When I was growing up my mother always warned me if Hitler came back they would take me to the ovens. I was not raised in the Jewish faith but my parent’s families in Europe were Jewish and many of them were lost in the holocaust. Today, her voice in my head resonates as truth. I thought she was crazy to worry but now I understand. It only takes a moment for our wonderful way of life to be obliterated by the sickest of humanity, those who don’t follow rules in search of dominance. I can’t watch TV news in any form any more, it is too concerning. (And still normalizes MAGA without context)
As if I didn't have enough trouble sleeping at night....
I've thought about this, too, and worry that even if President Biden wins re-election, there will be another, likely more successful January 6. I do not understand this desire for chaos and violence, nor the people who wish and visit harm on their fellow citizens, many times including themselves.
All this while we are destroying our planet. Imagine what we could accomplish if all this energy spent on hate would be directed to addressing and solving our problems.
Humans have, unfortunately, become destructive parasites of Earth. The animals probably wish that we would go away, as long as we didn't take them with us. We are certainly not the superior beings that we like to think we are.
What you are describing, Mr. Beschloss, is a struggle for the soul of America.
Even if Trump is held accountable in a court of law and is denied the White House again, I don't know how we as a nation are going to move forward. Trump's cultists will still be among us. His supporters in Congress will still be there (unless we deny THEM another term this November), and Trumpism will continue to endure.
Maybe over time with the daily harangue of Trump in front of the TV cameras eliminated we as a nation can begin to regain our sanity. One can only wonder at this point.
This encapsulates the existential dread I feel from the moment my alarm goes off in the morning. Being a college professor in a deep red state like South Carolina, I feel like an endangered species.
The hater in chief has left those of us with a moral compass and an empathetic constitution with mass PTSD.
I feel you. I sadly check my phone before I even get out of bed in the hope that finally he will face the consequences of his treasonous actions or his moribund lifestyle. Sadly I’m repeatedly disappointed.
Having been a public employee I watched the ratcheting up of anti-public employees for a long time - greedy, useless and many other invectives. By the time I retired one of my sons had fallen for it. I was receiving mail & email from hate group wackos - one was 2 states away. (Not explicit enough to legally matter. Untraceable death threats or veiled threats on the phone same story.) It also gave cover and status to perps when the public turns their back.
The ‘silent’ public who prefers to ignore this needs to take action. Those who are afraid to do anything else need to speak through their ballots.
I should have said “until I retired”. I retired shortly before Covid arrived. (We still live in a building that requires a security code.) But I am long forgotten 😊 by those characters. It is not as unusual as people believe. Much more frequent in recent years for public employees to be stalked or otherwise harassed. Much easier now with the internet, email and social media. Of course states like ours decided to allow guns everywhere. You can imagine on any given day a lot of people get an answer they don’t like from a public employee.
20 yrs ago when I had a job at an employee organization a state social worker aide was killed on a home visit. It became one of my duties to train employees on how to be safer. (Here’s a big hint: Ditch the spindle things they give employees for their desks. The ones that look like nails!) I got a lot of calls especially under certain administrations because the fish rots from the head.
An inspector refused to change reports for a certain company. He was suspended for ‘insubordination.’ I connected him to the state AG for whistleblower protection. Then he received death threats because the Dept had & shared his contact info. My boss & I had a deputy show up at his personnel hearings. After 4 yrs it went a judge who ruled that when the statute says “shall” the supv does not have the authority to change the meaning of “shall” to be “permissive”. I knew other whistleblowers. One came home to find his vehicle in his carport had been set on fire with a Molotov cocktail in the front seat. Luckily the seal around the windshield melted. The windshield fell on the flames & smothered them. Otherwise, in a rural area, they’d probably lost the house too. So, like schools, sometimes “the calls are coming from inside the house.” Sometimes it is hard to tell who is behind it.
😂 Well, I can’t disagree. Usually more relaxing these days to be retired.
I remember the beginning of the guns and god movement almost 40 yrs ago. A guy called and talked to the political director. I could hear them on ‘speaker phone’. The guy wanted to teach our CEO about the 2nd Amendment in person, up close & permanently because of a political endorsement. The dufus director gave him directions & the time he’d be in the office. I was peeved. He just laughed and said the guy wasn’t going to show up because he was 75 miles away. Luckily he was correct.
