Fascism - Why...

[metis]

I don't think we gravitate toward them. We don't even like them. But we won't trouble ourselves with stopping them, and that's a very big problem for us. Because they have to be stopped sooner or later, or they'll destroy everything and everyone within their influence. They will not stop themselves. And they will not be satisfied with half measures. History has shown us this over and over and over again.

We need to learn to identify these "pathological alphas" among (and within) us and reign them in immediately. We have to stop letting them gain the positions of power that they tirelessly seek because they will surely abuse it. They ALWAYS do. It's why they want the power in the first place.

We have to learn to stop being complacent until circumstances become disastrous. We need to learn to be proactive.

Rule #1: The more someone wants to be our "leader", the more important it is that we never allow them to attain that position.

See my last post above.

 

[metis]

Rule #1: The more someone wants to be our "leader", the more important it is that we never allow them to attain that position.

Reminds me of how the Catholic Church selects a new pope, as an adage goes like this: A cardinal who goes into the conclave thinking he'll end up as pope comes out of the conclave a cardinal.

 

[metis]

@PureX, let me highly recommend the book "Strongmen" by Ruth Ben Ghiat who's a professor at NYU who specializes in fascist leaders from Mussolini to the present.

 

[Secret Chief]

As a generality, yes. One thing a candidate tries to avoid is to look "weak", which one reason why intellectuals generally don't do well as they usually try to carefully qualify their words. But take someone like Trump, who plays Mr. Toughy quite effectively, and he comes off as basically being an alpha male.

Yes, he clearly gets perceived like that by a proportion of his supporters (Likewise Orban and Putin). Strange then that to his detractors he's not seen as a toughie but as a fat, stupid orange baby (ie failing to respect the tough guy).

 

[metis]

Yes, he clearly gets perceived like that by a proportion of his supporters (Likewise Orban and Putin). Strange then that to his detractors he's not seen as a toughie but as a fat, stupid orange baby (ie failing to respect the tough guy).

Hard to argue with that.

 

[exchemist]

Yeah; as said before, fuel prices have more of an effect on the poor than just about anything else. When you lower fuel prices, that helps the poor more than any government program and doesn’t cost a trillion dollars

Part of the problem is what Biden said when he was running for President, he openly stated that Big Oil will have no place in the Biden administration (promoting his green energy ideas) Then shortly after getting elected, fuel prices went through the roof. Now even though he did stop some of the increased drilling allowed by the trump administration, the significant increase (IMO) wasn’t his fault. But because of what he said, the perception among many was that he caused this to happen

As I stated on post #165, the unemployment rate is basically the same today as it was prior to the pandemic (3.67 vs 3.61) but the media seemed to be focused more on the economy under Trump than today; probably because it was the first time in a long time unemployment was that low. Now I guess everybody is used to it being that low.

"Big Oil" has nothing to do with the price of crude oil: it is set by global supply and demand, which the US is virtually powerless to affect. But I don't expect that has got through to the US public either.

It may well be as you say, that Biden was foolish enough to pretend he could alter it and has been hoist with his own petard.

 

[metis]

"Big Oil" has nothing to do with the price of crude oil: it is set by global supply and demand, which the US is virtually powerless to affect. But I don't expect that has got through to the US public either.

Yep, and that's a problem in that all so many Americans are too damn lazy to look things up, thus they tend to blindly accept what they're being told by some people they may like. You see that even being played out by some here at RF.

 

[Kfox]

Wrong. It was not a no. Your question was dishonest in form.

What was it about my question that you found to be dishonest in form?

 

[Estro Felino]

@PureX, let me highly recommend the book "Strongmen" by Ruth Ben Ghiat who's a professor at NYU who specializes in fascist leaders from Mussolini to the present.

Interesting.
I am starting to realize that fascism is a term used by Americans to designate white heterosexual leaders who are proud of saying they are into women.

Putin, Berlusconi, Trump, Orban, etc etc...they are all fascist leaders...of the 21st century, right?

 

[Subduction Zone]

What was it about my question that you found to be dishonest in form?

You used an obviously false dichotomy:

"During the Pandemic, unemployment rate reached 15%. Do you really think it would still be at 15% had Biden not introduced these programs?"

If you cannot see it that is a very bad sign.

 

[metis]

I am starting to realize that fascism is a term used by Americans to designate white heterosexual leaders who are proud of saying they are into women.

It's a political position, thus not just a personal characteristic that some have.

 

[Estro Felino]

It's a political position, thus not just a personal characteristic that some have.

I think sex has to do with that.

 

[metis]

I think sex has to do with that.

In an indirect way with lotsa exceptions, I tend to agree. The alpha male attraction is strong but not decisive.

 

[Secret Chief]

Interesting.
I am starting to realize that fascism is a term used by Americans to designate white heterosexual leaders who are proud of saying they are into women.

Putin, Berlusconi, Trump, Orban, etc etc...they are all fascist leaders...of the 21st century, right?

Fascism has nothing to do with white heterosexual leaders saying they are into women. Look up fascism in a decent dictionary, it's not difficult. If that's too taxing for you here is what fascism means (whether or not one is an American):

"A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, a capitalist economy subject to stringent governmental controls, violent suppression of the opposition, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism."

 

[Friend of Mara]

Interesting.
I am starting to realize that fascism is a term used by Americans to designate white heterosexual leaders who are proud of saying they are into women.

Putin, Berlusconi, Trump, Orban, etc etc...they are all fascist leaders...of the 21st century, right?

Why isn't Bill Clinton considered one then?

 

[Estro Felino]

Fascism has nothing to do with white heterosexual leaders saying they are into women. Look up fascism in a decent dictionary, it's not difficult. If that's too taxing for you here is what fascism means (whether or not one is an American):

"A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, a capitalist economy subject to stringent governmental controls, violent suppression of the opposition, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism."

Interesting.
But I don't understand what Trump or DeSantis have to do with that definition. They are neither nationalists nor racists.

You should come to Hungary, Slovakia, to understand what real racism is.

 

[Estro Felino]

Why isn't Bill Clinton considered one then?

Because Clinton said "I din't have sex with that woman".
So he is not proud.

Berlusconi was asked the same question and replied: "better to be fond of beautiful girls than to be gay".

 

[Friend of Mara]

Because Clinton said "I din't have sex with that woman".
So he is not proud.

Berlusconi was asked the same question and replied: "better to be fond of beautiful girls than to be gay".

Damn you got me there.

 

[Secret Chief]

Interesting.
But I don't understand what Trump or DeSantis have to do with that definition. They are neither nationalists nor racists.

You should come to Hungary, Slovakia, to understand what real racism is.

There's racism in all societies.

As to Trump....pulease...

“The reason a lot of Klan members like Donald Trump is because a lot of what he believes, we believe in.”
- Here Are 13 Examples Of Donald Trump Being Racist

If one does not think or declare Trump to be a racist then that says something about that person.

 

[SkepticThinker]

Of all the Trump supporters I know of, none of them want a dictator running the country.

Sure they do. They want Trump. Despite the fact that he lost the election.