Common Sense #312 Re-connections with James Burke

[nickle7]

Yeah, I'm not all that sure about this. I try to avoid being alarmist but I also don't see how authoritarianism in the west is totally implausible. It's of course referenced often in regards to trump, but I see the authoritarianism just as much if not more so on the left end of the spectrum. People butch about how awful the government is yet they want the government to do more... make more policies, more laws, have more sway over social issues. It's a paradox I have a hard time making sense of.

Some Trump doesn't mean at all that we will have authoritarianism. How we get authoritarianism is if there is a terrorist strike or some huge crisis. In those kind of situations the government response to the people, that it's taking measures that something like it will never happen, is the route how authoritarianism creeps into the system. Many people simply just find the answer in a stronger central government, even if when directly asked they oppose "strong central governments". It's not like people in their stupidity vote a Hitler in power who erases the personal freedoms in the society. The way is to implement draconian laws or more centralized government is just at the time when people are freaking out from some attack or crisis, and thus in the end you have a quite authoritarian system in Place.

Yes, precisely what I'm trying to say. 1984 won't come at gunpoint... people will be begging for it.

[Hwen Hoshino]

Yeah, I'm not all that sure about this. I try to avoid being alarmist but I also don't see how authoritarianism in the west is totally implausible. It's of course referenced often in regards to trump, but I see the authoritarianism just as much if not more so on the left end of the spectrum. People butch about how awful the government is yet they want the government to do more... make more policies, more laws, have more sway over social issues. It's a paradox I have a hard time making sense of.

Some Trump doesn't mean at all that we will have authoritarianism. How we get authoritarianism is if there is a terrorist strike or some huge crisis. In those kind of situations the government response to the people, that it's taking measures that something like it will never happen, is the route how authoritarianism creeps into the system. Many people simply just find the answer in a stronger central government, even if when directly asked they oppose "strong central governments". It's not like people in their stupidity vote a Hitler in power who erases the personal freedoms in the society. The way is to implement draconian laws or more centralized government is just at the time when people are freaking out from some attack or crisis, and thus in the end you have a quite authoritarian system in Place.

Terror attacks will work less and less. People slowly started not to care.

[nickle7]

Yeah, I'm not all that sure about this. I try to avoid being alarmist but I also don't see how authoritarianism in the west is totally implausible. It's of course referenced often in regards to trump, but I see the authoritarianism just as much if not more so on the left end of the spectrum. People butch about how awful the government is yet they want the government to do more... make more policies, more laws, have more sway over social issues. It's a paradox I have a hard time making sense of.

Some Trump doesn't mean at all that we will have authoritarianism. How we get authoritarianism is if there is a terrorist strike or some huge crisis. In those kind of situations the government response to the people, that it's taking measures that something like it will never happen, is the route how authoritarianism creeps into the system. Many people simply just find the answer in a stronger central government, even if when directly asked they oppose "strong central governments". It's not like people in their stupidity vote a Hitler in power who erases the personal freedoms in the society. The way is to implement draconian laws or more centralized government is just at the time when people are freaking out from some attack or crisis, and thus in the end you have a quite authoritarian system in Place.

Terror attacks will work less and less. People slowly started not to care.

Not sure about this either. Look at how much terrorism is now ingrained into the international psyche. After every violent incident, the first question that always comes up is almost always in regards to terrorism.

[Okeefenokee]

Some Trump doesn't mean at all that we will have authoritarianism. How we get authoritarianism is if there is a terrorist strike or some huge crisis. In those kind of situations the government response to the people, that it's taking measures that something like it will never happen, is the route how authoritarianism creeps into the system. Many people simply just find the answer in a stronger central government, even if when directly asked they oppose "strong central governments". It's not like people in their stupidity vote a Hitler in power who erases the personal freedoms in the society. The way is to implement draconian laws or more centralized government is just at the time when people are freaking out from some attack or crisis, and thus in the end you have a quite authoritarian system in Place.

Terror attacks will work less and less. People slowly started not to care.

Not sure about this either. Look at how much terrorism is now ingrained into the international psyche. After every violent incident, the first question that always comes up is almost always in regards to terrorism.

That's mostly for immigration reasons in an environment where people find themselves fighting against an open door policy to violent extremists.

[nickle7]

Terror attacks will work less and less. People slowly started not to care.

Not sure about this either. Look at how much terrorism is now ingrained into the international psyche. After every violent incident, the first question that always comes up is almost always in regards to terrorism.

That's mostly for immigration reasons in an environment where people find themselves fighting against an open door policy to violent extremists.

Which is why terrorism is still so effective.

[Ex-California]

Terrorist or freedom fighter?

Sorry I was just listening to Apache Tears

[Hwen Hoshino]

Some Trump doesn't mean at all that we will have authoritarianism. How we get authoritarianism is if there is a terrorist strike or some huge crisis. In those kind of situations the government response to the people, that it's taking measures that something like it will never happen, is the route how authoritarianism creeps into the system. Many people simply just find the answer in a stronger central government, even if when directly asked they oppose "strong central governments". It's not like people in their stupidity vote a Hitler in power who erases the personal freedoms in the society. The way is to implement draconian laws or more centralized government is just at the time when people are freaking out from some attack or crisis, and thus in the end you have a quite authoritarian system in Place.

Terror attacks will work less and less. People slowly started not to care.

Not sure about this either. Look at how much terrorism is now ingrained into the international psyche. After every violent incident, the first question that always comes up is almost always in regards to terrorism.

Did not say the press stopped hyping it.

[nickle7]

Terror attacks will work less and less. People slowly started not to care.

Not sure about this either. Look at how much terrorism is now ingrained into the international psyche. After every violent incident, the first question that always comes up is almost always in regards to terrorism.

Did not say the press stopped hyping it.

Terrorism is only effective if the press hypes it. The more it's hyped, the more power it has. So I don't see how terrorism is working less if the media is continuing to cover it extensively.

[Hwen Hoshino]

Not sure about this either. Look at how much terrorism is now ingrained into the international psyche. After every violent incident, the first question that always comes up is almost always in regards to terrorism.

Did not say the press stopped hyping it.

Terrorism is only effective if the press hypes it. The more it's hyped, the more power it has. So I don't see how terrorism is working less if the media is continuing to cover it extensively.

People started questionning the post 911 surveliance state a long time ago and also i bet a lot more people were glued to the tv in 2001 than they are now when it comes to the news.

[ssu]

Using the fight against terrorism to promote authoritarianism still works.

People don't give a shit about just what warning level the country is in, but once a terrorist strike happens, people still freak out.

Hence the strategy is the same as the anti-gun lobby uses: immediately after a mass shooting, push your agenda at lightning speed then with and earlier made law proposals (that have been in storage for just this kind of moment).

With acts of terrorism it's even easier. The bigger the terrorist attack, the more radical laws and actions will be implemented.

Just think what Trump would do if there is a major terrorist attack in the US (or somewhere against Americans) with horrible images of carnage displayed on TV? Trump as the ever faithfull populist will give what his followers want at that instant. Fuck the whiny liberals, this is WAR!!!

And what do you know in the end later: The Police can use waterboarding and "rectal feeding" on drug smugglers. Things just go that way.