, have forgotten much. They've just elected their first openly Fascist premier since 1943, and there, as here, the fascists are coming out of the woodwork and becoming mainstream. Once again, the lamps are starting to go out, in Europe and here.
It's frightening how short human memory is. I hope the rest of the world "wakes up" before it's too late. And Sweden - never would have guessed they would elect a fascist - but they DID.
I agree. Who would have thought. Somehow we are missing the boat on driving this message down to the voter level. That's on all of us. So far we haven't hit the sweet spot in messaging that's effective for voters. Keep trying we must.
Thank you for giving us your impression of this important experience and the remnants-- it is valuable to so many of us!
I agree and hopefully as we get further educated we can refine our messages to friends and neighbors. God help us.
Thank you Diane
…..sure and thank you for the terrific and thought provoking topic as well…
Most of those who voted for Trump don't recognize that what he was selling was fascism. Even after explaining to them what fascism is, they still don't acknowledge it. It's the Backfire Effect and confirmation bias in action.
I think we need to be clear in calling it out - "if the jackboot fits, wear it." My local school board had a meeting last night in which one of the board members launched into what is now the typical spiel about grooming, wokeness, CRT, etc. - the usual list of non-existent bogeymen. He and his fascist followers had stacked the audience, and the chair couldn't or wouldn't maintain much decorum. It will be interesting to see, going forward, if she really wants all voices heard, or only those with torches and jackboots.
Laurence Britt's 14 points are helpful, as are Umberto Eco's 14 and the opinion of Emilio Gentile (although Gentile's ten indicators speak more to a government in power than to a movement). Eco grew up in the Fascist era (b. 1934) and Gentile has chronicled the rise and life of Italian Fascism extensively, although I'm not sure to what extent his work is available in English. It's a dense read in Italian, like you'd expect political history to be. :)
"... the typical spiel about grooming, wokeness, CRT, etc. "
As you know, there are many aspects of fascism but what I find the most fascinating is the psychological aspect. This woke/CRT/grooming nonsense fits into the classic fascist creation of wild conspiracies, victimhood, bamboozlement, scapegoating, paranoia generation and vengeance normalization. Fascism can twist the human mind into a pretzel. Since Mussolini was a sociopath, we see a connection between a sociopath's manipulation of individuals and fascism's manipulation of the masses.
You ain't seen nothing yet, my friend. As far as Psych goes, ChatBot will be our new Neurolinguistic Programming. 45% is already "Groomed". Mistakes will be made in 24, but the program is up and running.
Bad use of technology.
War uses and develops all technology. War, and its ideology, doesn't care. It just kills. That's what this platform is all about, a warning.
Psychology is the foundation. Your last sentence seems key, untangling the sociopath as early as possible. With strategy call out / untangle the bullies you meet in your villages. Untangle the web(s) at the ground level. That can be a strategy too. These people are cowards and can be dismantled as individuals is my theory.
How frustrating to witness in real time. Kudos for being there. We can't give in.
Yes. I am having my students read Eco's list this semester
The entire essay is good. I think he originally wrote it in English, which is helpful; I didn't have to worry about mistranslations. Eco makes some interesting connections between things I wouldn't ordinarily connect with fascism.
I found Robert Paxton's "Anatomy of Fascism" helpful as well, above all his observation that "fascism is more plausibly linked to a set of 'mobilizing passions' that shape fascist action than to a consistent and fully articulated philosophy." In keeping with that, the nine points he lays out right at the end are what I'd think of as "practical" rather than philosophical.
I agree. I sometimes think that many are benefiting from living in a land governed by favors rather than law. We do need to be strategic but get proper lawful control back. Favors are fine inside your family but shouldn't govern towns or corporate governance. Boundaries/ laws make for sound living.
Exactly
People forget. And people do not embrace the gift of history.... and we then get taken advantage of.
thank you for the great story!
THANK YOU for bringing Jared Yates Sexton on! He's an important voice and his new book is wonderful.
