How to Make Things Worse
Out of the frying pan and into the fire: the rise of anti-democratic right-wing authoritarianism.
Two of the most precious elements we have are time and money. We also carry the knowledge that both are finite (unless you are Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, or another billionaire -in which time, for now, is finite).
Some of us are fortunate enough to have more freedom of choice in how we direct our time and/or our money. Some of us are stretched well-beyond a breaking point by a society or culture that has been set against us because of what we look like, where we were born, what we believe, what we inherited due to generational wealth accumulation, and/or who we love.
As we journey through life we are confronted by challenges -individual, family, community, societal, or global. For me there has always been an additional pressure of being a “good provider” for my family. For better or worse, my dad was born at the end of the 19th century, so the classical context of “hunter-gatherer” (well for me, more gatherer since I’m a vegetarian) perspective has always been part of my being.
And I’ll present a potentially controversial hypothesis herein.
Most every sane, rational person wants similar things such as:
Clear air to breathe, unfouled and lead-free water to drink, healthful food to eat, and a livable planet (and if you are a surfer, 6-8 foot waves and vegetarian sharks).
The ability to provide for self and family -decent housing, transportation, needs and (some) wants.
Affordable, high-quality healthcare.
Safety and security from domestic or international threats.
Better opportunities, lives, and a livable planet for our children, grandchildren, and generations yet to come.
When things are generally progressing, when there are decent opportunities for all coupled with incremental improvement, while some may be frustrated with the lack of rapid progress, people are more content with life and government (even if both are imperfect).
During times when economic growth is challenged by war and conflict, inflationary price pressures persist due to conflict and greed, when people are working harder and netting less financial benefit there is far more societal-level fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. For many, what might have been a brightening and hopeful future begins to darken. And when there are net economic losses, there is a corresponding loss of hope which often leads to despair, crime, chemical dependencies, and other maladies. When prolonged over the course of generations the uncertainty and loss of hope can lead to societal violence and upheaval.
During such times people become readily seduced by authoritarian-style leadership. Societies where many individuals and families are suffering and have lost hope have often also lost patience with democratic institutions and processes. They want relief now, and are willing to trade democracy for rapid change. People want rapid changes that are promised by authoritarian government -even when led by corrupt incompetents, convicted felons, or murderous dictators. Authoritarians making promises such as Putin, Orban, Trump and his MAGA extremists, Meloni, LePen, Bolsonaro, or in history’s dark past: Hitler.
They will tell you the reason you are working harder for less, the reason you are facing uncertainty, anxiety, and threats to your ability to provide for your family is “The Other”. This is the anti-immigration, anti-democracy story you will hear from the right-wing. And this blame intended to inflame bigotry, hate, and fear is the foundation for the insidious rise of fascism.
Authoritarians will speak about a society that has decayed into a weak shadow of its former self -victimized due to a corrupt political system, by refugees and immigrants, by globalization and trade, by “replacement theory”, by Hollywood elites, by intellectuals, teachers, and scientists, by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), by teaching actual history, by ESG, by being “Woke”, by women seeking to control their own bodies, by journalists actually reporting the news, and/or by any form of “ism” they can conjure to grow and excite their base.
They will talk about rapid relief from societal carnage and collapse -achieved through the bypassing of democratic processes and institutions. And should this be covered by news reports, journalists are branded “Enemies of the People or Lügenpresse.”
What the right-wing will do, after weakening or destroying democratic institutions and silencing journalists is to consolidate power and wealth. They recognize that a well-educated, informed, engaged, and more equal society is difficult to manipulate, exploit, and control and will implement policies to strengthen their hold on a nation. There will be rapid change, simply not the changes that will benefit someone just trying to improve their quality of life, or that of their family or community.
The right-wing generally acts to:
Slash taxes for the wealthy -turn potential antagonists into donors and advocates.
Deregulate business and encourage privatization -removing societal protections against pollution and climate change -allowing companies to externalize their costs to society -as the right-wing government partners with industry to consolidate power.
Polarize society by dividing and conquering on issues such as gun violence prevention, religion, civil and human rights, and more.
