Perhaps this crisis of democracy is really part of a larger crisis, a crisis of "critical awareness." — Pantagruel

What do you mean by that?

Donald is grabbing what he can but how does that fit into the model you have in mind?

[Trump] is literally enacting fascist ideology, as it was formulated by a celebrated fascist ideologue.

Perhaps this crisis of democracy is really ... — Pantagruel

... what pluralities(?) of voters really want: "trickle down" plutocracy (i.e. Reaganism (B-movie actor –> reality tv performer) on steroids) – strong man politics, sugar daddy economies. Maybe a half century or more of neoliberal globalism (& keynesian US militarism) has groomed most(?) proles, or precariats, to demand "freedumb" (i.e. licence, libertinage) over liberty (i.e. accountably self-governing) and fascistic clowns like Trumpstain (& his sugar daddy Mr DOGEbag) are "the poorly educated" rabble's Id-wanking avatars.

Perhaps this crisis of democracy is really part of a larger crisis, a crisis of "critical awareness." — Pantagruel

I'm not sure that's a larger or even separate crisis. Lack of critical awareness has ever been with us: witness the crusades, the hundred years' war or the the Spanish Empire. People have always fallen for idiotic scapegoating and hollow promises. They have always allowed megalomaniacs to delude them into giving up autonomy and life. Critical awareness has never been our long suit.

Critical awareness is useful to predicate and justify the actions needed to remove the "megalomaniacs".

Critical awareness will not, by itself, eliminate the crisis.

Just an observation in defense of critical awareness....hopefully

smile

If you mean how is he enacting the fascist playbook, by

Radically expanding executive powers, attempting to dismantle the division of powers and co-opt judicial regulation. — Pantagruel

If you mean where does lack of critical awareness fit in, in getting him elected.

"There is no democracy with a class of 'over-integrated' haves (who are no longer under the effective control of the law, but control the law) and 'under-integrated' have-nots (who are under the control, but no lunger under the protection of the law).
~Brunkhorst, CTLR, p. 313

Critical awareness has never been our long suit. — Vera Mont

:up:

Capitalist Democracy versus Democratic Capitalism

I am, as I am myself discovering, very much a disciple of John Dewey, a champion of democracy and the foremost pragmatic philosopher and educator of the early twentieth century.

On the antagonistic relationship of modern democracy and modern capitalism, Dewey writes:

"Power today resides in control of the means of production, exchange, publicity, transportation, and communication. Who ever owns them rules the life of the country...by necessity."

Therefore, says Dewey, in order for there to be a true democracy, there must be a change in the direction of control, from "capitalist democracy" to "democratic capitalism." Whence,

"The people will rule when they have power, [when] they own and control the land, the banks, the producing and distributing agencies of the nation. Ravings about Bolshevism, Communism, Socialism are irrelevant to the axiomatic truth of this statement. They come either from...ignorance or from the deliberate desire of those in power...to perpetuate their privilege."

Further to the op....from the introduction to Behemoth - which is an analysis of the fascist playbook:

"the Third Reich developed into a “task state,” in which specific goals were entrusted to prized individuals outfitted with special authority in a fashion that cut across bureaucratic domains and the lines of organization charts"

If prized individual with special authority cutting across bureaucratic domains doesn't describe Elon Musk's role then I don't know what does.

It strikes me that the idealized concept of capitalism, predicated on free trade and the free market, really only exists its immature state. As it matures, it begins to undermine the very conditions that define it.

The forces that drive capitalism inevitably lead to monopolization and market-manipulation. Capitalism, in maturing, transforms into something fundamentally opposed to its original principles (as Marx thought).

This is horrifically evident, and even more horrifically ignored. The conspiracy of greed runs deep in the human soul.

Very interesting. I would add the observation that in large populations with a small political elite(which seems unavoidable in the modern world). Certain kinds of people rise to the top and often they are ideologically aligned with either this free market capitalism, or authoritarian rule. They are often sociopathic and able to deal with and thrive under the intense pressures of modern political life. This does not bode well, unless we can find a way to moderate our politics.

The scary thing is this has all happened before.

The making of a dictator

Cola di Rienzo assumed power in Rome in 1347. He exploited social discontent and promised to restore the nation's former greatness, utilizing inflammatory speeches, populist rhetoric, and nationalistic appeals. Upon seizing power, he initiated a sweeping purge of the judiciary and bureaucracy, replacing officials with loyalists while undermining established legal norms in the name of reform. His regime increasingly relied on spectacle and personal authority rather than institutional stability, fostering an atmosphere where opposition was branded as treasonous and enemies were ruthlessly persecuted.

Rienzo’s governance became erratic and authoritarian, marked by grandiose proclamations and a growing detachment from practical realities. His foreign policy antagonized powerful neighboring states, provoking conflicts that weakened Rome’s position rather than strengthening it. Internally, he curtailed traditional liberties under the pretext of securing order, employing coercion against those who questioned his authority.

The conspiracy of greed runs deep in the human soul. — Pantagruel

I'm thinking it goes further.
Among some 8 billion people, for just about any idea, you can find someone that somehow believes so, or defends the idea.
Diversity/plasticity is both a strength and a weakness.
Education might help.
Well, then again, someone will then say "education is indoctrination" or whatever.
And so ethics get relativized, along with whatever else.
:shrug:

I have always had an unshakeable faith in the hegemony of reason in the universe. I would have thought the spark of which must inevitably lead to morality. But I am beginning to think I was wrong. And it scares me.

, hence we fight the good fight. :wink: (wanted to type something profound here, but ehh nothing came to mind :smile:)

:up:

I have always had an unshakeable faith in the hegemony of reason in the universe. I would have thought the spark of which must inevitably lead to morality. But I am beginning to think I was wrong. And it scares me.

As a mystic I specialise in learning what we don’t know and I can assure you that we don’t know enough to answer, or address in a meaningful way, universal questions like this. When it comes to life, which we can address a little more. There is evidence of the reason you have faith in and the development of morality, or altruism. And evidence that it is not a fabrication of human intellect.

I know there is massive injustice and suffering in the world, but that doesn’t negate this.

In a sense, humanity took on the challenge, when eating from the tree of knowledge, to attempt to consciously demonstrate and act out this force of altruism in nature, with the freedom (a free choice) to do the opposite, demonstrating an inherent morality. Hence the cross(trying not to get too deep here).