Best way to oppose authoritarianism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do not d eate MAGA trolls. They love wasting your time. Spend your time fighting. Chicago lady, drive around town filming ICE, so they run away

Exactly. These folks are always bots, sometimes actual bots, and sometimes just human Maga bots.

Literally anything you could be doing in your life is a better use of time than trying to argue with it.

[Anonymous]

Someone pointed out in another thread that AI scrapes forums like this as part of its learning. There are also a lot of lurkers. It’s important to counter the lies and point out the bad faith arguments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So it seems we are living in an authoritarian state. What is the most effective way to oppose it? All of you political scientists/history buffs, what has worked in the past? I have no confidence we will have any more free and fair elections, if we even have them going forward.

You asked a serious question, and I am going to give you a truthful answer firmly rooted in history. It comes down to this: become ungovernable by disentangling your life from the federal government to the extent possible. Do these things:

Go to church and grow in your faith.

Get married, have kids, and build a strong family.

Homeschool your children.

Eliminate your debt and increase your wealth. Build your human capital via education and/or experiences. You got the degree and landed the job—great, but don’t exhale—keep going. Become a lynchpin in your workplace; learn that skill that makes you indispensable. That might mean reading books in your field after hours. Over the course of your career, convert your human capital to enough financial capital that your assets make work optional and you can give generously to causes that help people in your community.

Do not subscribe to cable television. TV entertains you at too great a cost; it makes you docile and therefore dependent. It also is there to notify you about what you are supposed to be outraged over at any given point in time. You will save a ridiculous amount of money, increase your competitiveness, and your dreams will be more vivid. You will not regret trying this. Sadly, many people reading this post will reject it reflexively, largely because they have been programmed by their television to reject approaches to life that have been proven to yield extraordinary results. They call it television programming for a reason.

Consider starting a business.

Consider becoming a responsible gun owner. The second amendment is there to take all the fun out of authoritarianism. Use it and champion it.

If you must invest your time and energy in politics, do so at the local level.

Get healthy by only eating food from the outer edge of the grocery store (e.g., meat, eggs). With few exceptions, the middle section contains substances (much of it not even “food”) that are there to kill you slowly and profitably. Move your body; use it or lose it. Don’t poison your body with drugs or alcohol. Make getting good sleep a priority.

None of these things are easy and all require discipline, as well as trial and error. Therefore, make sure you enjoy the journey and practice self-contentment.

Get as many people in your community as you can to do these things with you. These things will elevate the American experience more than anything. And note that some of these things are not even possible in other countries. We are so incredibly fortunate to be in the United States.

The more of these things you do, the more the current occupant of the White House becomes a trivia question instead of a hyper-consequential facet of your life. It won’t matter what clown the uniparty has foisted upon us, you will be enjoying life too much to care and your family be insulated from much of the nonsense.

It’s a good life. Don’t squander it.

I like this answer, thanks. Too bad a lot of it boils down to being rich, but yeah I agree with you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So it seems we are living in an authoritarian state. What is the most effective way to oppose it? All of you political scientists/history buffs, what has worked in the past? I have no confidence we will have any more free and fair elections, if we even have them going forward.

You asked a serious question, and I am going to give you a truthful answer firmly rooted in history. It comes down to this: become ungovernable by disentangling your life from the federal government to the extent possible. Do these things:

Go to church and grow in your faith.

Get married, have kids, and build a strong family.

Homeschool your children.

Eliminate your debt and increase your wealth. Build your human capital via education and/or experiences. You got the degree and landed the job—great, but don’t exhale—keep going. Become a lynchpin in your workplace; learn that skill that makes you indispensable. That might mean reading books in your field after hours. Over the course of your career, convert your human capital to enough financial capital that your assets make work optional and you can give generously to causes that help people in your community.

