ArishMell · 70-79, M
I do not know if you have any one particular country in mind, but we've certainly a right to be very wary of the one remaining major Communist power - the People's Republic of China.
However we need also take account of an unhealthy rise in many countries, even in Europe, of hard-line far-Right ideologues, either groups or individuals; and indeed of governments of such persuasions who exploit and manipulate for their own ends, genuine fears and resentments among their electorates.
One might class among these the people recently arrested in Germany, who hanker after the sort of political system it had in the 1880s. I think though those in a class of their own, not reflected in the likes of Putin, Orban or Erdogan.
When faced with threats from far-Left or far-Right - or from their hard-line theocrat equivalents - the question should not just be, what are these people are saying and how much support do they gather.
- We should also understand why they say it and why it finds support; bearing in mind the reasons will be highly specific to their particular country's culture and domestic problems.
- We should also consider how to face the threats, both by side-lining the people and by identifying and dealing with whatever real grievances they might be using, while not helping feed the dogmatists' mere power-lust. Get it wrong and you risk admitting implicitly the would-be dictators' ideas might be correct all along!
These, too without falling into the mass-hysteria trap that leads to reactions fundamentally just as dogmatically bad as the ideology they are trying to dismantle.
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There is though a further hazard for democracy. It is called "social media ", and I do not just mean the professional propaganda magazines, false accounts and naked interference from hostile powers.
However we need also take account of an unhealthy rise in many countries, even in Europe, of hard-line far-Right ideologues, either groups or individuals; and indeed of governments of such persuasions who exploit and manipulate for their own ends, genuine fears and resentments among their electorates.
One might class among these the people recently arrested in Germany, who hanker after the sort of political system it had in the 1880s. I think though those in a class of their own, not reflected in the likes of Putin, Orban or Erdogan.
When faced with threats from far-Left or far-Right - or from their hard-line theocrat equivalents - the question should not just be, what are these people are saying and how much support do they gather.
- We should also understand why they say it and why it finds support; bearing in mind the reasons will be highly specific to their particular country's culture and domestic problems.
- We should also consider how to face the threats, both by side-lining the people and by identifying and dealing with whatever real grievances they might be using, while not helping feed the dogmatists' mere power-lust. Get it wrong and you risk admitting implicitly the would-be dictators' ideas might be correct all along!
These, too without falling into the mass-hysteria trap that leads to reactions fundamentally just as dogmatically bad as the ideology they are trying to dismantle.
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There is though a further hazard for democracy. It is called "social media ", and I do not just mean the professional propaganda magazines, false accounts and naked interference from hostile powers.
scrood · 31-35
I don't like them but I do NOT fear the evil ones