[LeoPanthera]

America is really now two Americas. The divide between traditional freedoms and neo-authoritarianism is getting wider. But America is so large that even the minority (just) that believes in freedom is still 167 million people. Even if only a small percentage of that number, from either side of the divide, believes in violent activism, things are going to get worse before they get better.

[jvm___]

They talk about a K shaped recovery in economics.

It just depends on if you're on the up portion of the K or the down stick. The larger picture might show an increase but if you split the data apart one leg is actually declining while the other is growing.

[etrautmann]

while an important consideration, I'm sure there are many on the up side of the k-economy that don't believe that persistent surveillance is warranted or ethical.

[josefritzishere]

This is the most important comment here. There is a future reckoning to be had between the radical authoritarian fringe and normal Americans who do not want to live in an open air prison. The conflict is completley preventable, and makes a less safe place to live for us all.

[pessimizer]

There isn't a radical authoritarian fringe in the US. There are multiple, competing radical authoritarian perspectives in the US, and I wouldn't be surprised if the sum of them constituted a majority.

They disagree on the authority, not the methods, and help the two institutional parties cooperate to destroy civil liberties by accusing their counterparts of abusing ("weaponizing") civil rights to commit crimes, spy for foreign governments, and/or abuse children.

[LeoPanthera]

America is converting into a radical authoritarian state, yes, but they're not a "fringe". They are, by a small margin, the dominant faction in the US. Popular vote counts prove it.

[slowmovintarget]

The back and forth between "the Left" and "the Right" seems to actually be about who gets to run the prison instead of whether we should run a nation like one.

[boc]

As your net worth increases, the concern about what you have to lose from a personal safety perspective skyrockets. You start becoming far more paranoid and seeing crime everywhere. Tech CEOs and billionaires will build the dystopian panopticon society 100 times out of 100 because they don't care about other people, they just want to feel safe. If that means mass surveillance for the rest of the world, so be it.

If you don't believe me, just look at the CCP. It already happened there.

[burnt-resistor]

Hidden aristocracy.

[sigwinch]

Trump won the election with less than 50% of the popular vote. He has never enjoyed an approval rating equal to or higher than 50%.

[LeoPanthera]

Verify your claims before spreading them. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/elections/2024

[kobieps]

Yeah, it doesn't seem productive to paint this as a partisan issue

[LeoPanthera]

Your assumptions are probably reflective of my downvotes, but I choose my words carefully.

[novemp]

No one said the Democrats are pro-freedom. Both parties are authoritarian. One is just less effective.