What’s it going to be like living in a dictatorship?

[Anonymous]

I’m at the point now that I’m trying to envision our lives in the coming years. What will it be like? What will our daily existence feel like under a dictatorship? Or authoritarian government or wherever we’re headed? What will it be like for our kids who are in middle school right now? What will their futures look like? FWIW we are white. My younger brother (34) is gay. My mom relies on a pension. We have various friends who are Jewish, black, deaf, autistic, LGBTQ. I’m really sad and scared about where we’re clearly headed. Will we be able to find happiness and livelihood? Travel? Express ourselves?

[Anonymous]

I imagine if we lose the midterms it's time to start thinking about moving. Where? I do not know. But, yes, this why people fled Europe for here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m at the point now that I’m trying to envision our lives in the coming years. What will it be like? What will our daily existence feel like under a dictatorship? Or authoritarian government or wherever we’re headed? What will it be like for our kids who are in middle school right now? What will their futures look like? FWIW we are white. My younger brother (34) is gay. My mom relies on a pension. We have various friends who are Jewish, black, deaf, autistic, LGBTQ. I’m really sad and scared about where we’re clearly headed. Will we be able to find happiness and livelihood? Travel? Express ourselves?

The bolded was obvious from the rest of your self-indulgent post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m at the point now that I’m trying to envision our lives in the coming years. What will it be like? What will our daily existence feel like under a dictatorship? Or authoritarian government or wherever we’re headed? What will it be like for our kids who are in middle school right now? What will their futures look like? FWIW we are white. My younger brother (34) is gay. My mom relies on a pension. We have various friends who are Jewish, black, deaf, autistic, LGBTQ. I’m really sad and scared about where we’re clearly headed. Will we be able to find happiness and livelihood? Travel? Express ourselves?

The bolded was obvious from the rest of your self-indulgent post.

Why? I’m just being honest about who I am. Are you scared and worried or not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m at the point now that I’m trying to envision our lives in the coming years. What will it be like? What will our daily existence feel like under a dictatorship? Or authoritarian government or wherever we’re headed? What will it be like for our kids who are in middle school right now? What will their futures look like? FWIW we are white. My younger brother (34) is gay. My mom relies on a pension. We have various friends who are Jewish, black, deaf, autistic, LGBTQ. I’m really sad and scared about where we’re clearly headed. Will we be able to find happiness and livelihood? Travel? Express ourselves?

The bolded was obvious from the rest of your self-indulgent post.

Why? I’m just being honest about who I am. Are you scared and worried or not?

I’ve been scared and worried for many years, long before Trump. The fact you haven’t been says a lot.

[Anonymous]

I have a neighbor from Turkey. They watched it happen there and now she is watching it here. It's really bleak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m at the point now that I’m trying to envision our lives in the coming years. What will it be like? What will our daily existence feel like under a dictatorship? Or authoritarian government or wherever we’re headed? What will it be like for our kids who are in middle school right now? What will their futures look like? FWIW we are white. My younger brother (34) is gay. My mom relies on a pension. We have various friends who are Jewish, black, deaf, autistic, LGBTQ. I’m really sad and scared about where we’re clearly headed. Will we be able to find happiness and livelihood? Travel? Express ourselves?

The bolded was obvious from the rest of your self-indulgent post.

Why? I’m just being honest about who I am. Are you scared and worried or not?

I’ve been scared and worried for many years, long before Trump. The fact you haven’t been says a lot.

What does it say?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a neighbor from Turkey. They watched it happen there and now she is watching it here. It's really bleak.

Why are we not fighting back? We can't just sit still and let the GOP destroy our country.
What can we do? Why are our leaders not fighting back? Are they so married to corporate interests that they dare not fight the GOP reign?

To answer OP's question. We ARE living in a dictatorship right now. It has already happened. Russ Vought is the dictator. Trump is the figurehead/cult leader. Stephen Miller is running the campaign to remove all immigrants (all non-white immigrants, that is) from U.S. soil.

Now what? We will lose a lot of our rights. Truth will be hard to find. Freedom of the press, which shrinks every day, will be lost. News will go underground. Many people will be arrested by the ICE brownshirts and thrown into "detention centers". Your phones and social media will be monitored, and anyone who criticizes the regime will be arrested. Fear will reign. Yes, you'll go to your job, and your kids will go to school, but they will learn propaganda in school, and you will be unable to express your criticism of the government. And everything will cost a lot more than it does now, and your lifestyle will sink lower and lower every year. The oligarchs will get richer every year -- off of you and me and everyone who is middle and working class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m at the point now that I’m trying to envision our lives in the coming years. What will it be like? What will our daily existence feel like under a dictatorship? Or authoritarian government or wherever we’re headed? What will it be like for our kids who are in middle school right now? What will their futures look like? FWIW we are white. My younger brother (34) is gay. My mom relies on a pension. We have various friends who are Jewish, black, deaf, autistic, LGBTQ. I’m really sad and scared about where we’re clearly headed. Will we be able to find happiness and livelihood? Travel? Express ourselves?

You are in one now, it’s just the early stage.

[Anonymous]

I’ve had our family scrub (as best we can) our social media profiles, to remove all political statements.

We are also all getting concealed gun permits. Not to carry guns but because your license shows that during a traffic spot. We want the police to imagine we too are fellow fascists.

We’ve also made small donations to the Leader’s political coffers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I’ve had our family scrub (as best we can) our social media profiles, to remove all political statements.

We are also all getting concealed gun permits. Not to carry guns but because your license shows that during a traffic spot. We want the police to imagine we too are fellow fascists.

We’ve also made small donations to the Leader’s political coffers.

So you joined them.

[Anonymous]

Once the Roberts court dismantles the voting rights act (this month) we will be in full authoritarianism. Because MAGA will get 19 more house seats and Dems will have to overperform by 6 points just to be even.

So when we have elections, and we will, they will be almost meaningless. Unless folks in “red states” wake up and realize GOP is screwing them and they stop voting for MAGA. It could happen but that would mean Dems need to put up candidates who will fight for working people, not middle of the road (nowhere) candidates.

[Anonymous]

People should stop donating to Democratic causes all together. The paper trail will be our undoing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once the Roberts court dismantles the voting rights act (this month) we will be in full authoritarianism. Because MAGA will get 19 more house seats and Dems will have to overperform by 6 points just to be even.

So when we have elections, and we will, they will be almost meaningless. Unless folks in “red states” wake up and realize GOP is screwing them and they stop voting for MAGA. It could happen but that would mean Dems need to put up candidates who will fight for working people, not middle of the road (nowhere) candidates.

This. It’s done. At this point it feels bleak and we are stuck. Our votes really don’t matter. And there’s no desire from the GOP to even try to pretend to run the government. As much as I dislike Trump, he’s right, we won’t have to worry about voting in the next election.

[Anonymous]

Dems are over performing consistently in 2025 special elections.

But it might not be enough.