NoRich4088 t1_jbk0kf6 wrote on March 9, 2023 at 4:31 PM

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

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

ThomasMaxwell2501 t1_jbk8kfo wrote on March 9, 2023 at 5:21 PM

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.

NoRich4088 t1_jbkex7u wrote on March 9, 2023 at 6:00 PM

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

ThomasMaxwell2501 t1_jbkgeiq wrote on March 9, 2023 at 6:09 PM

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.

NoRich4088 t1_jbkgr2e wrote on March 9, 2023 at 6:12 PM

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

ThomasMaxwell2501 t1_jbki1un wrote on March 9, 2023 at 6:20 PM

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.