I say that to show this is not new. It is a continuing theme that has ramped up now with ‘permission’ and encouragement from the orange one. And of course all the newer ways to find and bond with folks of the same mind help build ‘courage.’
As I read your article, my heart sank into a pit of horror, fright, and dismay. As a gay, married female, I couldn't help but share your concerns about the rise of far-right extremism and the potential threats it poses to our personal safety. The events you described, especially the gruesome act in Pennsylvania, left me feeling utterly heartsick.
The depth and nature of the polarization you highlighted is downright alarming. It's like extremists are crawling out of the woodwork with a newfound sense of power, and the talk of civil war is becoming worryingly frequent. It's disheartening to see opponents being transformed into enemies, with calls for violence and death becoming disturbingly normalized.
Your article also shed light on the role of influential figures in fanning the flames of violence and perpetuating this dangerous rhetoric. The impact of their actions and words cannot be underestimated, especially when it comes to individuals who are mentally unwell or easily swayed. Those in positions of power need to recognize the weight of their responsibility and use their influence to promote unity and understanding, rather than division and hatred. Has our country opened Pandora’s Box with no way of shutting it now? That is the question that haunts me.
The historical examples you mentioned, from the Ku Klux Klan to the Holocaust, serve as stark reminders of the devastating consequences that can arise when these dangerous impulses are unleashed. They underscore the importance of maintaining a civilized society, where individuals rein in their darkest instincts through conscience and empathy. Can those instincts be reined in? I simply do not know.
I share your concerns about the potential outcomes if Trump and his cult were to regain power and pursue a fascist future. The fear of a demoralized majority and an unrestrained minority acting on their destructive instincts is deeply troubling. It's a stark reminder that the consequences of political decisions extend far beyond the realm of politics and directly impact the safety and well-being of vulnerable communities like mine.
However, throughout the horror and fear, I still hold onto a glimmer of hope. I believe in the power of unity and the resilience of our democracy. I have faith that we, as a society, can come together to stand against hate, division, and violence. The upcoming elections in November present us with an opportunity to make our voices heard and bring about the change we so desperately need.
Thank you for articulating the dangers we face and for reminding us of the urgent need to address them. Your article has deeply resonated with me, and it serves as a call to action for all of us to work towards a society that values inclusivity, empathy, and respect for all. Together, I genuinely believe we can prevail and create a safer and more equitable world for everyone. I pray for our country every single day.
Steven, you have my heartfelt gratitude for always speaking the truth however difficult it is to hear.
What we are doing here, is preaching to the choir. We need to get our collective heads out of the sand, and not only vote them out,but do it resoundingly, so there is no question, period! Get out there also, and call your representative, donate if you can to democrats, and turn this ship around!
If Trump becomes president, he will end our membership with NATO and join forces with Russia, China, North Korea, and maybe even Saudi Arabia. How scary is that?
The solution has to begin at every level of our society... to develop (think of film in a dark room solution, the image slowly emerges) and nurture innate compassion and the ability to control destructive behavior and passivity...
What Does a Mother Say?
When I pulled up to my daughter’s
school she was sitting on the curb crying.
As she leaped in the car she yelled,
“I hate school! I’m never coming back!”
“Sounds like a bad day,” I said. Quiet,
until almost home, her face turned away.
”His face was all bloody. They kept hitting
him. I told them to stop. He fell down
so they kicked him. I screamed, ‘Stop it.’
They kept telling Johnny, ‘Say your mother’s a pig.’
Be strong and forthright in this important moment. Let the other side be the fearful, sad, angry flailers. That is not us. We are able. We are not alone to fight this enemy of America. There are millions and millions of us. Let’s make the decision to stand together in strength knowing our sisters and brothers have locked wrists. Let’s let our comments reflect our boldness, our solidarity and our courage under fire. That is our strategy.
The killing of Trayvon Martin also opened a door, to everyday self-proclaimed "neighborhood enforcers" vigilantism. We must put a stop to those who lack Freud's "SuperEgo" from the halls of power and the streets of our country. We KNOW them. The power of our VOTE has never been more necessary.
