Deny or embrace?

Does this describe America?

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. From the
prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins,
the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime
itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious.
Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common
themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a
suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia.

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights.
The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a
hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through
clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these
human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being
targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy,
denial, and disinformation.

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause.
The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of
scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other
problems, to shift blame forfailures, and to channel frustration in
controlled directions. The methods of choice—relentless propaganda and
disinformation—were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite
“spontaneous” acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists,
socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional
national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals,
and“terrorists.” Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably
labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.
Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the
industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of
national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic
needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism,
and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate
other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.

5. Rampant sexism.
Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national
culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as
second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also
homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that
enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus
lending the regime cover for its abuses.

6. A controlled mass media.
Under some of the regimes, the mass media were under strict direct
control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line.
Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy.
Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources,
economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The
leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the
power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general
public unaware of the regimes’ excesses.

7. Obsession with national security.
Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of
the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating
in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under
the rubric of protecting “national security,” and questioning its
activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. Regimes attached
themselves to the predominant religion of the country
and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion.
The fact that the ruling elite’s behavior was incompatible with the
precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda
kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith
and opponents of the “godless.” A perception was manufactured that
opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.

9. Power of corporations protected.
Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict
control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative
freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate
structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed
states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of
the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a
continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of
“have-not” citizens.

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.
Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could
challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate
allies, it was inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an
underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some
regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice.

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts.
Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression
associated with them were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and
academic freedom were considered subversive to national security and the
patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically
unreliable faculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or
expressions of dissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To
these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or
they had no right to exist.

12. Obsession with crime and punishment.
Most of these regimes maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice
with huge prison populations. The police were often glorified and had
almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. “Normal” and political
crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes
used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of
criminals or “traitors” was often promoted among the population as an
excuse for more police power.

13. Rampant cronyism and corruption.
Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their
position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the
power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic
elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism.
Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from
other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources.
With the national security apparatus under control and the media
muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well
understood by the general population.

14. Fraudulent elections.
Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls were
usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates were held, they
would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result.
Common methods included maintaining control of the election machinery,
intimidating an disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or
disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary
beholden to the power elite.

No it sounds a lot like Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Just read a book on him so he is fresh in the mind though.

im confused by your question. Why would you embrace this philosophy?

What you are seeing now is not a natural progression of things. This is a system, designed to do exactly what it is doing. You can live in denial, pretend like things are fine, but when you look around at what is going on... you know better. War profiteers and corporate bankers own this country. They designed the economic collapse and are now posing as the savior so that you will give complete control of your life over to them. Your rights and basic human dignity are being stripped from you, and all they have to do to get you to go along with it is tell you that you'll be safer and it's for "National Security". The Fed gov and military along with police are getting ready for a collapse. Martial Law drills are in full swing now. There is really no doubt about what is coming now, i guess the only question is, are you a coward and will submit to the system, or will you fight against it. I think it's pretty clear to see what side im on, even if im alone, which im not but on this website i am pretty much in the minority on a lot of issues, im fine with it. My conscience doesn't bother me. Does yours?

Each one of those numbers has a current example playing out on a policy level in this country today.

GDPofDRC wrote:

Each one of those numbers has a current example playing out on a policy level in this country today.

but each one of those was played out to a far more extreme in Iraq.

just saying

Here, like there, a lot of people like, embrace, those ideas.

GDPofDRC wrote:

Here, like there, a lot of people like, embrace, those ideas.

Why do you hate America?

Too trashy.

GDPofDRC wrote:

Too trashy.

You just don't understand liberty.

Liberty is a myth

GDPofDRC wrote:

Liberty is a myth

Naw, I met her once. Cool chick. Butterface.

That was here professional name. Myth busted!

oggy420 wrote:

im confused by your question. Why would you embrace this philosophy?

What you are seeing now is not a natural progression of things. This is a system, designed to do exactly what it is doing. You can live in denial, pretend like things are fine, but when you look around at what is going on... you know better. War profiteers and corporate bankers own this country. They designed the economic collapse and are now posing as the savior so that you will give complete control of your life over to them. Your rights and basic human dignity are being stripped from you, and all they have to do to get you to go along with it is tell you that you'll be safer and it's for "National Security". The Fed gov and military along with police are getting ready for a collapse. Martial Law drills are in full swing now. There is really no doubt about what is coming now, i guess the only question is, are you a coward and will submit to the system, or will you fight against it. I think it's pretty clear to see what side im on, even if im alone, which im not but on this website i am pretty much in the minority on a lot of issues, im fine with it. My conscience doesn't bother me. Does yours?

This sounds like the kind of speech Mel Gibson's character would have given before the apocalypse in Mad Max. That or Cyrus' speech from the Warriors.

OU wrote:

GDPofDRC wrote:

Too trashy.

You just don't understand liberty.

this country no longer stands for liberty. Individuals in this country do, but the leadership of this country has embraced a very different philosophy than liberty.

Ludo wrote:

oggy420 wrote:

im confused by your question. Why would you embrace this philosophy?

What you are seeing now is not a natural progression of things. This is a system, designed to do exactly what it is doing. You can live in denial, pretend like things are fine, but when you look around at what is going on... you know better. War profiteers and corporate bankers own this country. They designed the economic collapse and are now posing as the savior so that you will give complete control of your life over to them. Your rights and basic human dignity are being stripped from you, and all they have to do to get you to go along with it is tell you that you'll be safer and it's for "National Security". The Fed gov and military along with police are getting ready for a collapse. Martial Law drills are in full swing now. There is really no doubt about what is coming now, i guess the only question is, are you a coward and will submit to the system, or will you fight against it. I think it's pretty clear to see what side im on, even if im alone, which im not but on this website i am pretty much in the minority on a lot of issues, im fine with it. My conscience doesn't bother me. Does yours?

This sounds like the kind of speech Mel Gibson's character would have given before the apocalypse in Mad Max. That or Cyrus' speech from the Warriors.

thanks for your amazing input to this discussion. Quality as usual.

oggy420 wrote:

Ludo wrote:

oggy420 wrote:

im confused by your question. Why would you embrace this philosophy?

What you are seeing now is not a natural progression of things. This is a system, designed to do exactly what it is doing. You can live in denial, pretend like things are fine, but when you look around at what is going on... you know better. War profiteers and corporate bankers own this country. They designed the economic collapse and are now posing as the savior so that you will give complete control of your life over to them. Your rights and basic human dignity are being stripped from you, and all they have to do to get you to go along with it is tell you that you'll be safer and it's for "National Security". The Fed gov and military along with police are getting ready for a collapse. Martial Law drills are in full swing now. There is really no doubt about what is coming now, i guess the only question is, are you a coward and will submit to the system, or will you fight against it. I think it's pretty clear to see what side im on, even if im alone, which im not but on this website i am pretty much in the minority on a lot of issues, im fine with it. My conscience doesn't bother me. Does yours?

This sounds like the kind of speech Mel Gibson's character would have given before the apocalypse in Mad Max. That or Cyrus' speech from the Warriors.

thanks for your amazing input to this discussion. Quality as usual.

Why so salty?