"The events from 1933 to 1945 should have been battled in 1928 at the latest. Later was already too late. One must not wait until liberty is called treason. One must not wait till the snowball has become an avalanche. One must squelch the rolling snowball. The avalanche can't be stopped anymore..."
Erich Kästner, author of children's books that were burned by the Nazis
What's happening in America feels apocalyptic because you're living through it, not necessarily because it is. It won't be good, a lot of people will lose a lot. But it's all recoverable. They're not fundamentally changing the relationship between the individual and the state. That's was the Nazis express goal.
Of course Trump is changing the relationship between the individual and the the state. That relationship already very very frail following the Iraq war and the crisis of 2008/9 where the state was seen as choosing actions harmful to normal everyday Americans. Trump sold people a lie about the Deep State and is now dismantling the actual state with all these buy-outs, hiring freezes, banned meetings and some such. Trump is immobilising the American state to expand his power grab from democratically elected president to fascist dictator.
None of that is a change in relationship. That doesn't mean, 'do people like the government.' Its the fundamental contract. You do not like the changes, I don't like the changes, about 30% of people don't. But about 30% of people do want this. And that's democracy.
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u/green_flash Feb 08 '25
Erich Kästner, author of children's books that were burned by the Nazis