I'm not just worried about Trump. Let's say that he isn't nominated and another Republican is elected, with a majority in Congress. Would that be less dangerous? Maybe slightly, but take a look at what the House Republicans are doing. I hate to think about what those people would do if they had real control of the government.
Shockingly real! Very scary! Thanks for the article and its chilling affect. My first reaction, as I feel most Americans, is disbelief beyond being shocked. We can blame Trump and his MAGA followers, but I believe that what is happening is much more than Trump. He is just the cult leader, the propagandist, the front man, and he isn't the real protagonist. He isn't smart enough to lead what he is fomenting. My opinion is that Putin and his oligarchs in conjunction with too many American oligarchs who are thirsting for power - not freedom - wealth and greed which they already have beyond reason in a system that has allowed them to turn sometimes many well-meaning common folk against the majority of Americans for over 20 years - possibly longer. The real question is not Trump and the MAGAs who are minorities controlling almost 50% of the state legislators and too many local governments, but how are we going to regain control? If Trump were to engineer through tireless efforts of the Kremlin, Iran and China a victory in November through fake social media and AI generated campaign efforts, what will occur? Civil war? A total breakdown in the rule of law? No body thought it would happen in Germany or Italy or wherever else a faith-based totalitarian has taken control throughout the history of the world. I do not believe America has woken up yet to this reality, although I believe that more are beginning to sense that the arrogance of Trump and his ignorance may be tipping things the wrong way (I think we should be thankful that we have a dipwad in Trump and not a very smart person like a Putin), but we cannot rely on polls which can be easily manipulated. Remember that figures don't lie, but those who figure do, and often. The fact that as a majority of most women (and many men) are realizing that their freedoms are being taken away and that the economy is really moving forward, in spite of Trump and the MAGAs trying to derail it, and the realization that guns are the leading cause of child death, just maybe we will recover, but there has been unimagined damage done to our way of life, to the rule of law and the decency of many people. But, I am an optimist. I cannot see this great diversified experiment based on freedom of choice never before seen in the world coming to an end without a fight, especially as the many of us who still consider ourselves patriots in many ways, never, ever allowing this to happen. I hope I am right because I am preaching to the choir.
I agree with you. Although I believe one of the more dangerous aspects is that he dos not totally control what he ignites. That reduces the predictability and broadens ‘the front.’
I understand they are the center. I meant as what they say & do percolates through the believers and opportunists the results - who, what, where - are unpredictable. There are also times the foot soldiers, especially the less delusional with their own agendas, don’t agree with the cult leaders. I would like to have lived my entire life without knowing this term. Too late now:
— stochastic terrorism
the public demonization of a person or group resulting in the incitement of a violent act, which is statistically probable but whose specifics cannot be predicted:
The lone-wolf attack was apparently influenced by the rhetoric of stochastic terrorism. —
Wow. The most powerful, profound and true essay of this year or last.
When I was a young man I always thought any threat to governance would come from the left. I was wrong, obviously.
Many Republican voters still think they support the “conservative” part. Today’s GOP is a threat to us as a nation and as a consequence, the entire world. Bad on governance, bad on fiscal policy, bad on foreign relations. My greatest hope is a Trump conviction and sentencing which fractures and wounds the R party so it can be replaced with something better.
All you say is true and horrifying. And you are so correct that this march to depravity began long before Putin and the NRA chose Trump to invite them to their Prom. Stupid, avaricious, hobbled by moral failure, he put his own head in their dog collar and took the walks they wanted him to.
No tolerance can be extended to the forces holding him up as their straw man if we want to survive as a democratic albeit flawed nation that respects the noble goals set down by not only the founding fathers and underlined with the blood of every man woman and child set foot here and sacrificed to keep us upright.
It has always seemed to me that most people, not just in the US, grow up and develop what Freud called the "Superego" which basically means "control yourself and develop principles to do so" You can see this mirrored in countless child development theories.
Where things go wrong for those not violently mentally ill is when someone with authority gives permission to ignore the control. I thought this from the get go as trump rode down the escalator spewing racial hatred. It has gotten worse, not just from trump and his enablers, but from forces in the states that use that permission as a tool to foster their own ends.
