Actually, I don’t exactly have no respect for authority. I have no respect for authoritarians. Anyone who thinks they can be obeyed without question . . . well, I question that. That’s one of the reasons I never joined the military. I understand that necessity of authority and discipline for military structures to work. That doesn’t mean it’d work for me.
Sure, I was in a fire department with a command structure similar to the military. That similarities are only surface deep. I followed my commanding officers because I respected them and their leadership. They also were smart enough to listen to those below them. We had a saying “You can’t be a chief without all the little Indians.”
Backstopping all that was the fact I worked in a union shop. The union had my back. Conflicts with “the leadership” were often resolved in favor of the little guys. Just the fact the union was there kept the worse abuses in check.
With that background it puzzles me the number of people who admire authoritarians. Many people in American even liked Putin because he was a strongman who could get things done. Now we see the getting things done part involves human suicide waves to capture a bit of dirt. Then there are the crimes against humanity like missile attacks on hospitals. In spite of his crimes there are those in the west who still admire him.
I don’t even like authoritarians who agree with most of the things I support. They may agree with me now, but there are no checks and balances to keep them agreeing with me. During Hitler’s rise he purged many of the allies who got him into power.
US politicians can still make gains with authoritarian agendas. I don’t know why people stand for it. Maybe they never had a decent History class? Maybe I know too much History?
At any rate, I personally think the general appeal of the authoritarian is coming to an end. There will always be a core of people who support that sort of thing. However, they won’t be enough to get their pocket Hitlers elected. That’s my hope anyway.
-Sixbears
Truth is the first and constant casualty in War.
ReplyDelete“The truth deserves a bodyguard of lies.”
― Winston S. Churchill
So far, the media has been proven wrong time after time in but a few weeks from their "latest" Russian failure.
I refer you to Russia's running out of Artillery Shells, then Precision Missiles, then fuel, then.... I strongly doubt human waves are happening unless you include the Ukrainians press ganging 70 year olds and teenagers into the trenches as shown by German TV.
Shades of the last grasp of Hitlers armies when the Allies on one side the Russian on the other eliminated all of Germanys Wonder weapons.
There is certainly a fog of war. However, there's plenty of independent sources that show how it's going.
DeleteRussia needed the west in WWII. Now the west is against them.
My Dad was a Professor of English Lit. that taught a Grad course on Orwellianism. I have all the materials for his class. The one thing I notice about "Big Brother" Societies is that there is a big push to get the masses to look one way as they try to hide the rabbit back into the Hat, just before the masses revolt and skin and eat the rabbit. I believe we are witnessing the beginning of a possible Revolution in the Russian state. Unfortunately, that will cause a vacuum that may suck many of the neighboring states into the war. What Orwell calls, "Big Brother" The Christian world might call the "anti christ."
ReplyDeleteRussia has a lot of what China needs. China is in a perfect position to take what it wants. They could do it by military means or they could do with economically. People make the mistake of assuming those countries are friends. They are not. Countries don't have friends. They have interests.
DeleteGood Point.
DeleteSo, what interest does America have with Russia? Or the Ukraine for that matter?
America's interest: War is profitable.
DeleteAmerica's interest: War is profitable.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should fly a Ukraine Flag for the Profit (for a few plus their whore Politicians) from their country's destruction and loss of life.
I guess that explains how so many politicians on both sides are wearing Ukranian Flags on their lapels. Got to show your corporate sponsors.
And why Janet Yellen ex Fed Chair
and current United States Secretary of the Treasury had to speak to Congress about the "Critical Need" to raise our debt ceiling the day before she flew to give Zelensky his next check personally for the cameras.
Money is all made up anyway. You can't take that stuff too seriously. :)
Delete6 Bears have you forgotten the days of your firefighting?
DeleteThe terror of the family scared of losing their children and home?
America is the arsonist here.
Every great conflict in history has spawned an era of economic wealth. Not from flying flags, but from manufacturing the weapons and munitions carried on the backs of children, and right behind is unimaginable technology. Profitable. Truth is not pleasant. Death is inevitable.
DeleteDo you really believe that John?
ReplyDeleteYou somehow link great conflict with economic wealth?
Then nobody here needs worry about their retirement money running out eh?
The Marshall Plan restored Europe.
The Massive economic collapse from WW1 caused WW2.