No Stupid Questions

I assume you are American and are referring to the American government.

What I will say will be unpopular. I understand if you think I'm naive. I understand if you get frustrated. I suspect the frustration comes from having clear images of how fascism has been born out of suffrage and supposedly democratic institutions. I suspect the frustration comes from assuming that my suggestion is to 'vote your way out of this situation'. I probably seem like a naive liberal, hugging trees and holding hands with Trump-supporters while watching the sunset. I can't change your beliefs, but I can at least ask whether you're really sure I'm that.

Here's what I believe: the future is democratic.

How can I possibly say that when Trump is in power, destroying democratic institutions, covering with his hand the mouths of Americans?

It is evident that Trump is an authoritarian populist.

And populist because he systematically disregards and discredits people who know what they're talking about (experts), and instead do things out of fear that their fragile ego will be hurt. It's ironic: populists claim to represent their citizens but they don't listen to the citizens who actually know what they're talking about. If the truth is inconvenient for the populists' ego, it's a good idea to cover the sun with their thumb. Nobody will notice how ridiculous it looks, right?

It is evident that America is currently experiencing a democratic backlash.

The story of this democratic backlash started a while ago. Over the past decades and even centuries, Americans have slowly come to not only value freedom but also be able to transform their political institutions to be more democratic. Women owning property. Black people gaining the right to drink from the same water-fountain as white people, the right to vote, the right to own property… An educational system that's incredibly flawed and ridiculously overpriced for what it actually delivers, but one that's envied by many nations on Earth that do not score nearly as high in tests of basic science, math, and reading comprehension. Americans were able to not only look at the goal, but also take steps towards it. These changes aimed to make every American more capable and therefore more free.

However, democratic institutions mean elites lose their capacity to extract privileges from their underlings. To elites, there is such a thing as too much freedom for people, too much freedom to choose who to be and what to do with their lives. Elites noticed people were questioning why elites extracted so many privileges and didn't contribute to people or invest in people. People were questioning why they have to slave away their lives paying college debt, medical debt, and mortgages while the ultra-rich are buying their third yacht or jet. The people who most extracted wealth from American people did not want to pay back or invest in its people.

American elites saw this as a great opportunity to finance swindlers. The current swindler, The Orange Swamp Man, sold Americans a beautiful knife. The knife itself wasn't the problem; it was quite capable in destroying capabilities and freedoms. The problem was that the instructions were hard to follow. Americans have found it difficult to hold the smile on their face while stabbing themselves and twisting. The Orange Swamp Man says Americans will have to suffer through tariffs, but that it's definitely not going to make them suffer more in the long term. The Orange Swamp Man correctly believes that destroying democratic institutions such as healthcare, education, and the basic guarantee of rights is necessary for American elites to extract as much money and power from American people.

It's important to note that not everyone bought the knife and stabbed themselves. Trump won by a slim margin and Trump is highly unpopular. Those of you who are still alive and well can do something about it. In fact, I'm willing to bet you will, because undemocratic governments do not survive massive organic protests.

How so? Imagine this scenario: Give a man a book and he may never pick it up. Teach a man to read and he'll silently look around, noticing a lack of development and freedom. Teach men, women, children—everyone to read and you'll have a bustling conversation: "Really? Is that fair?" "Why does the richest man on Earth not want to invest in the roads that his products use? Why does he not want to invest in the people that made him rich?" "My wife and I had bad accidents and we can't work. Is our society so selfish that it doesn't care about us?" This may seem cartoonish, but this is how people realize there's a mismatch between (1) the elite's way of extracting and hoarding privileges and (2) how everyday people see the situation.

Each critical thought, each enlightening conversation makes the pressure grow, like a balloon getting pregnant with air, ready to burst at any moment.

All of this language may seem allegorical, metaphorical, out of touch, and absurd. But it is based on decades of research on how democracies are formed and sustained. Check out this article and its cited literature if you're interested: https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/why-the-future-is-democratic/ Also, my story about how American elites relate to their people is essentialized, compressed, and probably missing details that authors like Acemoglu, Robinson, Welzel, Piketty, Shaikh, and Mazzucato can fill in.

As to what you can do, I'd recommend learning how to frame discussions. Not that I'm good at it, but people who know how to use can change how the world works. Social movements die or thrive depending on whether people can internalize what you're saying.

What do you think? Are you willing to keep on stepping forward in tried and true paths? https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12501 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337861541_Moral_reframing_A_technique_for_effective_and_persuasive_communication_across_political_divides (sorry for the paywal; you can usually email academics and they'll send you the text, or you can find alternative texts or sources).