Democracy Down

Is authoritarianism creeping over our democracy? How would we know? What indicators should we look for?

In a 2017 article entitled “Increasingly a Necessity: A 15-Point Guide to Surviving Authoritarianism”, authors Kelli Holloway and Martin Myclielski suggested criteria based on Myclielski’s own experience in Poland. Indicating how subtle the movement might be Holloway noted, “But if there’s any hope, it will only come from recognizing the reality of what’s happening here, how much damage is being done, how much earth is already scorched”.

Their number one rule is, “Always think critically and fight ignorance with facts.”

These items below are the authors’ criteria to watch. Comparing these with what has been happening in the good ole US, are there any behaviors that might indicate we are moving toward authoritarianism?

“1. They will come to power with a campaign based on fear, scaremongering and distorting the truth.”

“2. They will divide...”

“3. Through…threats they will try to control mainstream media and limit press freedom.”

“4. They will create chaos, maintain a constant sense of conflict and danger.”

“5. They will distort the truth, deny facts and blatantly lie.”

“6. They will incite and then leak fake, superficial “scandals.”

“7. They will propose shocking laws to provoke your outrage.”

“8. When invading your liberal sensibilities they will focus on what hurts the most — women and minorities.”

“9. They will try to take control of the judiciary.”

“10. They will try to limit freedom of assembly, calling it a necessity for your security.”

“11. They will distort the language, coin new terms and labels, repeat shocking phrases until you accept them as normal and subconsciously associate them with whom they like.”

“12. They will take over your national symbols, associate them with their regime, remake them into attributes of their power.”

“13. They will try to rewrite history to suit their needs and use the education system to support their agenda.”

“14. They will alienate foreign allies and partners, convincing you that you don’t need them.”

“15. They will…manipulate the electoral system.”

Applying these criteria, do you see any evidence, slight or otherwise, of the US sliding toward authoritarianism? Think about it! Democracy has been good; hasn’t it?