Certainly the Jim Crow era was rife with permission of this sort. I'm not sure 9/11 played on this--no one in the US argued this was OK and actual terrorists act from more organized conviction than those now perpetrating or encouraging violence. School shootings are a mixed area; no one advocates them but the idea that all that will happen is "thoughts and prayers" is an indirect form of permission that way too many shooters hear.
1/6 on the other hand was the poster child for this kind of permission. And it is getting worse and worse, particularly from trump himself, of course. Way too many actually approve of citizen violence as a way of attaining their own ends. Someone needs to sit down and go through the 30 Years War with them, horror by civilian horror. Or the Rwanda or Balkan genocides.
Max Weber wrote that a government is "legitimate" when the governing body reserves for itself the use of violence. Doesn't matter if it is a monarch, a charismatic leader, or a democracy reserving the right. By this reckoning, Hitler's rule was "legitimate"--legitimate doesn't mean right or moral, just accepted by most of the ruled. And trump is unleashing something actually more dangerous--he isn't organizing brown shirts or Gestapo (yet); he is telling people that THEY can do that work for him.
In a Jim Crow era or a trumpian era, the power of violence is GIVEN to the population through this permission. We are in danger of losing not just democracy but legitimacy --and legitimacy is the stock in trade of international accord.
Even if this happens, most of us will go on living our lives, or as Auden put it, "dogs go on with their doggy life." But those lives will be much diminished. Conservatives claim they value "order" and "predictability." That will be gone. Contract disputes turn to vendettas. Because trump is going to keep using the tool of permission as an adjunct, or even feature, of his authoritarian ambitions.
When I was growing up my mother always warned me if Hitler came back they would take me to the ovens. I was not raised in the Jewish faith but my parent’s families in Europe were Jewish and many of them were lost in the holocaust. Today, her voice in my head resonates as truth. I thought she was crazy to worry but now I understand. It only takes a moment for our wonderful way of life to be obliterated by the sickest of humanity, those who don’t follow rules in search of dominance. I can’t watch TV news in any form any more, it is too concerning. (And still normalizes MAGA without context)
As if I didn't have enough trouble sleeping at night....
I've thought about this, too, and worry that even if President Biden wins re-election, there will be another, likely more successful January 6. I do not understand this desire for chaos and violence, nor the people who wish and visit harm on their fellow citizens, many times including themselves.
All this while we are destroying our planet. Imagine what we could accomplish if all this energy spent on hate would be directed to addressing and solving our problems.
Humans have, unfortunately, become destructive parasites of Earth. The animals probably wish that we would go away, as long as we didn't take them with us. We are certainly not the superior beings that we like to think we are.
Perfectly stated!
Well said.
What you are describing, Mr. Beschloss, is a struggle for the soul of America.
Even if Trump is held accountable in a court of law and is denied the White House again, I don't know how we as a nation are going to move forward. Trump's cultists will still be among us. His supporters in Congress will still be there (unless we deny THEM another term this November), and Trumpism will continue to endure.
Maybe over time with the daily harangue of Trump in front of the TV cameras eliminated we as a nation can begin to regain our sanity. One can only wonder at this point.
Thank you Steven!
Bandy Lee has referred to this situation as Trump Contagion. Part of the ‘vaccine’ for it is: VOTE in November!
This encapsulates the existential dread I feel from the moment my alarm goes off in the morning. Being a college professor in a deep red state like South Carolina, I feel like an endangered species.
The hater in chief has left those of us with a moral compass and an empathetic constitution with mass PTSD.
I feel you. I sadly check my phone before I even get out of bed in the hope that finally he will face the consequences of his treasonous actions or his moribund lifestyle. Sadly I’m repeatedly disappointed.
Like Ann Sharon said.
I’m so sorry. That can be debilitating.
Having been a public employee I watched the ratcheting up of anti-public employees for a long time - greedy, useless and many other invectives. By the time I retired one of my sons had fallen for it. I was receiving mail & email from hate group wackos - one was 2 states away. (Not explicit enough to legally matter. Untraceable death threats or veiled threats on the phone same story.) It also gave cover and status to perps when the public turns their back.
