Looking at the other comments in here, I have to say Americans still seem way too optimistic that the USA could not become a totalitarian state along the lines of Russia or China.
In my experience as a non-American, a lot of younger Americans have adopted a sort of dark, distorted view of history that casts the US as a villainous entity. For these people, any suggestion that other states, particularly non-Western ones, are even more villainous is met with scepticism.
Maybe they understand the differences between a representative democracy and an authoritarian regime in theory but believe there's no real difference in practice. It's a deeply unfortunate type of cynicism.
I honestly don't think any of that optimism is remotely warranted.
And Americans are certainly very, very disconnected from the actual political sausage factory, thanks to corrupt media and corrupt law - why would you give them a pass here?
I'm shocked that so many Americans are so blind to so much rot. You can smell it in the air.
Even the Democrats are seemingly fine with executive orders, the Patriot Act, black sites, extrajudicial killings of American and other friendly nations citizens, smearing and torturing whistleblowers like Assange and Donziger.
"On a global stage", America is seen as the number one threat to democracy and world peace, and has consistently been seen as such since Afghanistan. It's wild that Americans don't ever seem to grasp how they are seen abroad.
The American people simply haven't had the misfortune of living under a totalitarian regime. That said, right now they should be earnestly listening to those who have; but sadly they seem to be brushing those views aside with thinking such as "well, that won't happen here".
Im not being clever here, I think that the US is getting like that, but really deep down it doesn't feel like a Nazi Germany (or the like), but it sure is displaying signs of it. So, I'm not even sure what I think, and what the tipping point is where you can say that the US is in that group.
One thing I wonder about is whether its simply presentation? Its is simply that the US has a veil of democracy? Which people can vote, will it ever be seen as a totalitarian state, or stasi like, etc?
One problem I have is that Americans voted for this and previous government and there for must approve of what the USG does. "USA, USA, USA", and all that. Then I wonder if Americans are basically brain washed with this "best country in the world" nonsense, and this "they hate our freedoms" line, which is a contradiction in its self.
Perhaps the US is something new? A democratic fascist state, or something? I mean, the US people have no problem with the likes of Bush threatening countries with bombing back to the stone age to get their own way. No problem with killer flying robots murdering suspects on foreign soil with out permission of that country. No problem with CIA kidnapping and torture for dirty worthless foreigners.
Only when Americans feel the USG is threatening them do they get upset. But frankly, screw non Americans, they are not human or equal. Seems to me Americans enjoy their world power, love licking every one else around, but suddenly, when its them.....
I think what the US is today is very much like bad countries in the past who had disproportionate power and use it to further their own ambition at the expense of every one else. But unlike previous states, the US does it with its own democratic vote that makes it all just fine.
What name you give that, I don't know.
The one single thing that does worry me though is this notion that Americans are some how more valuable, more human, more important that any other people. That different rights apply. To Americans, we are not all human first.
YES I know not ALL Americans think like that. But the democratic results and opinion poles suggest that in the main, most Americans do. I have to say there does seem to be a huge difference between Americans who travel abroad and those who don't. I also include those who spend a lot of time professionally interacting with the rest of the planet too.
The internet has expanded that, just like here, on this site. I see hope here. I see Americans with a far better world view. HN, IMHO, has really helped me with that.
Americans might not realise this but we see the USA in the same light as China and Russia when it comes to freedoms. We might be wrong, but thats the perception myself and many other people from outside the USA see the current state of the situation.
To think anyone would feel safe in the USA is ridiculous, the USA is one of the last places anyone should seek refuge in modern times. What scares me most is the United States influence inside Australia.
I don't think there's any remotely plausible prospect of America becoming a Marxist state. Your paranoia is noted, however, and it is typical of Americans, and probably in part why your society is so often so unwell (at least, that's my pet theory).
Wishful thinking from afar by someone who isn't an American and who doesn't understand American culture.
- The US is, on average, highly anti-intellectual and proud of it.
- Spends an unsustainable amount on the military-industrial complex more than the rest of the world combined.
- Lacks health insurance, healthcare, and mental healthcare for all as a human right.
- Is far more dangerous than any Western European country. The city I live in doesn't have police response for nonviolent crimes until 36-48 hours later, if at all.
- Millions of homeless people live on the street. (The true number is far higher than the official estimate.)
- A hundred million Americans are furious, barely surviving, and frequently quick to anger over anything.
- Politically divided.
