Ruth, thank you for this clear, solid explanation. The question of "rule of law or do you believe in violence?" is the question we must foster in our conversations with fellow citizens. Because that is the succinct & singular bottom-line.
Survivalist mode -- nothing speaks to this greater than the baby formula crisis. What next? People are lamenting daily on gas, food, covid's continuance, inflation, J6, war in Europe. How do we calm these waters? I think it's helpful to remember that after the Trump volcanic earthquake of four years, these are the systemic after-shocks. These are less about Biden, and more about Trump's years destabilizing us and our democratic institutions. I see these as 'fanned fires' fueled to politically take out Biden. Let's hold strong.
Destabilizing professionals like health professionals, journalists/professional media, educators is right from the playbook. Somehow we have find the right messaging to reach the average super-busy and distracted citizen. They play the 'opposites game', so should we. (Michelle Obama: when they go low, we go high). To message against polarization, we .... build community. Build truthful communities quickly amongst others we know and don't know -- more carefully outside social media. Old-fashioned face-to-face or phone talk. No algorithms to distract.
When I witnessed crimes, it is the aftermath that gets interesting. That is where people talk, trip up, show emotion, make mistakes and reveal themselves. "Truth reveals itself in time, like water to a kettle." That could be why DOJ is moving so slowly. The longer you wait, the more is revealed and ties back to the original incident. Confirms with evidence your intuition. That is how I see these events occurring under Biden's watch, they are reflections of the destabilization.
When they want to spook people into thinking they will/can lose everything -- that's the 'opposites game'. Under authoritarian reign is when you can lose everything. People become as valuable as a kleenex. Here today, gone tomorrow.
The next 5 months are critical to our livelihoods. Now, that's an economic argument since the economy is what voters are funneled in on.
I went to grade school at St. Scholastica in Detroit with a Cynicon Implant. Is that you Cynicon ???
Cynicon… you ask some very interesting questions. Speaking only for me, let me share with you what I see as indicia of authoritarianism in today’s America.
* "Fake News.” Sound familiar ??? Fake news... means don't trust the media. Trust only the authoritarian messenger... classic authoritarianism which is one step away from control of the content of the media by authoritarian figures like Putin.
* "Truth and Reality”... are what authoritarian figures tell you to believe (nothing more, nothing less), and you better not voice disagreement or you end up in the Gulag. Think Putin and the head of the Christian Orthodox Church in Russia... both telling the Russian People that God wants Russia to invade the Ukraine. If the Russian people voice disagreement, they have no 1st Amendment to protect them like we Americas, hopefully, still have.
Authoritarians tell you what “truth and reality” you should believe (even if totally lacking in truth and reality). An example… the recent, authoritarian move by Donald Trump and other elected Republicans to cancel out the will of the American voters in the last Presidential election (2020)… with many Republicans claiming (and still claiming) the election was stolen from Donald Trump. The reality (as far as the facts and the evidence) shows a completely different story…
(1) every lawsuit filed (50 or so) found "no evidence" of any wide spread fraud that cost Trump the election (even by Judges appointed by Trump).
(2) Trump in an authoritarian overreach called the Georgia’s, Republican Secretary of State, Raffensperger, and asked him to find Trump the 11,000 votes Trump needed to win Georgia's electoral votes. Thank heaven, Raffensperger stood up to Trumps overwhelming pressure to find votes that didn't exist.
(3) On January 6, 2020, Trump and other Republican authoritarian politicians urged Trump's followers to march on the Capital, and fight like hell to save the Country by forcing the Congress to take away the election victory of Joe Biden, and put the defeated Trump back in office for a second term,
(4) Trump importuned his own Vice President, Michael Pence, to throw out the election results of "We the People" and have the Republican controlled Senate replace the duly elected President (Joe Biden) with Donald Trump... the loser of the election. When Pence refused to cave into this classic authoritarian move, Trump tried to break Pence spiritually and politically.
(5) Trump's self appointed Attorney General, William Barr, told Trump the election wasn't stolen... and then Barr resigned in the last weeks of office rather than listen to the false, authoritarian statement that the election was stolen from Trump.
