Thoughts on politics, economics, life and creative works from the author including poetry
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Flying across the stars
Friday, September 11, 2020
The Dictators Playbook
DRAFT
Dictators around the world follow the same playbook because of both the nature of dictators & their followers.
Dictators are almost always power hungry con artists. Their followers are either Social Dominators or RW Authoritarians.
For more on this see:
Authoritarian Nightmare, John W Dean & Robert Altemeyer
The playbook is always the same.
Phase One: Authoritarian Assault
Modern Fascism is best given a new name that describes its attributes. It should be called the "Mafia State", because ideology is secondary to the purpose of the authoritarian dominators who seek to create these autocracies. Power and wealth are first. A fellow named Bálint Magyar described this kind of movement and resulting government in his writings. He was observing what was happening in his own country, the former Soviet Union, and around the world. He also described how the transformation of countries occurred. The first phase is “Authoritarian Assault.” Masha Gessen refers to him in her most recent book.
STEP ONE
They generally recruit leaders from people who are both power hungry "Power-mad" and ruthless. Typical power mad people exhibit pathological, narcissistic traits.
The people who create dictatorships are
Exploitive
Manipulative
Amoral
Dishonest.
Without followers such people go nowhere. But birds of a feather flock together and power mad people consciously form hierarchies that recruit or suborn each other. So the wannabe dictator recruits rivals with blackmail and appeals to ambition and greed.
Authoritarian followers.
The bulk of a dictators followers however are people who are fearful.
Rightwing Authoritarians
STEP TWO
Step Three
STEP FOUR
STEP FIVE:
STEP SIX:
STEP SEVEN
STEP EIGHT
STEP NINE:
STEP TEN:
Monday, September 7, 2020
Falling into Traps
Monday, August 31, 2020
Entertaining hypothesis vs Belief
Monday, August 24, 2020
Tended vs Untended
Sunday, August 23, 2020
cruelty is not strong
Marco Rubio you are wrong.
- For the authoritarian:
- “Cruelty is strength”
- “Truth is what the cruel fabricate.”
- But calling a lie truth doesn't make the lie true.
- Cruelty fails, leaving behind only rue.
- Cruelty begets cruelty,
- An eye for an eye, and all are blind.
- They may claim it for legal,
- ...but all it is is crime.
- And in the end all the cruel have left is hate.
- Castro, Pinochet, Duvalier,
- Hate looks strong,
- Strongly wrong is an offkey song.
- Dictators puff themselves up with their own fear.
- They frighten allies more than enemies.
- Look at the expression on the brutes they send.
- Their only joy is violence,
- they quail in fear.
- They stand jaw set squarely,
- to hide a cowardly racing heart.
- But like all puffed up things
- A single truth pricks.
- A single tear wilts their con
- And the weak pretending to be strong,
- Deflate