One of the biggest questions of our time is, why do about half of the voters in America want an authoritarian or wannabe dictator in power? How could so many people in arguably the best democracy in the world be against or tired of democracy? I think the linked article explains it pretty well. An excerpt: Why would people want to live under an authoritarian’s thumb? It’s rooted, experts say, in a psychological need for security—real or perceived—and a desire for conformity, a goal that becomes even more acute as the country undergoes dramatic demographic and social changes. People also like to obey a strong leader who will protect the group—especially if it is the “right” group whose interests will be protected.…. “For those of us who value representative democracy, the fact that some of our fellow citizens might prefer authoritarianism can be surprising or even unfathomable,” Joe Pierre, health sciences clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco’s Weill Institute for Neurosciences, told me. But, he said, when people feel threatened—either by a lack of order or a challenge by people who think differently—a controlling leader looks like a savior. “Authoritarianism and a ‘strongman’ leader who’s willing to trample over civil rights can sound like a very appealing solution,” Pierre said. “In turn, democracy—which tells us that our ideological opposites deserve to be heard or should be given equal voice—can sound like the root of the problem.” People who favor an authoritarian regime, notably, don’t think it will be used against them, he noted, but “to subjugate others and have their freedoms taken away.” Why Some Americans Really Do Want an Authoritarian in Charge
Coco, it was a joke but after I read your opening paragraph it sounded like you were describing Joe perfectly.
Yes, I can see your point. Everything that became law under Biden was accomplished without going through Congress. That's authoritarian to a T.
LMFAO! At this backwards upside-down strawman, logical fallacy diatribe, wrapped up in a pseudoscience wrapper. It's the same old tired platitudes with no scientific method designed for sheer scare tactics.
I would also recommend this book. Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present Interestingly parallels between historic "strongmen" and current strongmen including Putin and Trump. Obviously anecdotal I have seen interviews of attendees at Trump's MAGA rallies who have actually stated that America needs a strongman.
Yep, all for a strongman: as long as it is THEIR strongman. Similar to the theocracy nuts who are ok with that as long as it is THEIR religion.
Have we considered that this isnt true, and its actually a lack of democracy that incentivizes strains of American authoritarianism? If people crave an American Caesar or Bonaparte, perhaps its not because they are tired of all the democracy they are getting in their lives. Perhaps the allure of a figure like Perot, Obama or Trump is that they present the possibility of an alternative to the gridlock of a largely anti-democratic American system, that they can transcend our politics and make things better through the force of personality. Do people want a dictator or a cheat code?
It would certainly help if the American system would reform itself in some ways, such as doing away with the electoral college and just letting the people vote directly, and imposing term limits to get rid of career politicians who won't go away (unless they die or have to be led away with dementia) no matter how weird or stupid they are. The trouble is, the government is not going to do it. I can just see a bunch of politicians on Capitol Hill getting together to pass a term limits bill. "Get my ass out of here!"
That's kind of what I'm getting at. Given the choice between an unalterable, undemocratic, lousy status quo or a "cheat code" in the form of a charismatic leader uncommited to that status quo to deliver the country you want, what are you going to do?