(6) The Michigan Legislature (controlled by Republicans) investigated the Michigan election results, held hearings, invited Rudy Giuliani to bring in witnesses to show the election was stolen, and (after a full hearing) wrote a written report clearly outlining the end result of the election... "It wasn't stolen.”
(7) all recounts and all audits of the election showed that Biden legitimately won and Trump lost.
(8) Yet, despite all this “no evidence of a stolen election”... Trump and his authoritarian Republican supporters still continued to use the Authoritarian Playbook, and insist upon a false “Truth and Reality” i.e. the election was stolen.
Cynicon, I submit that the above actions, undermining the confidence of the voters in an election are as “authoritarian,” and far reaching as you will ever find. How many generations will it take to return America’s confidence the hallmark of Democracy, i.e. the vote ???
* Authoritarians often hide behind the Bible… a sure way to win over many voters who stand in the middle, like you do Cynicon.
During the George Floyd protests in Washington D.C. Trump decided to go for a Bible walkabout, arriving at a Christian Church, and holding up a Christian Bible for all America to see which side he is on, the Christian side. Forgetting for the moment that Trump has no history of living a “Do unto Others” Christian life, Tumps actions were not only authoritarian, but his actions also violated the 1st Amendment of the Constitution that says Government cannot "establish" (or prefer or promote) a specific religion. The 1st Amendment’s “non establishment” clause is so basic to our cherished American freedoms, that the Founders put it in the very first Amendment to the Constitution. Yet Trump and his Republican followers (who accompanied him on his Bible walkabout) threw the 1st Amendment out the window (in Authoritarian fashion) just to score some political points. I submit Cynicon, only Authoritarians do that.
I have much more to say, but I have probably worn out my welcome in an attempt to answer you question. But, thank you Cynicon … for asking such an excellent question and keeping us anti-authoritarians on our toes.
P.S. Teachers are trained to teach... not parents. Parents send their children to school, because they are not qualified (by and large) to teach their own children. If parents think otherwise, they are free to "home school" their kids.
Fascist leaders tend to be charismatic and destructive. What we have seen under the Trump administration is a symbiosis between a destructive charismatic leader and his followers. Typically, these type of leaders gather around themselves, broken and needy people whom are obsequious toward their omnipotent hero. These charismatic leaders demonized those outside the clan, while polarizing his followers against truth, the outside enemy and other ideas. Truth is now driven by emotion, not facts, in a move toward post-truth and postmodernism. Lies from those of authority inside the clan are trusted over the truth coming from anyone outside the clan. Due to the Backfire Effect, once these conservative followers believe something to be true, it is nearly impossible for them to believe otherwise, even when given corrective information. The huge number of people still believing that Trump won in 2020 is an example of this. The belief that their hero was robbed, puts them in the vengeance mode. They feel besieged and angry. They are fighting for survival.
As a person who falls right of center (but not a Trump fan), I am struggling to see what Ruth is seeing as it pertains to her claims of Republican authoritarianism. Most of the commenters seem to know exactly what she is talking about but not being from this land I would benefit from some examples. If someone could give me a few it would be greatly appreciated.
Btw, I see a number of examples of authoritarianism from the Democrats ("I don't think parents should be in charge of what their kids learn in school," establishment of the Disinformation Governance board -- aka Ministry of Truth, etc.) Why are these not discussed here?
Prof.Ruth, I think we are all aware by now how cultural polarization has been promoted by the Republican party for several decades now as a way of dividing and ruling. What is not so familiar is how polarization is (unintentionally) promoted by our winner-take-all, first-past-the-post electoral system. A large majority of democratic countries have Proportional Representation (PR), in which every significant bloc of voters receives representation in their legislature proportional to the number for votes they receive. This leads to a multi-party system, because voters don't feel, as they do in our country, that they have to vote for one of two great parties in order for their vote to "count" against the party that they oppose. Few if any of the countries that have PR are polarized, currently, in the way that the US is polarized. The US Congress could adopt PR; it doesn't require any change in the Constitution. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in a 2020 report, and Lee Drutman in his _Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multi-Party Democracy in American_ (Oxford U. Press, 2020) both advocate PR (and/or the related Ranked-Choice Voting) for the US as a way of decreasing polarization. Have you explored this aspect of the polarization issue?