Do not subscribe to cable television. TV entertains you at too great a cost; it makes you docile and therefore dependent. It also is there to notify you about what you are supposed to be outraged over at any given point in time. You will save a ridiculous amount of money, increase your competitiveness, and your dreams will be more vivid. You will not regret trying this. Sadly, many people reading this post will reject it reflexively, largely because they have been programmed by their television to reject approaches to life that have been proven to yield extraordinary results. They call it television programming for a reason.

Consider starting a business.

Consider becoming a responsible gun owner. The second amendment is there to take all the fun out of authoritarianism. Use it and champion it.

If you must invest your time and energy in politics, do so at the local level.

Get healthy by only eating food from the outer edge of the grocery store (e.g., meat, eggs). With few exceptions, the middle section contains substances (much of it not even “food”) that are there to kill you slowly and profitably. Move your body; use it or lose it. Don’t poison your body with drugs or alcohol. Make getting good sleep a priority.

None of these things are easy and all require discipline, as well as trial and error. Therefore, make sure you enjoy the journey and practice self-contentment.

Get as many people in your community as you can to do these things with you. These things will elevate the American experience more than anything. And note that some of these things are not even possible in other countries. We are so incredibly fortunate to be in the United States.

The more of these things you do, the more the current occupant of the White House becomes a trivia question instead of a hyper-consequential facet of your life. It won’t matter what clown the uniparty has foisted upon us, you will be enjoying life too much to care and your family be insulated from much of the nonsense.

It’s a good life. Don’t squander it.

Yep, cut the cable. never had it and believe the people who dont --you won't miss it. Also, some grocery stores will place some "junk" like bakery items on the outer edge of their stores so bonus for you while you shop the essentials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Support the arts, support education, support your local library. Teach your kids critical thinking and media literacy.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is rich coming from a site admin that deletes every post that doesn't comport with his worldview and bans all dissent against the site dogma.

Do you have any self awareness?

Sick burn 🔥 ! Y’all need to travel to a real authoritarian country. 🙄 we are absolutely NOT living in one.

I see you skipped history class often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Do not comply in advance. Make the fascists expend resources to make you comply. If enough take that approach, they will run out of resources. The appeasers, which includes universities, law firms, and today, ABC, are killing us. They are allowing the fascists to pick us off one by one. Remember the saying, if we don't hang together, we will surely hang individually. The appeasers think that they are saving themselves, but they are just signaling that they are easy marks. Make the fascists fight to take our freedom. Don't just give it to them.

But what does this mean practically? I'm a regular ole' Mom in Chicago. What are some concrete things I can do?

There are so many small things you can do:
--volunteer at an immigrants' rights group to protect vulnerable immigrants (including US Citizens) from getting picked up by ICE
--find a local group that is organizing regular protests -- GET OUT ON THE STREET WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS, always peacefully
--sell your Tesla
--quit giving your money to Amazon, Whole Foods, Zappos -- quit Amazon Prime today!
--boycott Target
--quit social media -- FB, Insta, X -- all run by oligarchs -- bankrupt the tech bros!!!
--volunteer your time at an advocacy group if you have skills to offer -- there are many advocacy groups in Chicago suing the Trump administration for its illegal actions, and they may need your support -- just ask!
--work with groups that are advocating for free and fair elections -- the midterms will be crucial
--help register people to vote
--volunteer to work at a polling place in an underserved neighborhood

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For people saying wringing congresspeople is a waste, you’re wrong. Research shows that Republicans contact their elected officials more than Dems.

You can also write a note of thanks to encourage them or write to tell them to do something within the party (fire Schumer).

please, please, please, all you New Yorkers, fire Schumer. Please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So it seems we are living in an authoritarian state. What is the most effective way to oppose it? All of you political scientists/history buffs, what has worked in the past? I have no confidence we will have any more free and fair elections, if we even have them going forward.

You asked a serious question, and I am going to give you a truthful answer firmly rooted in history. It comes down to this: become ungovernable by disentangling your life from the federal government to the extent possible. Do these things:

Go to church and grow in your faith.

