- Joined
- Jan 25, 2012
- Messages
- 31,926
- Reaction score
- 29,390
- Location
- Vancouver, Canada Dual citizen
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Independent
Mine has been sorely tested.
If the backlash isn't greater than the usual mid-term for a first-term president, I may not have much of any hope left. If DP is any measure, we are now in a time - at least in America - when to a large subset of the population, denial of objective reality is a perfectly acceptable means of addressing anything one does not wish to hear. I'm not sure what to call it, but "anti-information" is worse than ignorance an apathy. A democracy simply cannot function like this in the long run.
I guess I'll just have to wait and see....
Say, Canada is still taking American ex-pats, yes?
Yes, we even have offices set up to handle information requests from the US which includes Muslims immigrants etc. who believe they are seeing the writing on the wall. Bring mittens and money.
RE Bold: Back when it was first invented they called what's happening in the US right now "propaganda". If you read 1984 you will see the current United States represented almost perfectly. Only "Big Brother" is replaced by Trump - with the same appeal, that the country is in peril and only he can fix it.
The same theme originated in the European languages through "The Prince" by Machiavelli who's protagonist theorized that by keeping the people in, perpetual fear allows him to do anything he wants, from stealing people's wives, to murder and on.
"MAGA" is the epitome of the ism, as it assumes the country is on its way to hell, and that only a tough-talking gunslinger can get the job done. What is also mirrored is the propensity to keep the people distracted by outrageous statements and actions, what was referred to as "keeping the pot stirring". In "The Prince" the distractions are a series of petty wars, or spats between the elite of Italy
Finally, I wouldn't consider DP any kind of bell weather, the internet tends to attract the extremes, and DP is tame considering what's happening at other sites. And, from what I see many of the right wingers who were reasoned thinkers have disappeared from most sites, being replaced by more what appear to be sock puppets regurgitating the White House line.