Given that our line, Homo Sapiens, flourished, while other lines of human evolution failed (supposedly due to our line of descent being better at "cooperating")... the study by Professor Stafford makes sense... especially "problem solving communities."
Maybe the "problem solving communities" (like Juries) work because everyone is "empowered"... the key word, "empowered"... to contribute. As some of the great prophets have shown us, truly "empowering" others eliminates fear, and, hence... hostility. Reminds me of the definition of "diplomacy"... "the art of letting the other guy get your way."
Seems that we have passed far too many tipping points for our country to ever heal and reunite. Splitting into two mostly separate nations (west coast plus Nevada and HI, upper Midwest and New England down to Maryland as Blue America and the rest of the states as Gilead) may be much better than tearing each other and the country apart while the energy and climate emergencies go largely ignored. Yes, hardly ideal and no states are wholly blue or red, but fracturing may still be our best option.
I would rather be part of a new country focused on democracy and adapting to a threatened planet than to keep living in an increasingly reactionary and authoritarian Trumpistan.
Thank you for your valuable analysis Professor, here my comments and questions.
The polarization of society seems to be the way the Roman governance principle DIVIDE ET RULE takes shape. When a socio-economic system collapses it is natural to move from plurality to polarization and from there to direct violence. Would the therapy for polarization be plurality and dialogue? If not, what would be it?
I have my doubts if this polarization symptom has to be joined by a strong man or woman figure; is it possible that it also comes along with groups with defined shared interests, and not only with a strong leader?
Can polarization be led by institutions or organizations where power is concentrated in several members without that strong person?
Professor Ruth, Thank you so much for your Friday Zoom meetings and your most excellent essays. I've learned so much from you over the past few weeks. I'm looking forward to learning even more when I obtain a copy of your Strongmen book from my local library tomorrow. Your
2 interviews with Ray Suarez on the World Affairs Podcast are most instructive on the topic of authoritarianism. I encourage new followers of your work to listen to them.
Great analysis as always RBG. We also need solutions. It is not enough to say we must educate ourselves and personally respond as individuals. We are up against ENORMOUS and PERVASIVE loudspeakers in Fox, AM radio, social media, etc. And these right wingers have become increasingly organized. How do we counter all that in a way that will not just negate them but persuade people away from all this fascist crap?
Biden's ratings are low. He says he is going to call out Republicans as "extremists." That's not enough. He needs to articulate very clearly what Ruth lays out. How Republicans want to obstruct beneficial actions, so as to be able to brand his presidency a failure. His ratings show they have succeeded. MSNBC reported today he asked his staff for a new message. Dear Joe, ask Ruth.
Thanks Ruth. I think you nailed the concept that "polarization" comes out of fear. As Franklin Roosevelt said... we have nothing to fear but fear itself. And the way out of that fear ??? The cure ??? the cure is simple and straight forward. Rid yourself of crippling fear…
* By learning and studying what you are talking about… "Knowledge is Power."
* By acquiring the skill of critical analysis.
* By acknowledging and checking your own “confirmation bias.”
* By striving for the “intellectual honesty” of an open mind.
But, easier said than done. The problem with the cure ??? It speaks in terms of intellect and logic, and, most times, in the battle of life... “fear” wills out, trumping both intellect and logic. In the historic battle for the human psyche, the “emotion” of the prehistoric part of the brain, the amygdala (fight or flight), has a much more primal and powerful place in the human psyche than logic, deductive reasoning and critical analysis.
Love your webinars, thoughtful editorial contributions and helping us better understand what is actually happening in this most confused era of disinformation engulfing our planet.
Ruth, thank you for this clear, solid explanation. The question of "rule of law or do you believe in violence?" is the question we must foster in our conversations with fellow citizens. Because that is the succinct & singular bottom-line.
