Originally Posted by
Williamsmith
I think you have to separate the gun violence from the hatred. They are two different aspects married together. Mass movements based on hatred are comprised of isolated “loners”. People might disagree with me but I think we are about two years into a government that is quasi-totalitarian or totalitarian-lite.
As long as our Constitution is in tact, we cannot become a totalitarian government but Trump is chipping away at certain parts of the Constitution. His attacks on the news media have a chilling effect on the purpose of a free press and the first amendment. The fourth amendment has been compromised. The irresponsible way Trump massages the truth and warps reality, mimics tactics totalitarians use to present one “truth” to followers who want to escape reality while non disciples can’t understand the attraction.
Mass murderers grasp onto an alternate reality. None of this matters when an AR15 is pointed at you, or a .223 round whizzes past your head or a pipe bomb gets stuffed in your mailbox.
“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (I.e. the reality of experience) true and false (i.e. , the standards of thought) no longer exists.”
Hannah Arendt, “The Origins Of Totalitarianism”
In 2016, Trump made the following statement at an Iowa campaign rally, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.” He wasn’t just making an observation about his disciples dedication, he was implying that he was leading a movement that would challenge reality.