Is the Sexton date a typo in today's announcement? Is it Jan, 29th (this Sunday), not Feb. 29?
("I am also excited to announce an event on Sunday, Feb. 29, 8-9pmET with Jared Yates Sexton. We will bring our newsletter subscribers together to discuss threats to democracy, resistance, and Jared’s new book, Midnight Kingdom: A History of Power, Paranoia, and the Coming Crisis. We’ll be taking questions ahead of time for this event. I’ll let you know more about it later in the week.")
Scott and Ruth,
I checked - there is NO Feb 29th this year! So probably a typo - Jan. 29th???
Thanks for that question!
Yes :( it is Jan 29 not Feb!!
"Political scientists call this phenomenon “gambling for resurrection,” and almost all autocrats lose the wager." Gamblers call this "going on tilt" or "steaming". And it seldom turns out well.
Ones vision is narrowed and they lose sight of all but their obsession to getting even.
Having personal knowledge of this state of mind I find it terrifying that these unstable people have access to nuclear weapons.
'Steaming' and 'tilting' are just another form of doubling down. And doubling down is a way to reduce cognitive dissonance in the short term.
As these types double down and double down, they lose their agility, flexibility, spontaneity and joy. Their mind becomes burdened networking their lies with others. That is why the continuing lawsuits are good. Clusters their minds. Less brain power.
interesting term I now learned from you!
The question of 'memory' is really worrisome because we see this authoritarian/fascistic rise around the world at the same time those of 'living memory' to the past global horror show--WWII, the Nazis and Holocaust survivors--are dying out.
I suspect that's not a coincidence.
We have history books, of course, memoirs; newsreels; letters; even touchable, seeable forensic evidence but direct oral histories and eyewitness accounts are growing faint. It is, therefore, easier to falsify the details, particularly on social media where information is deliberately distorted, facts skewed and 'alternative' theories bolster wild conspiracy.
In addition to the current crop of despots, I recall the end of Nicolae Ceausescu, who as I remember, gave an ill-fated speech in Bucharest only to be jeered and booed by the crowd. Reportedly, the man was genuinely surprised. After all his violence and beastly decisions against his own people, he was visibly shocked.
Shortly thereafter, Ceausescu and his wife were executed but not before thousands of men, women and children had been slaughtered in an attempt to stem the resistance and ultimate overthrow of the government's iron fist.
It appears to follow a grim pattern: the grandiose visions, the hubris, the paranoia, the opulent life style of the cult leaders, the savagery against resisters.
The endings have a familiar echo as well.
Which is why memory is so important and why what we're seeing now has been seen before. Professor Ruth has certainly provided the historical roadmap from there to here.
On a bright note? We still have a choice. Push back now or lie down to be run over later.
I agree. How right you are. This is our time. Before the next election cycle, each of us has to open doors and minds daily -- without the pressured structure of an election cycle. Casual loving interactions.
That's the scary part, Jan. There's no one to save us but . . . us. No white knight, no anointed savior that's going to turn things around. President Obama made a comment years ago that made me scratch my head mightily at the time but makes perfect sense now:
We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Rachel Maddow made an equally important point in her podcast Ultra, a look back at the last time an American fascist movement in the 30s and early 40s came very close to turning things upside down. Seditious elected officials (think there were 27 at the time) were by-and-large not ousted by the courts or the law but by the American electorate who purged them from the system. They voted them out.
We all have our roles to play as citizens, neighbors, community organizers, whatever to build pro-democracy coalitions because together we can open those doors and minds.
It's frequently the casual, loving, genuine interactions that work best, flesh on flesh, eyeball to eyeball. Won't change everyone's heart and mind but as long as it changes enough that's okay.
Thanks for the comments!
Thanks Peg, that's what I'm gonna run on too. It's all some of us can do.
Exactly, Peg!