Get married, have kids, and build a strong family.

Homeschool your children.

Eliminate your debt and increase your wealth. Build your human capital via education and/or experiences. You got the degree and landed the job—great, but don’t exhale—keep going. Become a lynchpin in your workplace; learn that skill that makes you indispensable. That might mean reading books in your field after hours. Over the course of your career, convert your human capital to enough financial capital that your assets make work optional and you can give generously to causes that help people in your community.

Do not subscribe to cable television. TV entertains you at too great a cost; it makes you docile and therefore dependent. It also is there to notify you about what you are supposed to be outraged over at any given point in time. You will save a ridiculous amount of money, increase your competitiveness, and your dreams will be more vivid. You will not regret trying this. Sadly, many people reading this post will reject it reflexively, largely because they have been programmed by their television to reject approaches to life that have been proven to yield extraordinary results. They call it television programming for a reason.

Consider starting a business.

Consider becoming a responsible gun owner. The second amendment is there to take all the fun out of authoritarianism. Use it and champion it.

If you must invest your time and energy in politics, do so at the local level.

Get healthy by only eating food from the outer edge of the grocery store (e.g., meat, eggs). With few exceptions, the middle section contains substances (much of it not even “food”) that are there to kill you slowly and profitably. Move your body; use it or lose it. Don’t poison your body with drugs or alcohol. Make getting good sleep a priority.

None of these things are easy and all require discipline, as well as trial and error. Therefore, make sure you enjoy the journey and practice self-contentment.

Get as many people in your community as you can to do these things with you. These things will elevate the American experience more than anything. And note that some of these things are not even possible in other countries. We are so incredibly fortunate to be in the United States.

The more of these things you do, the more the current occupant of the White House becomes a trivia question instead of a hyper-consequential facet of your life. It won’t matter what clown the uniparty has foisted upon us, you will be enjoying life too much to care and your family be insulated from much of the nonsense.

It’s a good life. Don’t squander it.

I like this answer, thanks. Too bad a lot of it boils down to being rich, but yeah I agree with you

So disentangle yourself from the government and the first rec on how to do is join a church? This seems like a joke. Exactly how we got a wide swath of MAGA. The institutions who have covered up pedophiles, have cheered on anti-Christian behavior, and been overtly political. Mmmkay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Support the arts, support education, support your local library. Teach your kids critical thinking and media literacy.

+1

I agree with this stuff but it doesn’t really prevent authoritarianism. You know who really really supported the arts and read like crazy? Soviet citizens! They would sit around and debate Tolstoy versus Dostoevsky all night and attend ballet like we go to football games. Partly because the TV was crap because there was only one channel showing government approved programming.
I don’t know the right answer but I do think that the “live your best life” advice is part of the problem Russia has. It’s why they turned a blind eye to Putin for so long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Support the arts, support education, support your local library. Teach your kids critical thinking and media literacy.

+1

I agree with this stuff but it doesn’t really prevent authoritarianism. You know who really really supported the arts and read like crazy? Soviet citizens! They would sit around and debate Tolstoy versus Dostoevsky all night and attend ballet like we go to football games. Partly because the TV was crap because there was only one channel showing government approved programming.
I don’t know the right answer but I do think that the “live your best life” advice is part of the problem Russia has. It’s why they turned a blind eye to Putin for so long.

This. I think the people who scare me the most are those who are burying their head in the sand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So it seems we are living in an authoritarian state. What is the most effective way to oppose it? All of you political scientists/history buffs, what has worked in the past? I have no confidence we will have any more free and fair elections, if we even have them going forward.

You asked a serious question, and I am going to give you a truthful answer firmly rooted in history. It comes down to this: become ungovernable by disentangling your life from the federal government to the extent possible. Do these things:

Go to church and grow in your faith.

Get married, have kids, and build a strong family.

Homeschool your children.

