Opinion | Trump Is Dismantling the Systems That Keep Us Safe. All Americans Will Suffer.
www.nytimes.com
Eviscerating modern state institutions almost always clears a path for a different political order, built on loyalties and connections to the ruler.

Social scientists thought that patrimonialism had been relegated to the dustbin of history. And for good reason: Such regimes couldn’t compete militarily or economically with states led by the expert civil services that helped make modern societies rich, powerful and relatively secure.

But a slew of self-aggrandizing leaders has taken advantage of rising inequality, cultural conflicts and changing demography to grab power. The result has been a steep decline in the government’s ability to provide essential services such as health care, education and safety.

  • Snot FlickermanEnglish
    29·
    6 days ago

    But Do They Really Want This?

    I think a significant subset of Americans have been waiting on real help from the government for so long that they’re just ready to let it all burn down because they simply don’t have the education to know how bad that really will be.

    There’s a massive difference between the organized anarchy of political anarchists and the disorganized anarchy of a state collapsing. I trust groups like anarchists to be able to organize in a disaster scenario, but frankly anarchist groups are in the minority, and so most people will still be foolishly looking for leaders instead of accepting that we must all lead and follow at the same time. I’d have more hope if there were more true dyed-in-the-wool anarchists and decentralization proponents, but the majority of the country is deeply ingrained into the ideology of hierarchy.

    So no, the Americans absolutely do not really want this, but the vast majority of them are too uneducated to really know and understand that they just voted for the slow collapse of their own nation. This is how nations become relegated to the dustbin of history. What’s worse is Americas position and its decades long crowing about freedom and democracy have really soured a lot of the planet on the idea of “democracy” which is fucking scary to say the least. No one takes the American ideology seriously anymore, clearly seeing it was lies told to secure and promote the US empire while only really paying lip-service to the idea of democracy.

    • ZMonster@lemmy.world
      3·
      5 days ago

      I think a significant subset of Americans have been waiting on real help from the government for so long that they’re just ready to let it all burn down because they simply don’t have the education to know how bad that really will be.

      Are we just waiting for the capitalists to throw their hands up and relinquish control back to the people??? What alternate mandela dimension did I just teleport to? Hopefully febreeze is still spelled with two e’s. But don’t get me wrong, I would love to live in a place where naivety solves problems - but I just don’t believe I live in that place. So regardless of the damage, regardless of the harm, regardless of the rationale or logic of more “sensible” people:

      jtfc

      You just let me know when you’re done voting for your best hope, Joe fucking Biden. I’ll be with the crowd ready to rip the fucking bandaid off.