It’s generally understood that a country is not vulnerable to a dictatorial take-over if\u00a0 its domestic, economic and political climate(s) are in good shape. So I’ve done a bit of research to make a comparison between the United States a few days before our election and the Weimar Republic shortly before Hitler came to full power.<\/p>\n
I’ve broken down specific aspects of each country’s landscape into the categories aspiring tyrants use in their demagoguery; by pounding relentlessly on problems in these areas, a demagogue tells the citizenry that things are “garbage,” but if he’s elected, he’ll clean it all up.<\/p>\n
So are we garbage? And was Germany in 1930?<\/p>\n
Economy <\/strong><\/p>\n –United States<\/strong> 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n –Weimar Republic 1930<\/strong><\/p>\n Crime<\/strong><\/p>\n –United States 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n January through June 2023 and 2024 indicates reported violent crime decreased by 10.3%. Murder decreased by 22.7%, rape decreased by 17.7%, robbery decreased by 13.6%, and aggravated assault decreased by 8.1%. (And U.S.-born citizens are over 2 times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes compared to undocumented immigrants.) –Weimar Republic 1930 Immigration<\/strong><\/p>\n –United States 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n –Weimar Republic 1930<\/strong><\/p>\n No evidence of serious immigration to<\/em> Germany because of disasterous economy, around 33% unemployment and political instability. Any measurable migration was out<\/em> of Germany, not in.<\/p>\n The “Other,” i.e., the “Enemy Within”<\/strong><\/p>\n United States 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n “Others” have to be recognizably distinct in appearance to hostile, racist whites with Nazi-like intentions. These Americans (and their numbers) are:<\/p>\n That’s 146 million people in a total population of 336 million, i.e., 43.4% of our population. These “others” are well represented on our voting rolls and in our government, police forces and the military. That is, they are not “others”; they are us.<\/p>\n Weimar Republic 1930<\/strong><\/p>\n At maximum, that’s a total of 725,000 fairly identifiable “others” out of a total population of over 64 million. That is around 1.2% of the population.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As I re-read this just now, I see clearly that Trump, et MAGA al., are running for election not<\/em> in the United States today but in 1930’s Germany.<\/p>\n It’s as if the entire MAGA crowd has lapsed into a 94-year time warp, chosen to live in mass amnesia rather than live in substantially good and promising contemporary reality.<\/p>\n It’s weirder and weirder and weirder and weirder…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It’s generally understood that a country is not vulnerable to a dictatorial take-over if\u00a0 its domestic, economic and political climate(s) are in good shape. So I’ve done a bit of research to make a comparison between the United States a … Continue reading \n
\n
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n