It seems prudent to write about something many in America have no clue about. What is it like to live in an authoritarian state?
Now, there is something to be said that Americans have no clue about it. It means that we've enjoyed the freedoms guaranteed by the constitution for so long that we don't have a history to look back on to remind us. That is a blessing, a miracle, and if we're not careful, a curse. Then, those who forget will wake up someday to a rude reminder.
I've never lived in an authoritarian state. Let's be clear about that. But, I have been to East Germany before the Iron Curtain fell, and have been to the east since. I know people who lived through the German 3te Reich and in the east as well. While I haven't talked about this to everyone I've known who resided in such places I have studied it quite a bit and have spoken with enough to know, it is not how you want to live.
I'd like to start this off by saying that people can learn to live with all forms of government. I remember talking with some friends while I was doing some guesting in the former East German areas and one thing they said was that many people would have preferred to build the wall back up. Life was simpler for them. They weren't accustomed to nor liked having to take care of things by themselves. Everyone had a job, everyone was basically poor, but everyone was taken care of and could do basically what you wanted as long as you stayed in line with the powers that be.
Now, if you had never been east of the former Iron Curtain you really can't have any idea how utterly dilapidated and grey everything was. Everything was old, twenty years behind the times, and pollution was rampant. The streets were all torn up, the new constructions were ugly and shoddily built. You should have seen the way they laid bricks. Literally a complete disaster. But, in spite of all of the negative they had a consistent and worry free existence even if they didn't have much.
If you look at the images coming in from the Ukraine and Russia maybe you will notice how the countries are. They are still ravaged from communism. The cities have been renovated somewhat, but if you go out into the real country you will find what life is really like there. A century of decay and now war and whatever improvements have been made it certainly didn't come from the old east. It all comes from the west.
This desire for a return to "the old days" for many is because they don't want to have to deal with the uncertainties of modern life in a democratic and free enterprise world. That requires too much work. Many would rather be told where to live, how to live, what to do, and not have to worry about 'voting'. There isn't any problems with crime, except from the state, because the police force is vast and powerful.
Maybe it doesn't sound so bad. Right?
Well, here are some things to remember when talking about living under an authoritarian regime regardless of which end of the spectrum it is. Left or Right.
When you have authoritarianism you have the same 'dictator' or 'king' for many years. Along with that you have the same government with the same loyalists who are all on the take from the 'strongman' leader and everyone is bowing to him. You can't oppose or remove them from office because they will arrest you if you try and you will die in an awful prison where you have no rights.
From the supreme leader to your next door neighbor there is a hierarchy of sycophants who are all on the take for favor from above. You have people who report to the government on your activities so you are always being watched by people who could be your best friends. Whether it is Nazi Germany or Communist Russia or East Germany, you had a hierarchy of power hungry people scraping for favor with the regime.
The justice system is basically rigged from the beginning to the end. All decisions are based in what the government wants. Nobody has any 'rights'. If they want to persecute you, they can and they will, and there is no recourse.
Nobody has guns. That is a given. When you travel you are always under surveillance from watch towers, from armed guards, to police on the streets and on the various modes of transportation. You don't know if your calls are being monitored or if your house has been bugged. You are always paranoid, always afraid, and always looking over your shoulder. You keep your head down and not get noticed.
The truth is, living in an authoritarian state is a miserable experience. Corruption is rampant. Strongmen rule the world. You have no freedoms and you learn to fall in line or be deported to a prison.
Everyone talks about 'fake news'. Well, in an authoritarian state all you get is fake news and there is no chance of finding out the real truth on anything. It is all programmed from the state. After a while you begin to believe the malarky. There is a lot of medal giving and handshaking all designed to do the bidding of the "Master".
So, if anyone tells you it is a good thing to move to a 'unilateral' form of government don't believe them. It is a lie. You may feel safe for a while but at some point the circles get smaller and smaller until one day you are outside the circle and an outcast of society.
Then you'll be forced into a false patriotism to wave the flag, to salute the "Supreme Leader" and to participate in the mass 'celebrations' or be considered an enemy of the state. You either fall in line or go to prison. It is that simple.
When we see the current administration try to fire judges and political opponents these are signs that an authoritarian government is on its way. When the party does nothing to protect even their own freedoms then all is lost. There is no more independent thought. It is all people falling in line to the Supreme Leader. Nothing could be more un-American.
Place on top of that the infusion of powerful business people who buy influence on the government through vast donations to 'the cause' then you aren't only in for a rampant, corrupt oligarchy, but also being set up for having any say at all in what happens. You become nothing more than a pawn on a chess board, easily sacrificed.
The circle of power gets smaller and smaller and the number of 'subjects' get higher and higher. The only way up is to do the bidding of the kingpin.
This is what is on the line right now in America. All of the 'hot button' issues during the election were only there to scare you into voting for a meaner government to protect you. They could care less about your issues. All they care about is power and they will lie, cheat, and steal to get it.
Okay, lets shift to travel. Americans have been privileged for many decades to travel freely in the world. The US Passport is the most accepted passport on earth. That is a real luxury. But, now, where the current government is launching a tariff war on our allies and questioning our participation in NATO these freedoms will likely change.
Throughout my years of traveling to Europe and back to the US, I always felt more anxiety entering my own country than entering other countries. I'm not sure what to expect now going forward. The US has become an unwelcoming country and that will most likely have consequences in our freedom to travel. I'm fully expecting issues the next time I travel and a lot of that anxiety comes from US border security. It seems they can just detain people any time they want. It is an abomination. I'm not saying you should have 'open' borders, what I am saying is that we needn't be so unfriendly in the process.
In my wildest nightmares I never thought it possible that the United States of America could become an authoritarian state. That is the last thing I thought could happen. But, right now American Freedom is under attack by the very man who swore to uphold the constitution. He has broken his oath many times already. We are possibly headed for a very dark century. I hope I am wrong.
America is in grave trouble.