Eliminate your debt and increase your wealth. Build your human capital via education and/or experiences. You got the degree and landed the job—great, but don’t exhale—keep going. Become a lynchpin in your workplace; learn that skill that makes you indispensable. That might mean reading books in your field after hours. Over the course of your career, convert your human capital to enough financial capital that your assets make work optional and you can give generously to causes that help people in your community.

Do not subscribe to cable television. TV entertains you at too great a cost; it makes you docile and therefore dependent. It also is there to notify you about what you are supposed to be outraged over at any given point in time. You will save a ridiculous amount of money, increase your competitiveness, and your dreams will be more vivid. You will not regret trying this. Sadly, many people reading this post will reject it reflexively, largely because they have been programmed by their television to reject approaches to life that have been proven to yield extraordinary results. They call it television programming for a reason.

Consider starting a business.

Consider becoming a responsible gun owner. The second amendment is there to take all the fun out of authoritarianism. Use it and champion it.

If you must invest your time and energy in politics, do so at the local level.

Get healthy by only eating food from the outer edge of the grocery store (e.g., meat, eggs). With few exceptions, the middle section contains substances (much of it not even “food”) that are there to kill you slowly and profitably. Move your body; use it or lose it. Don’t poison your body with drugs or alcohol. Make getting good sleep a priority.

None of these things are easy and all require discipline, as well as trial and error. Therefore, make sure you enjoy the journey and practice self-contentment.

Get as many people in your community as you can to do these things with you. These things will elevate the American experience more than anything. And note that some of these things are not even possible in other countries. We are so incredibly fortunate to be in the United States.

The more of these things you do, the more the current occupant of the White House becomes a trivia question instead of a hyper-consequential facet of your life. It won’t matter what clown the uniparty has foisted upon us, you will be enjoying life too much to care and your family be insulated from much of the nonsense.

It’s a good life. Don’t squander it.

Agree we need to become resilient to the whims of the major parties and not become bits for either. We need to see both clearly and not give a pass to one because they purport to be less horrible while pulling the same kinds of stunts (eg, most recently, gerrymandering).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So it seems we are living in an authoritarian state. What is the most effective way to oppose it? All of you political scientists/history buffs, what has worked in the past? I have no confidence we will have any more free and fair elections, if we even have them going forward.

You asked a serious question, and I am going to give you a truthful answer firmly rooted in history. It comes down to this: become ungovernable by disentangling your life from the federal government to the extent possible. Do these things:

Go to church and grow in your faith.

Get married, have kids, and build a strong family.

Homeschool your children.

Eliminate your debt and increase your wealth. Build your human capital via education and/or experiences. You got the degree and landed the job—great, but don’t exhale—keep going. Become a lynchpin in your workplace; learn that skill that makes you indispensable. That might mean reading books in your field after hours. Over the course of your career, convert your human capital to enough financial capital that your assets make work optional and you can give generously to causes that help people in your community.

Do not subscribe to cable television. TV entertains you at too great a cost; it makes you docile and therefore dependent. It also is there to notify you about what you are supposed to be outraged over at any given point in time. You will save a ridiculous amount of money, increase your competitiveness, and your dreams will be more vivid. You will not regret trying this. Sadly, many people reading this post will reject it reflexively, largely because they have been programmed by their television to reject approaches to life that have been proven to yield extraordinary results. They call it television programming for a reason.

Consider starting a business.

Consider becoming a responsible gun owner. The second amendment is there to take all the fun out of authoritarianism. Use it and champion it.

If you must invest your time and energy in politics, do so at the local level.

Get healthy by only eating food from the outer edge of the grocery store (e.g., meat, eggs). With few exceptions, the middle section contains substances (much of it not even “food”) that are there to kill you slowly and profitably. Move your body; use it or lose it. Don’t poison your body with drugs or alcohol. Make getting good sleep a priority.

