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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ah, the daily "doom and gloom" post.

Please add some light and hope!

here is some light and hope

https://bsky.app/profile/lorennacleary.bsky.social/post/3m3bkz2u3j223

Beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Black women always doing the hard work.

[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?

I see a lot of people fear mongering about this. Please list how you have been directly impacted by any of the so call dictatorship or authoritarian gov up to this point?

DP but we're a well-educated, 3rd generation DC born and raised family, and we've been affected. DW is a Fed, so her agency has been hectic to say the least since January. I run a small business with government contracts, and properly appropriated and contracted funds are just frozen even after out team did the work and paid for expenses (cost-reimbursement contract). My brother has a visible, political job in DC, and he's received death threats but no longer gets security. I think because of my brother, I was doxxed and my small business has been harassed by MAGA and we had to close the doors to the public (but still operational).

We like to think we're a pretty well-insulated, run of the mill family, and yet here we are.

So you’ve been renting off the American public and it’s all coming crashing down. Funny how that works

I thought MAGA like people in invested and built. I mean, is that what your hero Trump did? Elon sucks more of the American government teat than anyone else in the world. And yet, you praise him as a god. So I guess you are good with racist conmen, but not the average joe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone say more about what life is like in a dictatorship? In particular Turkey. I believe there is a Turkish festival
This weekend and I’m
Thinking of attending that, plus the No Kings rally. Hoping there may be people
At the festival that have direct experience that they can share.

What do you want to know? I have lived in two countries that were democracies and went through a period of dictatorship. I also have close Turkish friends and I’m quite familiar with the situation there. I can tell you that no two authoritarian regimes look alike, but they all share common elements.

One thing that immediately comes to mind is fear of political expression such as fear of speaking freely in public. I was recently with a European friend in a downtown DC coffee shop speaking in a language we share and we were discussing the current administration. At one point when I became a little animated, my friend looked around with a worried expression and said “lower your voice because someone might hear us.” When we were younger, we had both lived through a period of dictatorship in that country, and those words chilled me since I had heard them before in the context of living in a dictatorship. The reality is that no one around us would have understood a word we were saying, but that instinctive fear was still there. That’s one of the things that living under an authoritarian regime does to you. It makes you feel palpable fear.

[Anonymous]

I don't know but one area I am sure will go are government pensions.

People who voted "wrong" will probably have their pensions taken away.

[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.

If SCOTUS does dismantle the act, how does this serve the court in the long run? Aside from the more obvious ramifications of dismantling the act, wouldn't doing so also give less power to the court? If they hand over all their power to Vought and Miller (and Trump-ha), then why would anyone bother with a court in the future?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

If SCOTUS does dismantle the act, how does this serve the court in the long run? Aside from the more obvious ramifications of dismantling the act, wouldn't doing so also give less power to the court? If they hand over all their power to Vought and Miller (and Trump-ha), then why would anyone bother with a court in the future?

Because they’ll take bribes, duh. The Supreme Court was all-in on the grift in the gilded age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ah, the daily "doom and gloom" post.

Please add some light and hope!

here is some light and hope

https://bsky.app/profile/lorennacleary.bsky.social/post/3m3bkz2u3j223

Beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Black women always doing the hard work.

I don't think this is harmful but I don't get how it's helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone say more about what life is like in a dictatorship? In particular Turkey. I believe there is a Turkish festival
This weekend and I’m
Thinking of attending that, plus the No Kings rally. Hoping there may be people
At the festival that have direct experience that they can share.

What do you want to know? I have lived in two countries that were democracies and went through a period of dictatorship. I also have close Turkish friends and I’m quite familiar with the situation there. I can tell you that no two authoritarian regimes look alike, but they all share common elements.

One thing that immediately comes to mind is fear of political expression such as fear of speaking freely in public. I was recently with a European friend in a downtown DC coffee shop speaking in a language we share and we were discussing the current administration. At one point when I became a little animated, my friend looked around with a worried expression and said “lower your voice because someone might hear us.” When we were younger, we had both lived through a period of dictatorship in that country, and those words chilled me since I had heard them before in the context of living in a dictatorship. The reality is that no one around us would have understood a word we were saying, but that instinctive fear was still there. That’s one of the things that living under an authoritarian regime does to you. It makes you feel palpable fear.