Survivalist mode -- nothing speaks to this greater than the baby formula crisis. What next? People are lamenting daily on gas, food, covid's continuance, inflation, J6, war in Europe. How do we calm these waters? I think it's helpful to remember that after the Trump volcanic earthquake of four years, these are the systemic after-shocks. These are less about Biden, and more about Trump's years destabilizing us and our democratic institutions. I see these as 'fanned fires' fueled to politically take out Biden. Let's hold strong.
Destabilizing professionals like health professionals, journalists/professional media, educators is right from the playbook. Somehow we have find the right messaging to reach the average super-busy and distracted citizen. They play the 'opposites game', so should we. (Michelle Obama: when they go low, we go high). To message against polarization, we .... build community. Build truthful communities quickly amongst others we know and don't know -- more carefully outside social media. Old-fashioned face-to-face or phone talk. No algorithms to distract.
When I witnessed crimes, it is the aftermath that gets interesting. That is where people talk, trip up, show emotion, make mistakes and reveal themselves. "Truth reveals itself in time, like water to a kettle." That could be why DOJ is moving so slowly. The longer you wait, the more is revealed and ties back to the original incident. Confirms with evidence your intuition. That is how I see these events occurring under Biden's watch, they are reflections of the destabilization.
When they want to spook people into thinking they will/can lose everything -- that's the 'opposites game'. Under authoritarian reign is when you can lose everything. People become as valuable as a kleenex. Here today, gone tomorrow.
The next 5 months are critical to our livelihoods. Now, that's an economic argument since the economy is what voters are funneled in on.
Cynicon Implant…
I went to grade school at St. Scholastica in Detroit with a Cynicon Implant. Is that you Cynicon ???
Cynicon… you ask some very interesting questions. Speaking only for me, let me share with you what I see as indicia of authoritarianism in today’s America.
* "Fake News.” Sound familiar ??? Fake news... means don't trust the media. Trust only the authoritarian messenger... classic authoritarianism which is one step away from control of the content of the media by authoritarian figures like Putin.
* "Truth and Reality”... are what authoritarian figures tell you to believe (nothing more, nothing less), and you better not voice disagreement or you end up in the Gulag. Think Putin and the head of the Christian Orthodox Church in Russia... both telling the Russian People that God wants Russia to invade the Ukraine. If the Russian people voice disagreement, they have no 1st Amendment to protect them like we Americas, hopefully, still have.
Authoritarians tell you what “truth and reality” you should believe (even if totally lacking in truth and reality). An example… the recent, authoritarian move by Donald Trump and other elected Republicans to cancel out the will of the American voters in the last Presidential election (2020)… with many Republicans claiming (and still claiming) the election was stolen from Donald Trump. The reality (as far as the facts and the evidence) shows a completely different story…
(1) every lawsuit filed (50 or so) found "no evidence" of any wide spread fraud that cost Trump the election (even by Judges appointed by Trump).
(2) Trump in an authoritarian overreach called the Georgia’s, Republican Secretary of State, Raffensperger, and asked him to find Trump the 11,000 votes Trump needed to win Georgia's electoral votes. Thank heaven, Raffensperger stood up to Trumps overwhelming pressure to find votes that didn't exist.
(3) On January 6, 2020, Trump and other Republican authoritarian politicians urged Trump's followers to march on the Capital, and fight like hell to save the Country by forcing the Congress to take away the election victory of Joe Biden, and put the defeated Trump back in office for a second term,
(4) Trump importuned his own Vice President, Michael Pence, to throw out the election results of "We the People" and have the Republican controlled Senate replace the duly elected President (Joe Biden) with Donald Trump... the loser of the election. When Pence refused to cave into this classic authoritarian move, Trump tried to break Pence spiritually and politically.
(5) Trump's self appointed Attorney General, William Barr, told Trump the election wasn't stolen... and then Barr resigned in the last weeks of office rather than listen to the false, authoritarian statement that the election was stolen from Trump.
(6) The Michigan Legislature (controlled by Republicans) investigated the Michigan election results, held hearings, invited Rudy Giuliani to bring in witnesses to show the election was stolen, and (after a full hearing) wrote a written report clearly outlining the end result of the election... "It wasn't stolen.”