None of these things are easy and all require discipline, as well as trial and error. Therefore, make sure you enjoy the journey and practice self-contentment.

Get as many people in your community as you can to do these things with you. These things will elevate the American experience more than anything. And note that some of these things are not even possible in other countries. We are so incredibly fortunate to be in the United States.

The more of these things you do, the more the current occupant of the White House becomes a trivia question instead of a hyper-consequential facet of your life. It won’t matter what clown the uniparty has foisted upon us, you will be enjoying life too much to care and your family be insulated from much of the nonsense.

It’s a good life. Don’t squander it.

Blending in and sticking your head in the sand as your neighbors get dragged off might work to save your butt at the individual level, but this does nothing to combat authoritarianism. Homeschooling and church only serve to reinforce the system. Kids will never be exposed to any viewpoints their parents deem to be too unchallenging or uncomfortable.

What about the people who don’t fit this mold? Authoritarianism is all about conformity. Not everyone is willing or able to bend their lives to those contours. Marriage, kids, church, guns, and grinding 24/7 at a job aren’t for everyone. This advice is basically “camouflage yourself as right wing MAGA and they won’t get you”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So it seems we are living in an authoritarian state. What is the most effective way to oppose it? All of you political scientists/history buffs, what has worked in the past? I have no confidence we will have any more free and fair elections, if we even have them going forward.

You asked a serious question, and I am going to give you a truthful answer firmly rooted in history. It comes down to this: become ungovernable by disentangling your life from the federal government to the extent possible. Do these things:

Go to church and grow in your faith.

Get married, have kids, and build a strong family.

Homeschool your children.

Eliminate your debt and increase your wealth. Build your human capital via education and/or experiences. You got the degree and landed the job—great, but don’t exhale—keep going. Become a lynchpin in your workplace; learn that skill that makes you indispensable. That might mean reading books in your field after hours. Over the course of your career, convert your human capital to enough financial capital that your assets make work optional and you can give generously to causes that help people in your community.

Do not subscribe to cable television. TV entertains you at too great a cost; it makes you docile and therefore dependent. It also is there to notify you about what you are supposed to be outraged over at any given point in time. You will save a ridiculous amount of money, increase your competitiveness, and your dreams will be more vivid. You will not regret trying this. Sadly, many people reading this post will reject it reflexively, largely because they have been programmed by their television to reject approaches to life that have been proven to yield extraordinary results. They call it television programming for a reason.

Consider starting a business.

Consider becoming a responsible gun owner. The second amendment is there to take all the fun out of authoritarianism. Use it and champion it.

If you must invest your time and energy in politics, do so at the local level.

Get healthy by only eating food from the outer edge of the grocery store (e.g., meat, eggs). With few exceptions, the middle section contains substances (much of it not even “food”) that are there to kill you slowly and profitably. Move your body; use it or lose it. Don’t poison your body with drugs or alcohol. Make getting good sleep a priority.

None of these things are easy and all require discipline, as well as trial and error. Therefore, make sure you enjoy the journey and practice self-contentment.

Get as many people in your community as you can to do these things with you. These things will elevate the American experience more than anything. And note that some of these things are not even possible in other countries. We are so incredibly fortunate to be in the United States.

The more of these things you do, the more the current occupant of the White House becomes a trivia question instead of a hyper-consequential facet of your life. It won’t matter what clown the uniparty has foisted upon us, you will be enjoying life too much to care and your family be insulated from much of the nonsense.

It’s a good life. Don’t squander it.

I like this answer, thanks. Too bad a lot of it boils down to being rich, but yeah I agree with you

So disentangle yourself from the government and the first rec on how to do is join a church? This seems like a joke. Exactly how we got a wide swath of MAGA. The institutions who have covered up pedophiles, have cheered on anti-Christian behavior, and been overtly political. Mmmkay.

+1 OP’s question was how to oppose authoritarianism, not create more of it.

[Anonymous]

Volunteer to help those who are food insecure.