Serious question do you think the general population of our current era really has the stomach for a 20th century style totalitarian regime?

[Still-alive]

Apologies for kind of a dark question but I was just thinking about this and some do seem to agree with me. If the worst happened, we elect a dictator who ushers in a fascist totalitarian government and do what they usually do... genociding people or hauling them off into camps or ghettos... i just don't think people of our generation have the stomach for it. I think the moment anyone see's one of their friends affected in such a way it would cause such a huge backlash that it will stall the government from continuing to enact it.

Anyways what do you guys think? maybe i'm just naive but this is what i think. we just don't have the stomach in our current era with our smart phones, our conveniences and such to actually fully realize a holocaust if you will or a kmer rouge part 2.

Your thoughts?

I agree, people of our current era don't have the stomach for it

You're naive, I disagree, people do have the stomach for it

it depends

i have another opinion

[meetkitty123]

I disagree with you about it not being able to happen but not because we don't have the stomach for it...

I feel that such things could happen when people turn blind Eye and it may not be a situation where you don't have a stomach for this sort of behavior but I wonder do we have the means to protect our fellow neighbors can we rise up against our own government and overthrow it if such behavior was needed

We no longer live in the times of the civil war where every household had weapons and means to protect ourselves from the government and that is weird being said by me cuz I've never thought of myself as pro guns then again I've never thought of myself against them either

I personally do not own weapons or guns and I hate the fact that we have used them in wrongful ways I wish the violence with the guns would end but at the same time your question petrifies me what would ever happen in our nation if our government turns sour and we had no means protection?

Look at the history that we are founded on we have put people in "ghettos" or segregated or deny them equal rights from the beginning.

Example We have done this to:

the native Americans

Hispanics

Blacks

Asians

Jews

America is not without sin in regards to discrimination racism and in The help of attempted genocide of certain races.

Race discrimination and Injustice to continues to occur Even in our country look at a recent years back The Trump administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy separated over 5,000 children from their parents due to their race, with no tracking process or records that would allow them to be reunited.

Segregating the children

Our nation RECENTLY locked up children as if they were prisoners or worse animals they were kept in deplorable conditions at times.

We should not fool ourselves into thinking that the past cannot repeat itself especially when past behaviors have continued to repeat even in recent years.

[Still-alive]

Make bo mistake i still think in this scenario it will be very bad and possibly extremely violent but.. in our modern era even in places like Victor orbahns hungary people still sometimes rise up and protest.

And I think the thing missing in most people’s analyses over this possibility happening is the personal element. Once someone in their personal lives is affected that they may have hung out with or even invited over into their homes the fascists won’t be able to maintain their hatred much longer. And ultimately people will want to stop it from continuing.

Hope that made sense. If large swathes of the population rise up and revolt these regimes will not be able to keep going, yes even with how modern and deadly our weapons are nowadays.

Again there's no getting around how much it would suck for awhile but… there's a reason fascists regimes end up failing (the holocaust was ultimately a failure) and particularly in this age.

A lot of rambling but the gist is that once it happens in people’s personal lives eventually somethings going to break.

But i personally don’t see us going down this route, and i pray hope im not wrong on this.

[meetkitty123]

I too would love to feel the same as you of course I wouldn't want this to happen of course I want to see people stand up for each other's however the example I gave of the zero tolerance in the 5,000 children and many who are still lost in the system and have yet to be reunited with their families happen no more than 5 years ago.

So many people were involved in making this possible so many people helped tear children out of their parents arms and then toss these children's behind fences or bars no one stood up no one said this isn't right no one let go of the child and walked away saying I quit... All the people involved went by the policy that they were simply doing their jobs as they were told to do and that is disgusting.

[GOLDFISH_smile]

I'm not as optimistic as I used to be...

[Still-alive]

i usually am cautiously optimistic, i hope for the best but always try remain rooted in reality.

my thinking is just... when people say 'yeah deport them all' i wonder if they're at all thinking of that 'one friend' in their lives that it will affect. and once they see it happening up close and personal i just feel like they might have second thoughts.

of course there are always the hardcore types who will support it no matter what, but i do think most people are not that sociopathic, they do have empathy and the moment they see it happen to people in their own lives, they'll start protesting or demanding they stop.

Thats my thinking anyways.

[GOLDFISH_smile]

Yeah i see where ur coming from. My thinking is similar, but that it could go one ot two ways. Either they realize it's bad & stop it, or before they realize they are succeeded being brainwashed to start hating people they used to love, & distance & get even angrier forn"tricking" them into liking u. I rlly think it can go the first way & obviously I hope it does. I've seen it go the other way with people I've known tho, & that scares me. I don't know if they're just especially bad people or if it could happen to anyone if ur not careful.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

America will get a taste of how Russia is run, not very good feeling, can you imagine them being in office without getting re-elected?

