Ahh…Authoritarian rule and uncertainty as a main modus of it. People, who live under democracy can’t comprehend that when you are governed by a tyrant - uncertainty and thus inability to create any plans for the future will be your constant follower. You may think, that autocracy is “effective” and decisions are made fast. But in reality – it is completely the opposite.
Here is a simple example from Russia. Putin’s government decided to attack YouTube. But instead of blocking it – they decided to “slow” it down, using DPI. And from time to time they turn off this slowing down for different, sometimes plainly propagandistic reasons. Some right-wing propagandist has talked to Putin about YouTube – and it started working for a day! Then it will probably just be slowed again after a couple of days. Imagining being a youtuber in this situation. I may speculate – that some day during a report in AP or FSB someone mentioned some video from YouTube, where Russia looks bad. VIP get angered, and a guy, who has some financial interest in slowing software quickly lobbies his solution to this problem. Since then – no one from VIP cares much. There were courts, which demanded a clear legal status of this “slowing”, thousands of people were ending internet contracts with providers, businesses closing because of it. Mass media are always telling – that it will be “unslowed” or that it is not "slowed" in the first place – and from time to time, some propagandist is using this situation for PR. If there is no decision from the tyrant – all other branches of power are paralyzed.
Here is another example – in Russia a lot of companies, departments, branches etc. are working under constant “We will be closed next week” rule. Because of it – no plans, work is done badly, no one is taking any responsibility for anything. And year after year this “closing” or sometimes “opening” is continuing. When hierarchy of power is unchecked – inertia and uncertainty are ruling at the bottom.
There are 2 natural interconnected reasons for it: one – it is easy to manipulate people, when they are in an uncertain situation. Perfect example from history – methods that were used by Nazis in death camps. People there were always waiting for some transportation or other changes and in the end find themselves in a gas chamber.
The second one – the essence of the hierarchy of power. When only a tyrant, a top level boss can decide what to do – you have to wait till his attention moves to you. Until that time you are stuck, your world is on pause.
Open discussion of a law in mass media or in parliament or in local council is something that can give you a hint to the future, that will let you plan something about it. Prepare yourself for what is to come. When a tyrant decides something on a whim – you have to wait before that moment, not knowing what is to come without any clues.
In tyranny, like Putin’s Russia – there is no discussion; all new laws or orders are just given from President Apparatus (AP) to be quickly supported by all branches of authorities. You don’t have much time to prepare. You will be even in a worse situation, when you have a problem, that requires a decision from a tyrannical power hierarchy. Because you will have to wait a long time in uncertainty until some VIP’s attention randomly flies across your problem and maybe some decision will be made. Life is unpredictable and have a lot of uncertainty as it is, especially under capitalism, but when you live under tyranny this uncertainty will become an ocean without any land in sight.
#russia #tyranny #autocracy #putin #hierarchy #facsism #rule #politics #uncertainty #democracy #tyranny

As Trotsky write in his “History of Russian revolution” – «Liberal democracy is destined either to fall eventually to the left - to revolution, or to the right - to military dictatorship. There is no middle ground»
USA with its system of balances and 2 parties was standing as a living prove, that his quote is wrong. Will eventually this notorious participant of Russian civil war and revolution prove himself right about US and Europe liberal democracies as well?
No one knows, but there are some hints, that may tell you that things are going bad. And institutes in US are falling under fascist pressure. These hints are from experience of Putin’s rise to power and his crushing Russian liberal democracy and its institutions.
1. Mass media. There is an interesting thing here – you can buy big mass-media actors, but you have to do something with little ones as well. In Russia, there is a system consists from several levels of censorship. First – money related shadow ban. It is funny, but in order for some mass media to have any viewers you have to put a lot of money into it. And, If you are not registered in several lists controlled by Russian government you can’t get any donations or ads running on your channels or sites. US will have probably something like it – it will be probably related to combating CP or fake news or something. But little mass-media channels and outlets banned by something like this is a bad sign. Free speech is over for real.
2. Buying and assassinations of big oppositions leaders. Courts and official penalties are a problem for tyranny – whole process may mobilize people, but if there is no human – there is no problem. So secret buying and then making people to disband their supporters or assassination of some, who doesn’t want to take the money is a way to go. If big leftist influencers begin to disappear or suddenly changing their opinion radically – that is a bad sign. Legislative branch is destroyed.
3. Repressive culture-war related laws and snitches. These 2 interconnected to each other. If you want a net of snitches on a payroll constantly monitoring the web, snitch-apps to make a report on your colleagues who talk about politics at work – you have to create a law basis. It may be something like – anti-LGBT law, or anti-values etc. But the thing is – something vague, uncertain so snitches could do their work and choose the victim for state system. That is a sign of court system failing.
4. Strike on a local democratic level. Local elections probably will be banned. There are several tactics how you may do it. One of the most easy one (Putin has done it that way) – wait till something bad happens in some city, like a riot or even hurricane and then use it like a pretext to show everyone that elected city council or mayor is incompetent and everyone would be just assign by a president. For Putin it was Chechen rebels attack.
5. No brainer – change of constitution to rule till death. It is self-explanatory really.
6. There will be war. Fascism in politics always goes side by side with imperialism in economy and it creates a craving for wars. By the way for US to turn into Putin’s Russia-like tyranny it is crucial to make US military more independent from allies to do such attacks on a whim.
7. Minorities, Trans, queers, LGBTQ will suffer. They are easy victims for all fascist tyrannies. Since they don’t have revolutionary organizations and they presented in all communities – state could attack them in any way. But a red flag is laws that are called something like “ban on propaganda of LGBT values to kids”.
8. All existing mass media is turning into a death cult. If mass media exists – that means it is controlled by tyranny (see p 1) This means – families would break, friendships crumble and alienation will creep in your life. With snitches everywhere – you will have to keep your mouth shut about politics with your friends, family members, who you don’t 100% trust and others
9. Of course, there going to be a lot of firing of unloyal officials. Keep a close eye on FBI, CIA and pentagon. Putin already has FBI analog when he come to power in his pocket. But he had to crush a lot of resistance in military and intelligence. There were a lot of officers died for strange reasons back then. Trump will have to do the same. This means executive branch is failing.
Most of the world population is living under autocracies. People surviving in those and you will survive too as well. Life probably will be much worse, but maybe some of you will become real heroes of new civil wars and rebellions, isn’t it encouraging? Read revolutionary classics – Marx, Lenin, Kropotkin, Bukharin, Proudon, Engels, Machno etc.. Since fascism is a step back in history - there is a lot to learn from revolutionary classics in new conditions
And by the way – Guy is old, he may die.Tyrant is always a weak point of any tyranny.
#USA #left #elections #progressive #leftism #russia #putin #facsism #democracy #democracy