The Shocking Paper Predicting the End of Democracy

[Clash City Rocker]

Is the paper really shocking? Or just something we really hope we can avoid? You tell me.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/08/shawn-rosenberg-democracy-228045

[TwilightZone]

1. People have been predicting that for 150 years.

Oh, and according to the paper, it isn't Trump's fault. It's *our* fault.

[Clash City Rocker]

2. Yeah, Trump is a symptom, not the disease.

But if we have any hope to overcome it, the first step is to vote Trump out of office, or impeach him.

[RKP5637]

3. K&R!!!!! n/t

[tman]

4. Depressing but there's some truth to it.

I don't think 'democracy' in it's current form will survive. That might not be a bad thing, if we somehow figure out a better system. Authoritarianism or too much centralized power will always fail.

In many ways, America was built on a house of cards, more so than other older nations.

[SharonAnn]

14. This is what has so discouraged me lately. Refusal to consider others,

Intolerance of others, refusal to get involved in community and governance, identification of all problems as being caused by “the other”. Not just lack of empathy, but anger towards the idea that we should have some empathy for others. And a flat refusal to “do the work” and actually participate.

[struggle4progress]

5. I think I'd rather listen to Tom Paine

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated ...

[yonder]

7. +1.

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. This ran in the NYT a few weeks ago. Brilliant insight and, I fear,

Spot on. The needed solutions are complex, but increasingly, people can't do the hard brain work and want simple ( and incorrect) answers.

[delisen]

8. Total democracies work; partials don't work

We and the world are on the way to total democracy; we are in the middle of the backlash against total democracy

Total democracy depends upon total equality and free public education, public well-being, and cooperation. It takes more time and energy especially in its early stages-but we are going to have the time.

Total democracy is incompatible with forms of patriarchal and slavery-based cultures of the past. Those cultures are typified by ladder models-hierarchies.

Total democracies are circle models. We are in the backlash because those afraid of losing the hierarchal model are trying to prevent the great leap forward to Total Democracy, but it is occurring all over the world.

Watch Hong Kong, watch the women of Rwanda and Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. watch the Zero Waste Movement in the US (it is not a hierarchal movement born in the Washington DC center of hierarchy power. It is bubbling up from so-called ordinary people who are picking up the power lying in the street and changing the way humans relate to our planet.These are the men and women and children who are dumping the hierarchal ladder model-they are not going to lick the boots of anyone supposedly above them or step upon those supposedly beneath them on some artificial ladder of power or success.

Watch Merkel, watch Warren, watch H Clinton. There is a reason Clinton hah focused on human rights and earned the wrath of Putin and the oligarchs as well as the elitists of the American right wing-the McConnells, the swaggering males who want that limited democracy and if they can't have it prefer dictatorship.

Understand the he depth of meaning in the term Women's Rights are Human Rights.

Understand why Betsy DeVos wants charter schools and not public schools. Hierarchies bully people out of the public square and the public spaces to which we all must be welcomed into equally.

[oswaldactedalone]

9. I don't know if you're right

but that some good writing and very thoughtful.

[delisen]

10. Thank you.

[harumph]

12. I think you're correct - and to add to your astute comments...

some people aren't neurologically equipped to engage in collective efforts. Recently, there have
been studies showing differences in conservative vs liberal cognitive function mapped back to structural differences.
Brain types want to create an environment for more of their kind (of whatever type). Environmental factors may be able to
shift early brain development so that you have more of either right leaning authoritarian brains or left leaning
democratic brains. I fear the more authoritarian our culture becomes - the more right leaning
behavior is rewarded and reinforced. To put it simply - if life is to be nasty brutish and short, people will adapt
neurologically to survive in such a world. When in Rome... I don't want to live like that.

[smirkymonkey]

13. +1000

[ecstatic]

11. In school, I was never taught that democracy was something

that was fragile and needed to be protected. Prior to around 2017, it honestly never occurred to me that the US could pivot into an authoritarian dictatorship. I think many of us were led to believe that the USA would always be the USA, and that we had the Constitution and many guardrails to keep us safe.

I'm not sure we can avoid the end of democracy. There's just way too much ignorance in our society. As Jefferson said, "a well-informed electorate is a prerequisite to democracy."

[myohmy2]

15. authoritarianism choice...

" But this isn’t a moment for optimism, is it? What is happening around the world shows that the far-right is on the march. And when it comes to the U.S., the problem might be larger than one man. Liberals have been praying for the end of the Trump presidency, but if Rosenberg is right, democracy will remain under threat no matter who is in power. "

...if authoritarianism is inevitable, what would you prefer?

...authoritarianism from the Right or authoritarianism from the Left?

...we do have a choice...

[FakeNoose]

16. Prof. Rosenberg's entire presentation can be downloaded or read online

Here:
https://www.academia.edu/38564962/Democracy_Devouring_Itself_The_Rise_of_the_Incompetent_Citizen_and_the_Appeal_of_Populism.docx