Warning, warning: Another authoritarian-to-be is obviously Trump's "Gambling For Resurrection" who plans for a 2024 win. A young acolyte, Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer of Tulsa, Oklahoma is organizing "Pastors for Trump" and has - apparently - received a big THANK YOU from Trump himself. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/jackson-lahmeyer-christian-nationalist-conspiracy-theorist-pastors-for-trump-1234649049/
The pastor missed the fact that Trump is a fascist loving sociopath.
As a Christian, I don't know how this aligns with the Gospel. Ken, thanks for sharing this update. I hope Christians take notice.
Interesting because I've been reading that the Evangelical community overall is seriously questioning their support for Trump. They're worried now his antics may drag them down, put them out of business. On the other hand, they're leaning in DeSantis' direction, a man who is equally craven and ambition-driven. Just a bit more disciplined.
Doesn't cast the Christian community in a very good light. But then when you look at these autocrats they frequently pull in the churches as willing allies.
Lahmeyer sounds as if he's a 'preacher of the moment.' Never let a good grift get away.
Unfortunately, the most vile factions of society are attracted to leadership positions, due to their grandiose self image. Once in power, they are difficult to remove because many view themselves as demigods and superior to mere political constituents and their opinions. The worst leaders in history also had serious mental aberrations. The lesson for us is to make sure these people never get into leadership positions..... recognize what sociopaths/psychopaths/megalomaniacs act like.
It's a psychology crisis in this country.
My mother’s cousin was married to a man who had been a personal bodyguard to Mussolini; said cousin met him in South America after the war. I had an opportunity to speak with him a few years ago about the war and Mussolini and it was a very interesting conversation. He was a supporter of M right up until his death. He explained to me that M was a hero, saving Italy from Hitler’s regime. He claimed that M only allied himself with Hitler to prevent Hitler from waging war against Italy. It was amazing to me that after all these years, and so much knowledge about Hitler’s atrocities, he continued to be loyal to him.
As an aside, this gentleman was arrested in Italy and sentenced to death, but he managed to escape to South America, and spent the rest of his life serving as a missionary along with my mom’s cousin.
I know someone who lived in Italy during that timeframe, and that is their view of M too. I wonder if Italians re-wrote history in their storytelling to save face because of the atrocities?
Thank you!
With all our resources and attention focused on the war in Ukraine, it makes me wonder if Xi is calculating that when deciding when and how to order an attack on Taiwan?
I see it oppositely.
Xi is seeing how large a price he will pay for invading Taiwan by the world’s reaction to Ukraine.
Cheers
When authoritarian leaders gamble for resurrection like Mussolini and Hitler for example, it almost always backfires--'Autocratic backfire'. The logic is.. out of desperation they're reckless and don't give shit about the worst consequences. They live in a hubristic bubble of their own propaganda and lies and wind up dead in the bunker or strung up like the II Duce in 45. The world's reaction to Ukraine you would think might be a deterrent to Xi but I agree with Ruth, we better be prepared.
I agree we’d better be prepared I’m just disputing what that means.
I just think being prepared means demonstrating maximum opposition to terroristic authoritarians committing atrocities first and foremost. Not holding back resources in that battle. Cheers again! 🍻
Just read an interesting article on Xi, how his popularity and perception as the strongman has been diminished by the Covid debacle and economic woes. Reportedly, he's been searching for a way to prop up his reputation. Taiwan would be a risky gambit (for everyone) but then authoritarians are not known for their rationality when their political grip begins to weaken.
Putin is a prime example, particularly if the rumors of his fading health are accurate.
Yes, we need to be prepared for a worst-case scenario.
Scary!
Speaking of feeling threatened and the chaos that can come from it, I’m reminded by this article we’re drowning in doomsday cults here in the US and it seems by design.
Whether it’s religious crazies in Judaism, Christianity or Islam predicting impending apocalypse, Qanon, Bugaloo boys, The I AM cult crazies, the race war crazies, they are all pushing maximum end times or civil war. Seems part of our current global power struggles imo.