(7) all recounts and all audits of the election showed that Biden legitimately won and Trump lost.
(8) Yet, despite all this “no evidence of a stolen election”... Trump and his authoritarian Republican supporters still continued to use the Authoritarian Playbook, and insist upon a false “Truth and Reality” i.e. the election was stolen.
Cynicon, I submit that the above actions, undermining the confidence of the voters in an election are as “authoritarian,” and far reaching as you will ever find. How many generations will it take to return America’s confidence the hallmark of Democracy, i.e. the vote ???
* Authoritarians often hide behind the Bible… a sure way to win over many voters who stand in the middle, like you do Cynicon.
During the George Floyd protests in Washington D.C. Trump decided to go for a Bible walkabout, arriving at a Christian Church, and holding up a Christian Bible for all America to see which side he is on, the Christian side. Forgetting for the moment that Trump has no history of living a “Do unto Others” Christian life, Tumps actions were not only authoritarian, but his actions also violated the 1st Amendment of the Constitution that says Government cannot "establish" (or prefer or promote) a specific religion. The 1st Amendment’s “non establishment” clause is so basic to our cherished American freedoms, that the Founders put it in the very first Amendment to the Constitution. Yet Trump and his Republican followers (who accompanied him on his Bible walkabout) threw the 1st Amendment out the window (in Authoritarian fashion) just to score some political points. I submit Cynicon, only Authoritarians do that.
I have much more to say, but I have probably worn out my welcome in an attempt to answer you question. But, thank you Cynicon … for asking such an excellent question and keeping us anti-authoritarians on our toes.
P.S. Teachers are trained to teach... not parents. Parents send their children to school, because they are not qualified (by and large) to teach their own children. If parents think otherwise, they are free to "home school" their kids.
Fred Lauck
Fascist leaders tend to be charismatic and destructive. What we have seen under the Trump administration is a symbiosis between a destructive charismatic leader and his followers. Typically, these type of leaders gather around themselves, broken and needy people whom are obsequious toward their omnipotent hero. These charismatic leaders demonized those outside the clan, while polarizing his followers against truth, the outside enemy and other ideas. Truth is now driven by emotion, not facts, in a move toward post-truth and postmodernism. Lies from those of authority inside the clan are trusted over the truth coming from anyone outside the clan. Due to the Backfire Effect, once these conservative followers believe something to be true, it is nearly impossible for them to believe otherwise, even when given corrective information. The huge number of people still believing that Trump won in 2020 is an example of this. The belief that their hero was robbed, puts them in the vengeance mode. They feel besieged and angry. They are fighting for survival.
As a person who falls right of center (but not a Trump fan), I am struggling to see what Ruth is seeing as it pertains to her claims of Republican authoritarianism. Most of the commenters seem to know exactly what she is talking about but not being from this land I would benefit from some examples. If someone could give me a few it would be greatly appreciated.
Btw, I see a number of examples of authoritarianism from the Democrats ("I don't think parents should be in charge of what their kids learn in school," establishment of the Disinformation Governance board -- aka Ministry of Truth, etc.) Why are these not discussed here?
Prof.Ruth, I think we are all aware by now how cultural polarization has been promoted by the Republican party for several decades now as a way of dividing and ruling. What is not so familiar is how polarization is (unintentionally) promoted by our winner-take-all, first-past-the-post electoral system. A large majority of democratic countries have Proportional Representation (PR), in which every significant bloc of voters receives representation in their legislature proportional to the number for votes they receive. This leads to a multi-party system, because voters don't feel, as they do in our country, that they have to vote for one of two great parties in order for their vote to "count" against the party that they oppose. Few if any of the countries that have PR are polarized, currently, in the way that the US is polarized. The US Congress could adopt PR; it doesn't require any change in the Constitution. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in a 2020 report, and Lee Drutman in his _Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multi-Party Democracy in American_ (Oxford U. Press, 2020) both advocate PR (and/or the related Ranked-Choice Voting) for the US as a way of decreasing polarization. Have you explored this aspect of the polarization issue?