The ‘silent’ public who prefers to ignore this needs to take action. Those who are afraid to do anything else need to speak through their ballots.
I am so sorry, Ann! Is that still happening to you?
Thanks. 💓
I should have said “until I retired”. I retired shortly before Covid arrived. (We still live in a building that requires a security code.) But I am long forgotten 😊 by those characters. It is not as unusual as people believe. Much more frequent in recent years for public employees to be stalked or otherwise harassed. Much easier now with the internet, email and social media. Of course states like ours decided to allow guns everywhere. You can imagine on any given day a lot of people get an answer they don’t like from a public employee.
20 yrs ago when I had a job at an employee organization a state social worker aide was killed on a home visit. It became one of my duties to train employees on how to be safer. (Here’s a big hint: Ditch the spindle things they give employees for their desks. The ones that look like nails!) I got a lot of calls especially under certain administrations because the fish rots from the head.
An inspector refused to change reports for a certain company. He was suspended for ‘insubordination.’ I connected him to the state AG for whistleblower protection. Then he received death threats because the Dept had & shared his contact info. My boss & I had a deputy show up at his personnel hearings. After 4 yrs it went a judge who ruled that when the statute says “shall” the supv does not have the authority to change the meaning of “shall” to be “permissive”. I knew other whistleblowers. One came home to find his vehicle in his carport had been set on fire with a Molotov cocktail in the front seat. Luckily the seal around the windshield melted. The windshield fell on the flames & smothered them. Otherwise, in a rural area, they’d probably lost the house too. So, like schools, sometimes “the calls are coming from inside the house.” Sometimes it is hard to tell who is behind it.
All I can say is SHIT!
😂 Well, I can’t disagree. Usually more relaxing these days to be retired.
I remember the beginning of the guns and god movement almost 40 yrs ago. A guy called and talked to the political director. I could hear them on ‘speaker phone’. The guy wanted to teach our CEO about the 2nd Amendment in person, up close & permanently because of a political endorsement. The dufus director gave him directions & the time he’d be in the office. I was peeved. He just laughed and said the guy wasn’t going to show up because he was 75 miles away. Luckily he was correct.
I say that to show this is not new. It is a continuing theme that has ramped up now with ‘permission’ and encouragement from the orange one. And of course all the newer ways to find and bond with folks of the same mind help build ‘courage.’
😔
As I read your article, my heart sank into a pit of horror, fright, and dismay. As a gay, married female, I couldn't help but share your concerns about the rise of far-right extremism and the potential threats it poses to our personal safety. The events you described, especially the gruesome act in Pennsylvania, left me feeling utterly heartsick.
The depth and nature of the polarization you highlighted is downright alarming. It's like extremists are crawling out of the woodwork with a newfound sense of power, and the talk of civil war is becoming worryingly frequent. It's disheartening to see opponents being transformed into enemies, with calls for violence and death becoming disturbingly normalized.
Your article also shed light on the role of influential figures in fanning the flames of violence and perpetuating this dangerous rhetoric. The impact of their actions and words cannot be underestimated, especially when it comes to individuals who are mentally unwell or easily swayed. Those in positions of power need to recognize the weight of their responsibility and use their influence to promote unity and understanding, rather than division and hatred. Has our country opened Pandora’s Box with no way of shutting it now? That is the question that haunts me.
The historical examples you mentioned, from the Ku Klux Klan to the Holocaust, serve as stark reminders of the devastating consequences that can arise when these dangerous impulses are unleashed. They underscore the importance of maintaining a civilized society, where individuals rein in their darkest instincts through conscience and empathy. Can those instincts be reined in? I simply do not know.
I share your concerns about the potential outcomes if Trump and his cult were to regain power and pursue a fascist future. The fear of a demoralized majority and an unrestrained minority acting on their destructive instincts is deeply troubling. It's a stark reminder that the consequences of political decisions extend far beyond the realm of politics and directly impact the safety and well-being of vulnerable communities like mine.
However, throughout the horror and fear, I still hold onto a glimmer of hope. I believe in the power of unity and the resilience of our democracy. I have faith that we, as a society, can come together to stand against hate, division, and violence. The upcoming elections in November present us with an opportunity to make our voices heard and bring about the change we so desperately need.