This is what maga wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

If SCOTUS does dismantle the act, how does this serve the court in the long run? Aside from the more obvious ramifications of dismantling the act, wouldn't doing so also give less power to the court? If they hand over all their power to Vought and Miller (and Trump-ha), then why would anyone bother with a court in the future?

They get paid. All the “conservative” justices are on the take.

[Anonymous]

I can tell you my time in a middle eastern dictatorship as a resident. I got called all kinds of slurs and no one says anything. I was once removed from a restaurant because I was accused of gambling -- but it was only a dice bag charm on my purse. I got a ticket on a secluded beach for wearing a skirt, but it was just a warning. It's framed and hanging on my wall now.

But I had a fixer, so I got out of speeding and parking tickets (and I was allowed to drive hey!). My fixer also hooked me up with alcohol and charcuterie. People you know will plead for your help because there are no social services.

A dictatorship is fine but not really. It's just a new way of navigating in your new world order. There's a lot of corruption. So you have to play the game to survive, and it eventually wears you down. We Americans better smarten up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you my time in a middle eastern dictatorship as a resident. I got called all kinds of slurs and no one says anything. I was once removed from a restaurant because I was accused of gambling -- but it was only a dice bag charm on my purse. I got a ticket on a secluded beach for wearing a skirt, but it was just a warning. It's framed and hanging on my wall now.

But I had a fixer, so I got out of speeding and parking tickets (and I was allowed to drive hey!). My fixer also hooked me up with alcohol and charcuterie. People you know will plead for your help because there are no social services.

A dictatorship is fine but not really. It's just a new way of navigating in your new world order. There's a lot of corruption. So you have to play the game to survive, and it eventually wears you down. We Americans better smarten up.

So how are we going to fix a dictatorship? By voting "the other" party? REALLY?????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone say more about what life is like in a dictatorship? In particular Turkey. I believe there is a Turkish festival
This weekend and I’m
Thinking of attending that, plus the No Kings rally. Hoping there may be people
At the festival that have direct experience that they can share.

What do you want to know? I have lived in two countries that were democracies and went through a period of dictatorship. I also have close Turkish friends and I’m quite familiar with the situation there. I can tell you that no two authoritarian regimes look alike, but they all share common elements.

One thing that immediately comes to mind is fear of political expression such as fear of speaking freely in public. I was recently with a European friend in a downtown DC coffee shop speaking in a language we share and we were discussing the current administration. At one point when I became a little animated, my friend looked around with a worried expression and said “lower your voice because someone might hear us.” When we were younger, we had both lived through a period of dictatorship in that country, and those words chilled me since I had heard them before in the context of living in a dictatorship. The reality is that no one around us would have understood a word we were saying, but that instinctive fear was still there. That’s one of the things that living under an authoritarian regime does to you. It makes you feel palpable fear.

This is what maga wants.

Yeah, the other day I found myself using a phrase I haven't used since we lived in the Soviet Union "This is not a telephone-type conversation -- ne telephonii razgovor".

[Anonymous]

A lot of people here in serious need of professional help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of people here in serious need of professional help.

lol, the MAGAs won’t even get vaccinations, you think that they will get mental health assistance?

[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?

I see a lot of people fear mongering about this. Please list how you have been directly impacted by any of the so call dictatorship or authoritarian gov up to this point?

DP but we're a well-educated, 3rd generation DC born and raised family, and we've been affected. DW is a Fed, so her agency has been hectic to say the least since January. I run a small business with government contracts, and properly appropriated and contracted funds are just frozen even after out team did the work and paid for expenses (cost-reimbursement contract). My brother has a visible, political job in DC, and he's received death threats but no longer gets security. I think because of my brother, I was doxxed and my small business has been harassed by MAGA and we had to close the doors to the public (but still operational).

We like to think we're a pretty well-insulated, run of the mill family, and yet here we are.

So you’ve been renting off the American public and it’s all coming crashing down. Funny how that works

DP, but do you think we just shouldn’t have a federal government? Because that is basically what you are suggesting. You don’t know anything about this poster, but you assume they deserve to have their lives crash down around them. Many Feds and contractors are the reason you have clean water, safe skies, social security, veterans healthcare, counterterrorism, food and drug inspections, etc. No one can afford to run these programs for free. We do not have a government run off of slavery although it seems like that would be preferable to you than paying people to provide you the services that I’m sure you’d complain about if they were no longer provided to you. Stop being a moocher and expecting people to run your government without a paycheck.