[purplepoppy]

The first step to genocide is to dehumanise those you wish to exterminate and judging by a lot of what I've seen on this site I think America is well past that step. It's also been very apparent in the last few years how hate can quickly be mobilised via social media to suck in large numbers, the backlash against Bud light being an example. Should anyone stand up against it they're labelled WOKE or a Libtard

Most people don't have the stomach to work in a slaughter house but they still want to eat meat. People have already demonstrated their blind obedience to the party line and hatred to those who disagree. We all know what happened to Germans who opposed Hitlers oppression of the Jews, why would it be different when Trump does it?

I think 30% of the right would openly support or take part in genocide. The remainder would tow the party line because not doing so would be a woke lefty thing, they'd not take part but neither would they condemn it. The left would oppose it at first but once their friends and family went missing they'd lose the appetite for demonstrations etc

[MicahRaine]

People have the stomach for it, but only due to their total desensitization and lack of humanity.

Hot take:

Our movies and TV show have been becoming increasingly more graphic and gruesome. So much so that they now add graphic and gruesome scenes/images JUST to hold the audience's attention.

Not only that, but we've also reached the point in society where it is common and even "humorous" to encourage acts of unprovoked violence, whether it's beating or homicide or suicide or rape etc etc.
Just go on Instagram and TikTok and Snapchat. Like one or two videos with a violent joke, another video or two with an actual fight, and boom the algorithm starts feeding you more and more violent acts.
Also look up the "mob effect," in a high energy/ tensity environment it only takes one person throwing a punch to start a brawl and then a riot.
Social media often feeds and reinforces the idea that "other people" and "the public" is dangerous (purely because it creates a cycle of more and more "engagement" on their platform), creating the illusion (and then eventually the reality) of a high tensity environment wherever someone goes.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

It depends on what we're talking about and where.

In EU, there are already instances of authoritarian far-right govs, right now. And one possible sad truth is that we won't see it really coming as it could be done gradually. It is possible that people would not have enough collective power to oppose that, because people would be simply swallowed up by the daily rhythm of bills and earnings. Simply oblivious to political affairs because not enough availability, not enough organized, and not enough will.

Far-right is rising, it has many faces and it's not just in US, I'm afraid...

[Still-alive]

“ already instances of authoritarian far-right govs,”

But even in those far right governments i do recall seeing people protesting even still. The thing that ultimately allows fascists to rise are the people en masse. Once they lose control over the populace thats when cracks start to form.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

And that's why I talked about availability, organization and willpower. These three things are precious metal. In one sad scenario I can think of they will be too rare to repel an authoritarian structure to take control

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

To take or to maintain control

[goaded]

I'm not sure they have the stomach to stop one. That's the hard part. When the law has been corrupted so much that people can be imprisoned for disagreeing with their leaders, innocent people can be executed, nobody knows who they can trust, it's too late.

That said, a peaceful uprising by just 3.5% of the population is apparently enough to effect change. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world

[Lynx122]

We're definitely headed to some kind of drama I don't know what it will look like yet. Today it's a lot harder to pull that off because the nazies already existed so people will call it out when a country is headed in that direction but honestly I wouldn't rule it out.

[BetaBucks]

Definitely not possible. We have to decorate up our totalitarianism, and segregate the powers as much as possible to manipulate people into not feeling the exact same as if it were a dictatorship. End result is identical though.

[BetaBucks]

Reposting a comment from @ProbablyClueless because it shouldn't have been taken down by mods. Let's see if they take it down:

"Of course they have the stomach for it, are you kidding me? They prefer it. We saw that shit unfolding with the Covid Pandemic. Nobody thinks they're signing up for a totalitarian regime. What they think they're signing up for is a government that does right for the disadvantaged and protects people."

[katiesmuff]

I think it will go down in flames in just a few weeks from now!

[Still-alive]

It won’t. Quote me on it.

[PeachyPie93]

People wouldn't do anything because the army would keep people at bay. You give people power and if they are allowed to get away with being cruel and evil they will. Humans are the evilest species alive..

[Zack-Bann]

Pretty sure current Generation would fall hook line and sinker for a totalitarian regime that parrots their shared beliefs back to them


How do I know this? Because it’s already the case

[Astarlessnightsky]

People aren't that different and a second holocaust may only be a few years away, unless we put a boot in the facists face and prevent the far right push and brainwashing.

[msmissydc]

For the uninformed it will probably be easier. They shut their eyes the same way they do now, they dont have to think and they might even like it.

For the others its horror.

[Pete671]

Other, I believe people secretly crave a totalitarian society no matter how dysfunctional, as long as it's values align with one's own,,,

[BetaBucks]

100% facts. Just look at how much people worship the government and want them to dictate every aspect of our lives. Libertarians are constantly mocked by both political wings. People panic at the "what ifs" of not having the government control every piss we take. But like you said, they need the totalitarianism to match their ideologies. And they need the powers to be separated across multiple gov officials and bodies.

[Reijen]

Covid showed people will always have the stomach to abuse their fellow man.

[Maria2002_]

I mean January 6th Is proof it reminds me of Beer Hall Putsch.

[WhitneySnow]

I agree with you

[electromagnetic]

Nope 🙂‍↔️

[jojouzumaki]

I agree with you.