Thank you for articulating the dangers we face and for reminding us of the urgent need to address them. Your article has deeply resonated with me, and it serves as a call to action for all of us to work towards a society that values inclusivity, empathy, and respect for all. Together, I genuinely believe we can prevail and create a safer and more equitable world for everyone. I pray for our country every single day.
Steven, you have my heartfelt gratitude for always speaking the truth however difficult it is to hear.
Thank you, Gloria. Hold onto your hope. It’s necessary.
What we are doing here, is preaching to the choir. We need to get our collective heads out of the sand, and not only vote them out,but do it resoundingly, so there is no question, period! Get out there also, and call your representative, donate if you can to democrats, and turn this ship around!
If Trump becomes president, he will end our membership with NATO and join forces with Russia, China, North Korea, and maybe even Saudi Arabia. How scary is that?
The solution has to begin at every level of our society... to develop (think of film in a dark room solution, the image slowly emerges) and nurture innate compassion and the ability to control destructive behavior and passivity...
What Does a Mother Say?
When I pulled up to my daughter’s
school she was sitting on the curb crying.
As she leaped in the car she yelled,
“I hate school! I’m never coming back!”
“Sounds like a bad day,” I said. Quiet,
until almost home, her face turned away.
”His face was all bloody. They kept hitting
him. I told them to stop. He fell down
so they kicked him. I screamed, ‘Stop it.’
They kept telling Johnny, ‘Say your mother’s a pig.’
Mrs. Blackburn is so nice, mom. These boys
just kept hitting and stomping. I was crying,
screaming… they shoved me out of the circle
laughing, saying I was Johnny’s girlfriend.
Sobbing again, she said, “No one else tried
To help Johnny. They either hit or watched.
And, his sister Janine said I made it worse.
I should have minded my damn business.”
Be strong and forthright in this important moment. Let the other side be the fearful, sad, angry flailers. That is not us. We are able. We are not alone to fight this enemy of America. There are millions and millions of us. Let’s make the decision to stand together in strength knowing our sisters and brothers have locked wrists. Let’s let our comments reflect our boldness, our solidarity and our courage under fire. That is our strategy.
The killing of Trayvon Martin also opened a door, to everyday self-proclaimed "neighborhood enforcers" vigilantism. We must put a stop to those who lack Freud's "SuperEgo" from the halls of power and the streets of our country. We KNOW them. The power of our VOTE has never been more necessary.
I'm not just worried about Trump. Let's say that he isn't nominated and another Republican is elected, with a majority in Congress. Would that be less dangerous? Maybe slightly, but take a look at what the House Republicans are doing. I hate to think about what those people would do if they had real control of the government.
We know what they would do and that is where nightmares begin.
Shockingly real! Very scary! Thanks for the article and its chilling affect. My first reaction, as I feel most Americans, is disbelief beyond being shocked. We can blame Trump and his MAGA followers, but I believe that what is happening is much more than Trump. He is just the cult leader, the propagandist, the front man, and he isn't the real protagonist. He isn't smart enough to lead what he is fomenting. My opinion is that Putin and his oligarchs in conjunction with too many American oligarchs who are thirsting for power - not freedom - wealth and greed which they already have beyond reason in a system that has allowed them to turn sometimes many well-meaning common folk against the majority of Americans for over 20 years - possibly longer. The real question is not Trump and the MAGAs who are minorities controlling almost 50% of the state legislators and too many local governments, but how are we going to regain control? If Trump were to engineer through tireless efforts of the Kremlin, Iran and China a victory in November through fake social media and AI generated campaign efforts, what will occur? Civil war? A total breakdown in the rule of law? No body thought it would happen in Germany or Italy or wherever else a faith-based totalitarian has taken control throughout the history of the world. I do not believe America has woken up yet to this reality, although I believe that more are beginning to sense that the arrogance of Trump and his ignorance may be tipping things the wrong way (I think we should be thankful that we have a dipwad in Trump and not a very smart person like a Putin), but we cannot rely on polls which can be easily manipulated. Remember that figures don't lie, but those who figure do, and often. The fact that as a majority of most women (and many men) are realizing that their freedoms are being taken away and that the economy is really moving forward, in spite of Trump and the MAGAs trying to derail it, and the realization that guns are the leading cause of child death, just maybe we will recover, but there has been unimagined damage done to our way of life, to the rule of law and the decency of many people. But, I am an optimist. I cannot see this great diversified experiment based on freedom of choice never before seen in the world coming to an end without a fight, especially as the many of us who still consider ourselves patriots in many ways, never, ever allowing this to happen. I hope I am right because I am preaching to the choir.