Thanks Randolph.
Given that our line, Homo Sapiens, flourished, while other lines of human evolution failed (supposedly due to our line of descent being better at "cooperating")... the study by Professor Stafford makes sense... especially "problem solving communities."
Maybe the "problem solving communities" (like Juries) work because everyone is "empowered"... the key word, "empowered"... to contribute. As some of the great prophets have shown us, truly "empowering" others eliminates fear, and, hence... hostility. Reminds me of the definition of "diplomacy"... "the art of letting the other guy get your way."
Thanks for broadening my horizon, Randolph.
Fred Lauck
Ruth, you are a gift to our troubled world. I am spreading your trenchant analyses and thoughts to everyone I can. Thank you!
Seems that we have passed far too many tipping points for our country to ever heal and reunite. Splitting into two mostly separate nations (west coast plus Nevada and HI, upper Midwest and New England down to Maryland as Blue America and the rest of the states as Gilead) may be much better than tearing each other and the country apart while the energy and climate emergencies go largely ignored. Yes, hardly ideal and no states are wholly blue or red, but fracturing may still be our best option.
I would rather be part of a new country focused on democracy and adapting to a threatened planet than to keep living in an increasingly reactionary and authoritarian Trumpistan.
The economic divide is a casum that's been happening for years.
Thank you for your valuable analysis Professor, here my comments and questions.
The polarization of society seems to be the way the Roman governance principle DIVIDE ET RULE takes shape. When a socio-economic system collapses it is natural to move from plurality to polarization and from there to direct violence. Would the therapy for polarization be plurality and dialogue? If not, what would be it?
I have my doubts if this polarization symptom has to be joined by a strong man or woman figure; is it possible that it also comes along with groups with defined shared interests, and not only with a strong leader?
Can polarization be led by institutions or organizations where power is concentrated in several members without that strong person?
American Exceptionalism. We talk about everything Except the Truth
Professor Ruth, Thank you so much for your Friday Zoom meetings and your most excellent essays. I've learned so much from you over the past few weeks. I'm looking forward to learning even more when I obtain a copy of your Strongmen book from my local library tomorrow. Your
2 interviews with Ray Suarez on the World Affairs Podcast are most instructive on the topic of authoritarianism. I encourage new followers of your work to listen to them.
Kenny Dyas Hayden, Alabama
Great analysis as always RBG. We also need solutions. It is not enough to say we must educate ourselves and personally respond as individuals. We are up against ENORMOUS and PERVASIVE loudspeakers in Fox, AM radio, social media, etc. And these right wingers have become increasingly organized. How do we counter all that in a way that will not just negate them but persuade people away from all this fascist crap?
Biden's ratings are low. He says he is going to call out Republicans as "extremists." That's not enough. He needs to articulate very clearly what Ruth lays out. How Republicans want to obstruct beneficial actions, so as to be able to brand his presidency a failure. His ratings show they have succeeded. MSNBC reported today he asked his staff for a new message. Dear Joe, ask Ruth.
Thanks Ruth. I think you nailed the concept that "polarization" comes out of fear. As Franklin Roosevelt said... we have nothing to fear but fear itself. And the way out of that fear ??? The cure ??? the cure is simple and straight forward. Rid yourself of crippling fear…
* By learning and studying what you are talking about… "Knowledge is Power."
* By acquiring the skill of critical analysis.
* By acknowledging and checking your own “confirmation bias.”
* By striving for the “intellectual honesty” of an open mind.
But, easier said than done. The problem with the cure ??? It speaks in terms of intellect and logic, and, most times, in the battle of life... “fear” wills out, trumping both intellect and logic. In the historic battle for the human psyche, the “emotion” of the prehistoric part of the brain, the amygdala (fight or flight), has a much more primal and powerful place in the human psyche than logic, deductive reasoning and critical analysis.
Fred Lauck
Ruth,
Love your webinars, thoughtful editorial contributions and helping us better understand what is actually happening in this most confused era of disinformation engulfing our planet.
Keep it up and thank you. Walter Scott Perry