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Murein OP t1_jbjupjx wrote

Reply to comment by Exotic_District_4657 in What countries/regions currently have *good* projected futures? by Murein

Sure, but what if the next government is authoritarian fascist and forces even the most liberal states and areas to comply with things such as abortion bans, don't say gay et cetera? I frankly don't think this can be dismissed.

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NoRich4088 t1_jbjxdjy wrote

First, America can't have a "fascist" government, and a party like the Republicans are typical in all but Western Europe. Second, any left wing revolt against a right wing government would hardly get off the ground, because the military will just side with whoever is president currently.

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Murein OP t1_jbjz89a wrote

Why can't America have a "fascist" government?

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NoRich4088 t1_jbk0kf6 wrote

Because we are a strong democracy, worse we could possibly get is a slightly authoritarian democracy, so basically just a slightly worse Trump.

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ThomasMaxwell2501 t1_jbk8kfo wrote

You seem overly confident in our democracy. America could very well gain an authoritarian government, but it would ultimately be incompetent and ineffective. The military simply does not have the manpower to secure and control the entire country (people underestimate just how big USA actually is in terms of landmass and population), so the successful enforcement of said authoritarian government would be nearly impossible; to revolt and disobey such a regime would probably be fairly simple.

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NoRich4088 t1_jbkex7u wrote

We've had some form of democracy for nearly 250 years, I don't see us losing it anytime soon.

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ThomasMaxwell2501 t1_jbkgeiq wrote

It seems you’re using a form of induction here, as in you’re making future predictions based on past experiences. But that’s the pesky thing with induction, you never really know what the future holds. We could have some form of a working democracy for a thousand years and there would still be a chance of it disintegrating.

By the way, I don’t think it’ll dissolve anytime soon as well, the process has survived worse. But nevertheless, it is currently being tested, and there is a legitimate chance that it will fail the test this time.

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NoRich4088 t1_jbkgr2e wrote

I see your point. I just don't see any threat.

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ThomasMaxwell2501 t1_jbki1un wrote

The threat I see is the constant questioning of the process itself.

In the last few Presidential elections there has constantly been a narrative of some kind that the elected President was somehow “illegitimate”. People questioned W. Bush’s presidency because of the Supreme Court interference in Florida. People questioned Obama’s presidency because he was “born in Kenya” and therefore “not a U.S. citizen.” People questioned Trump’s presidency because of “Russian interference.” And now people question Biden’s presidency because the “election was rigged and stolen.” This constant questioning could only lead to an eventual loss of trust in the process from the general public. Democracy would inevitably dissolve after enough time passes, but not because of an authoritarian force taking it away, but because the people have become simply indifferent towards a process they don’t trust and value.

Hope I’m wrong somehow.

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