I agree with you. Although I believe one of the more dangerous aspects is that he dos not totally control what he ignites. That reduces the predictability and broadens ‘the front.’
Look at Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon if you want to know where most of the vitriol comes from. Roger Stone, also.
I understand they are the center. I meant as what they say & do percolates through the believers and opportunists the results - who, what, where - are unpredictable. There are also times the foot soldiers, especially the less delusional with their own agendas, don’t agree with the cult leaders. I would like to have lived my entire life without knowing this term. Too late now:
— stochastic terrorism
the public demonization of a person or group resulting in the incitement of a violent act, which is statistically probable but whose specifics cannot be predicted:
The lone-wolf attack was apparently influenced by the rhetoric of stochastic terrorism. —
It’s a wildfire out of control at this point in time.
Wow. The most powerful, profound and true essay of this year or last.
When I was a young man I always thought any threat to governance would come from the left. I was wrong, obviously.
Many Republican voters still think they support the “conservative” part. Today’s GOP is a threat to us as a nation and as a consequence, the entire world. Bad on governance, bad on fiscal policy, bad on foreign relations. My greatest hope is a Trump conviction and sentencing which fractures and wounds the R party so it can be replaced with something better.
Thanks very much.
All you say is true and horrifying. And you are so correct that this march to depravity began long before Putin and the NRA chose Trump to invite them to their Prom. Stupid, avaricious, hobbled by moral failure, he put his own head in their dog collar and took the walks they wanted him to.
No tolerance can be extended to the forces holding him up as their straw man if we want to survive as a democratic albeit flawed nation that respects the noble goals set down by not only the founding fathers and underlined with the blood of every man woman and child set foot here and sacrificed to keep us upright.
It has always seemed to me that most people, not just in the US, grow up and develop what Freud called the "Superego" which basically means "control yourself and develop principles to do so" You can see this mirrored in countless child development theories.
Where things go wrong for those not violently mentally ill is when someone with authority gives permission to ignore the control. I thought this from the get go as trump rode down the escalator spewing racial hatred. It has gotten worse, not just from trump and his enablers, but from forces in the states that use that permission as a tool to foster their own ends.
Certainly the Jim Crow era was rife with permission of this sort. I'm not sure 9/11 played on this--no one in the US argued this was OK and actual terrorists act from more organized conviction than those now perpetrating or encouraging violence. School shootings are a mixed area; no one advocates them but the idea that all that will happen is "thoughts and prayers" is an indirect form of permission that way too many shooters hear.
1/6 on the other hand was the poster child for this kind of permission. And it is getting worse and worse, particularly from trump himself, of course. Way too many actually approve of citizen violence as a way of attaining their own ends. Someone needs to sit down and go through the 30 Years War with them, horror by civilian horror. Or the Rwanda or Balkan genocides.
Max Weber wrote that a government is "legitimate" when the governing body reserves for itself the use of violence. Doesn't matter if it is a monarch, a charismatic leader, or a democracy reserving the right. By this reckoning, Hitler's rule was "legitimate"--legitimate doesn't mean right or moral, just accepted by most of the ruled. And trump is unleashing something actually more dangerous--he isn't organizing brown shirts or Gestapo (yet); he is telling people that THEY can do that work for him.
In a Jim Crow era or a trumpian era, the power of violence is GIVEN to the population through this permission. We are in danger of losing not just democracy but legitimacy --and legitimacy is the stock in trade of international accord.
Even if this happens, most of us will go on living our lives, or as Auden put it, "dogs go on with their doggy life." But those lives will be much diminished. Conservatives claim they value "order" and "predictability." That will be gone. Contract disputes turn to vendettas. Because trump is going to keep using the tool of permission as an adjunct, or even feature, of his authoritarian ambitions.