Fascism is on the ballot

[Bob Butler 54]

(10-18-2020, 08:06 AM)Isoko Wrote: Europe has a completely different energy to it and so does Russia. Europe is a continent of extremes. Extreme forms of government, extreme ideas, extreme tensions. Extreme is always the case in Europe. With the exception of Britain that follows more America (and always has) Europe truly is what I call the continent of the mad men. Lots of wars, lots of revolutions, its energy still lingers. Expect caesarism to pick up there and eventually take power. It is an inevitably until the people decide to go extreme once again.

As for Russia - the energy here is one of Sovietism. Everyone living together for the greater good. Everyone pulling together for the greater good. It was there before the Soviet Union and it is this energy that will eventually birth a new culture. Even the youth revolts in Russia still bear this same energy, "for the greater good."

Try it Eric sometime. Try to feel the energy of various places and you will know what I'm talking about.

In Europe, I see some leftovers from the Agricultural Age.  Each nation remembers when its tribe was on top, and it was inevitably when some tribal Caesar took charge.  There is a search at times, a hope that the current leader is such a Caesar.  Oh, for the good old days of fill-in-the-blank the great.

And that is great, perhaps, for the tribe in question.  Not so great for the neighboring tribes.  European history seems full of alliances to contain fill-in-the-blank the great.  Jarad Diamond in Guns, Gems and Steel included Europe’s many mountain chains that divided as a strength of Europe.  They were not united by the two great open river valleys in China.  Thus they contended with each other, were always striving, learned to be strong.

Another problem with Caesars is a tendency to be loyal to the military and the elites, not to the people.  They got strong by allying with the strong.  It took a Napoleon to complete the French Revolution.  My favorite Napoleon quote was why he did not favor a democracy for France.  “Who do you think I am, George Washington?”  To let go of absolute power...

When I see an instinct towards authoritarianism, or a rebellion for democracy, it is an old basic drive.  The people are against the elite selfishness, with the elites being the bad guys.  Tiananmen Square, Hong Kong, now Thailand, it is perpetual seemingly.

So seeing a cry for soviets for the people, I see a contradiction.  The Soviet Union was into perpetuating the power of the party, of the elite.  I could see an energy favoring the people.  An energy seeking a new Caesar is something else entirely.