U.S. historian Robert Kagan: "We are watching a country fall under dictatorship almost without resistance"
U.S. historian Robert Kagan: "We are watching a country fall under dictatorship almost without resistance"
I’ve mentioned this before to others whenever this comes up. most or a great majority of people in the US have it “good enough” to not “risk it all”.
Things over here “aren’t bad enough” for people to full-on revolt. I’d say we’re kinda close but modern, white, boring america just doesn’t want to get caught in the shit storm. They understand it might come for them at some point but that time isn’t now so why “stick their neck out”
most or a great majority of people in the US have it “good enough” to not “risk it all”.
Most of the people I know are barely hanging on and desperate to keep the little they have. When you’re barely getting by, like 60% of Americans currently living paycheck to paycheck, you can’t afford to risk anything.
They’re too busy making sure their kids don’t starve, or making sure they can stretch the last bit of money until the next check. Doesn’t help that all we do is exploit these people any chance we can.
And I’d bet a lot of people in that situation don’t really care to help repair a system that never really worked for them in the first place.
It’s not the right approach, you and I know that. But desperate people don’t act rationally. They act emotionally. And our society has gotten really good at manipulating peoples emotions.
“We’re too poor to afford to risk anything” is insulting to all the popular revolutions which happened because people were actually poor. Like, sorry not sorry, but the median American proletarian may live paycheck-to-paycheck but still lives in untold luxury compared to a 1917 Bolshevik who had to go to war sharing two boots and one rifle with multiple people, or the median revolutionary in Nepal last year (one of the poorest countries in the world).
Americans really have it too good to risk it all, that analysis is correct. They could have it a lot better, sure, but threat of not having it so good anymore is what keeps them complacent.
First they came for the ‘illegals’, but I did not do anything as I wasn’t an illegal.
Then they came for the trans, but I did not speak up for I wasn’t trans.
Then they came for etc etc etc.
Waiting for dictators to do the right thing is never ever a good idea.

We have a lot of people willing to fight for a better future.
We don’t have nearly enough people willing to die for a better future.
Most of us aren’t there yet.
By the time you are it’ll be too late.
Sure. Most of us recognize it too. You realize the entire country is built around keeping us tied to an employer right?
Without a job, I have no health insurance, I have no roof over my head, I have no food. Those of us helping with the community orgs can only do so because we can afford it.
Good luck inspiring people to go die while they have those basic needs being provided.
Absolutely. I’m very aware of my “white privilege”.
I vote. I’ve protested and will again.
Yet, I’m going away for long weekends and I have a very big vacation coming in 2 months. I’m sure many people find that selfish and offensive. However, I consider it my personal survival technique.
Best of luck to everyone.