Introduce strict immigration policies with exceptions for cheap labor.
Eviscerate climate action in order to strengthen advocacy from corporations.
Eliminate and/or privatize national health coverage and retirement protections.
Eliminate societal protections for communities of impoverished and vulnerable.
Completely shift education to an indoctrination into blind hyper-consuming “patriotic” obedience, eliminating any shreds of academic freedom.
Increased isolationism, nationalism, and economic protectionism leading to militarism -in maintaining power by force.
Appoint/nominate hyper-partisan and/or corrupt judges into a so-called “justice system”.
And if you don’t believe these things are in store for a right-wing controlled dystopian society, I invite you to read Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.
It is vital that we counter the propaganda and disinformation that threatens democracies in the United States, the European Union, and everywhere around the world where people yearn to be free, and aspire to live in a peaceful, secure, collaborative, and democratic world.
TRUST BUT VERIFY
“Russia’s Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan . . . have arrived in Cuba for a “five-day visit” seen as a show of force by Moscow amid rising tension over its invasion of Ukraine. Cuba saluted the vessels’ arrival with a 21-gun salute. The unusual deployment of the Russian navy so close to the United States comes after Washington and some of Ukraine’s other Western allies allowed Kyiv to use their weapons on targets inside Russia amid a renewed Russian assault on northeastern Kharkiv.” (Aljazeera, 13 June 2024)
Putin wants Americans to feel “fear” as these mighty military ships pull into Havana which lies just 90 miles from Key West. Western involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine appears as a provocation addressed to Putin - who doesn’t grasp that Ukraine is no longer an arm of Russia but instead it is a sovereign, independent nation.
On August 24, 1991 Ukraine declared it’s independence from the Soviet Union - almost 33 years ago. (Wikipedia.org) For nearly 75 years, most of this time under the leadership of Stalin, Ukraine was one of 15 Soviet republics. Amy Nolen Osborn, worked at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine as a Program Officer for the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service. She addressed a letter to me that said: “As you are aware, Ukraine has had to depend on Russia for all relative and technical information needs over the past 75 years. It is our hope that your bi-cultural expertise will assist both Russia and Ukraine with the capacity to move Ukraine toward independence.” To comply with her request, Russia needed to acknowledge Ukraine’s independence.
Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine, defined by Wikipedia as a “military conflict waged, usually for territorial gain” is an admission that Russia never accepted the 1991 Ukrainian declaration of independence. In a 1991 meeting between myself and Sergei Glasev in Moscow, the Russian Deputy Minister for Foreign Economic Relations of the Russian Federation - he also admitted that Russia had not recognized Ukraine as an independent nation. This is still true today.
About ten to fifteen years before Hitler was gaining preeminence in Germany, by brainwashing the German public with hatred toward Jews, and exterminating about two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population - the first large-scale genocide called the Holodomor was methodically planned and precisely executed in Ukraine by Joseph Stalin. This was primarily to eliminate a Ukrainian independence movement. From about 1932 to 1933, Stalin was responsible for the horrific man-made extermination of approximately twenty million Ukrainians through famine and starvation. He stole all the Ukrainian grain and delivered it to Russia. And just like 90 years ago, Ukraine was again convinced in the 1990s to give up all their nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees from Russia - a hoax. A Russian proverb says “doveryai, no proveryai” - trust but verify. More simply, believe what someone does and not what they say.
Russia is telling the world that the presence in Cuba of these powerful, and armed military ships and a nuclear-powered submarine are for training purposes. DO YOU BELIEVE HIM?
TODAY, Putin is often compared to Stalin and he is appreciative of the similarities. In his demented mind, Stalin was a great Russian leader whom he wishes to emulate. This means that we have a 21st century barbarous, brutal, cold-blooded dictator with the same savage and relentless behavior as Stalin or Hitler - who just parked a Russian nuclear submarine within striking distance of the United States.
As a surfer and Scuba diver I'm all for vegetarian sharks, but you have forgotten education in your list. I believe everyone should have access to an unfettered education in addition to the other things you have listed. Otherwise I agree with you 100%.