There is a fantastic podcast called American PysOp I can’t recommend enough.
https://twitter.com/American_Psyop/status/1612968074009006081
Its about left wing figure Wes Clark Jr, son of former head General of NATO command, General Wes Clark. The son of a very powerful man, we get a glimpse into the spycraft-filled world of elite influence, one that must look like what Hunter Biden’s has had to navigate.
It is WILD. While he is obviously patriotic and intelligent, he’s also had a psychotic break, so his reliability is difficult to fully contend with. However a journalist helps clarify noting when they can and cannot corroborate his story. But in any case, it is very clear he was targeted for psychological operations, that were likely the source of his psychotic break, to be manipulated by various global power centers, especially around his advocacy around the Standing Rock protests of 2016. There, Mr Clark was quite literally up against Big Oil and their mercenaries.
It is fascinating! Mr Clark believes there may be some sort of attempt to create the conditions in the US that existed under the TaiPei rebellion 150 years ago. With rising rents, awash in opium after the Opium Wars, and also (American) religious propaganda, that Christianity-based insurrection caused 20 million to die and effectively weakened the Chinese as a global power center.
Every day ask yourself, 'what can I do today to raise awareness and gently influence?'
Ruth, thank you for a helpful historical review. These are dangerous times.
In this excellent Lucid article we referred to Italy’s late Mussolini as fascist, once. Otherwise, the label often used for Mussolini, Chinese President Xi Jingping and Russian President Vladimir Putin was “authoritarian.”
Fairly or unfairly, I cringe when fascists like Xi and Putin, are referred to with Orwellian euphemisms such as authoritarians and strongmen. Not all authoritarians and strongmen are fascists, but all fascists are authoritarians and/or strongmen. Fascist, is a pejorative, well deserved by Xi, Putin and others of their ilk—at home and abroad.
I strongly recommend “Putin Isn’t Just an Autocrat. He is something worse,” by Alexander J. Motyl, Politico (3/14/22.) He’s a professor of political science, Rutgers University-Newark.
Motyl stated: “Putin is the undisputed leader of an authoritarian political system . . . he is a charismatic leader who courts praise from the masses and elites and has constructed a personality cult that features him as a hypermasculine . . .
“Analysts have [avoided] asking just what type of regime has these . . . characteristics . . . preferring to say that Putin’s Russia is . . . merely authoritarian. But there is a word that many historians and political scientists use for an authoritarian state with a charismatic leader who promotes a personality cult . . . FASCISM.” (My emphasis.)
Xi and Putin share arguably similar traits. When deserved/appropriate we ought to call fascist, fascist, to accurately inform the public—especially, as we approach the 2024 general elections—than we are facing fascists that are virtual clones of Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, Pinochet, et al.
The American electorate should know that we’re facing a stark choice, either democracy or fascism. Let’s urge the media to overcome denial; we’re also threatened by fascists, White supremacists terrorists,the GOP, that must/should be identified and charged as such. As they say, Justice delayed is justice denied.
Thank you, Ruth, for this opportunity and for doing what you do. Words fail to help me express my gratitude. I find Lucid cathartic; an antidote to despair.
The Earth is dying, but the chronic illness can be reversed; The late Ian McGarg, renowned author, landscape architect and professor, warned humans in 1971, in a lecture entitled: “Man, Planetary Disease.” Healing is long overdue. Anosognosia, denial, is a mayor impediment. Let’s contribute to the healing by unabashedly naming the disease, fascism, which includes plundering the Earth, ecologically and politically.
Robert Leyland Monefeldt
Thank you
Ruth, again thank you for a helpful historical review. These are dangerous times.
In this excellent Lucid article we referred to Italy’s late Mussolini as fascist, once. Otherwise, the label often used for Mussolini, Chinese President Xi Jingping and Russian President Vladimir Putin was “authoritarian.”
Fairly or unfairly, I cringe when fascists like Xi and Putin, are referred to with Orwellian euphemisms such as authoritarians and strongmen. Not all authoritarians and strongmen are fascists, but all fascists are authoritarians and/or strongmen. Fascist, is a pejorative, well deserved by Xi, Putin and others of their ilk—at home and abroad.