- 30-40% of the country would rather the whole thing burn down than for things to get better.
- Routine acts of mass murder don't happen in a functional society again, and again, and again.
- Suicide by habits of despair.
- Doddering and corrupt politicians who lack a vision and ambitious project milestones.
- Already had one dumb insurrection and can't elect a SOTH.
America is on the path to another Civil War, but it will take 0-35 years to come to a head in such a fashion. It won't be invaded or replaced, but it may dissolve into 2-3 alliances of states. There is unlikely to be violence necessarily because leftists lack the arsenal the far-right has, and the state has a far greater capabilities than any private party.* Decline is a slow-boiling frog that goes from reliable postal mail and public park water fountains to haphazard, inconsistency and privatized commons HOAs. The bullshit just piles higher and deeper.
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* The edge-cases are individuals in 2 a.-friendly states with privately-owned M114 155mm towed artillery, privately-owned Gatling guns (antique and modern), and surprisingly privately-owned 40 mm Bofors L/60 anti-aircraft autocannon with power traverse pre-treaty (each explosive or incendiary shell has to have an DD NFA tax stamp [and usually the permission of the local sheriff] while regular rounds do not). There is a semi-yearly gathering in Arizona to shoot NFA arms. I doubt there are any privately-owned LAWs, Hellfires, hypersonic missiles, Longbow Apaches, or counterbattery radars.
I'd say something like Russia, although probably more overtly brutal and violent. We don't have anyone nearly as capable as Surkov to "manage" our democracy, and would probably devolve into another civil war if the same level of authoritarianism took hold.
But fundamentally, you're right, America is a crazy country. That the citizens of the world's military super power are this irrational is a frightening turn in history.
this. the public in US is so easily brainwashed it is actually very scary. Having lived in an oppressive state USSR and now in USA I find too many alarming similarities :(
So, is America now a complete laughing stock abroad? I really wonder what non-USian folks think about all this political posturing and willingness to play chicken with the financial reputation of the US.
Regarding #1, if you've looked at Americans' confidence in Congress lately [1] it seems exceedingly unlikely that Americans perceive their elected officials as incorruptible. In fact, that has mostly been the case post-Watergate.
> "Americans are not used to systemic corruption and tyranny, so they don't have the framework to consider their state becoming authoritarian or totalitarian."
I agree, and I'll add that since the US is still a relatively young country whose present form of government has been in existence since shortly after its inception, Americans have trouble mentally disassociating their opinion of America--its culture, its people, its common beliefs--with their opinion of American government. In countries where citizens have lived to see multiple governments come and go, this is much easier to do. Americans, however, seem to have a hard time loving their country but hating their government, even when their government actively works to undermine and destroy some of the best qualities of their country.
As an American, I fantasize about the day when our 325 million no longer try to manage the other 7 billion. But, yet I worry that when that day comes, the ideas of American liberalism will be long gone.
The US has big issues and internal ideological conflicts and many inconsistencies, for sure. But, if you randomly sample the population you'll find that most of us want peace, freedom, success and happiness for everyone.
America is beginning its decline, there's no question. I think you're worried about the wrong things, but that's simply a matter of opinion.
Thankfully, we're nowhere near the insanity of 40s-50s Soviet Russia. Here, we have a right to freedom of speech, and at least ostensibly a right to bear arms. Hopefully we can maintain those rights and avoid the hellish police state phase of the collapse.
Only 29% of Americans actually think the country is headed in the right direction. Everyone else thinks Civil War Redux is close at hand, because The Other Side is evil and destroying the country.
I can't remember the last person I met who thought the US was the best place in all regards. We're mostly aware of the problems, but completely opposed on how to fix them. The current political climate is born from that intense frustration with the status quo.
Why are Americans so afraid? You are the most powerful nation in the history of the planet. You routinely bend the rest of the world to your will. Your military kills civilians with relative impunity.
What are you so afraid of? Just chill the fuck out, m'kay?
I'm not sure if I agree with the OP that it's publicly stated but the bipartisan hysteria towards China, Russia, or even one or two generations ago Japan (interesting historical piece[1]) is kind of constant. With very few exceptions American politics, however divided internally is generally unified in some McCarthy style campaign against this or that perceived foreign threat.
The prospect of the US having to live in a world shaped by forces it has no control over is melting brains across the board. Americans, and yes this is a generalization but not a wrong one, cannot imagine a world that is run on values utterly foreign to them.
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