This, by the way, is what @TimothyDSnyder calls "governing by crisis and spectacle."
Yes, of course it's a distraction from the impeachment.
But Trump has been manufacturing crises since taking office.
Snyder explains that it's actually a fascist form of governing.
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Yes, of course it's a distraction from the impeachment.
But Trump has been manufacturing crises since taking office.
Snyder explains that it's actually a fascist form of governing.
1.
@TimothyDSnyder Source ⤵️ “Rather than governing, the leader produces crisis and spectacle.” (quotation from Ilyin, the Russian philosopher whose ideas inspire and guide Putin.)
Ilyin was a Russian nobleman who went into exile after the communist revolution.
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Ilyin was a Russian nobleman who went into exile after the communist revolution.
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@TimothyDSnyder An admirer of Hitler and Mussolini, he wrote guidelines for Russian leaders who would come to power after the fall of communism. (He died in 1954).
Ilyin believed fascism would eventually replace both communism and democracy.
He admired totalitarianism and order.
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Ilyin believed fascism would eventually replace both communism and democracy.
He admired totalitarianism and order.
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@TimothyDSnyder The nation, for him, was like a body, the citizens the cells. Each remained in its place.
Fascism = order.
Democracy & communism = disorder & chaos.
Ilyin disliked the middle class, which always striving for social advancement.
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Fascism = order.
Democracy & communism = disorder & chaos.
Ilyin disliked the middle class, which always striving for social advancement.
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@TimothyDSnyder Ilyin thought the rulers at the top should rule, and everyone else remain in their place.
He thus advocated oligarchy.
The task of government, for Ilyin, is to create stability, which which can’t happen with a middle class always trying to lift itself up.
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He thus advocated oligarchy.
The task of government, for Ilyin, is to create stability, which which can’t happen with a middle class always trying to lift itself up.
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@TimothyDSnyder Thus the task of the oligarchs is to preserve the status quo, which means preserving their own wealth and power.
But you can’t tell the people THAT. So you tell them the oligarchs are “redeemers.”
You find or create an enemy so you can "protect" the people.
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But you can’t tell the people THAT. So you tell them the oligarchs are “redeemers.”
You find or create an enemy so you can "protect" the people.
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@TimothyDSnyder OK, so if leaders don’t govern in the usual sense (devising policy to better the lives of the citizens) what do they do all day?
They create crisis and spectacle!
They identify enemies and “neutralize" them.
News becomes reality TV. It's all a show.
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They create crisis and spectacle!
They identify enemies and “neutralize" them.
News becomes reality TV. It's all a show.
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@TimothyDSnyder Putin consciously adopted Ilyin's theory for governing.
Yes, Trump is doing it on purpose.
Before you say he can't possible manage something like that, consider that he's a natural.
Also it isn't exactly hard. You just have tell lies and create crises.
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Yes, Trump is doing it on purpose.
Before you say he can't possible manage something like that, consider that he's a natural.
Also it isn't exactly hard. You just have tell lies and create crises.
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@TimothyDSnyder Snyder, in his Snyder Speaks YouTube series, suggests that Putin selected Trump because Putin recognized that Trump was a natural and therefore the perfect tool.
Trump is a natural at identifying enemies, creating spectacle, and lurching from one crisis to another.
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Trump is a natural at identifying enemies, creating spectacle, and lurching from one crisis to another.
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@TimothyDSnyder Incompetent, you say? ⤵️
He is an incompetent president of a constitutional republic.
He's an incompetent president of a democracy.
He's also a failed businessman.
But he's an extraordinarily talented fascist leader.
Really, one of the best.
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He is an incompetent president of a constitutional republic.
He's an incompetent president of a democracy.
He's also a failed businessman.
But he's an extraordinarily talented fascist leader.
Really, one of the best.
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@TimothyDSnyder All I can say is that at this point, nothing will surprise me.
@maggieNYT is reporting that Trump is doubling down on his threat to target cultural centers, and that he seems intent on escalating #IranUsa into a full blown war . . .
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@maggieNYT is reporting that Trump is doubling down on his threat to target cultural centers, and that he seems intent on escalating #IranUsa into a full blown war . . .
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@TimothyDSnyder @maggieNYT In other words, he's threatening war crimes.
A few months ago, I should have been certain that the GOP leadership would stop short of following Trump blindly into a war, particularly in the Middle East.
Now I won't be surprised if they say threatening war crimes is fine.
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A few months ago, I should have been certain that the GOP leadership would stop short of following Trump blindly into a war, particularly in the Middle East.
Now I won't be surprised if they say threatening war crimes is fine.
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@TimothyDSnyder @maggieNYT Schumer is promising to fight this ⤵️
(I guess Twitter is the new government meeting room)
(I guess Twitter is the new government meeting room)
@TimothyDSnyder @maggieNYT Think of it as finding a scapegoat. Fascist leaders create an "us v. them" mentality; they protect the citizens from "enemies." For example, when Trump wanted to protect America from the "invading" (homeless, poverty-stricken) migrants.
@TimothyDSnyder @maggieNYT My threads are also blog posts. This one is here: terikanefield-blog.com/governing-by-c…
@TimothyDSnyder @maggieNYT A few people commented that this thread was depressing.
Please, turn your anxiety or depression into action.⤵️We still have a functioning democracy. Our institutions are holding out.
We have meaningful elections. (Um, 2018 and 2019)
terikanefield-blog.com/things-to-do/
Please, turn your anxiety or depression into action.⤵️We still have a functioning democracy. Our institutions are holding out.
We have meaningful elections. (Um, 2018 and 2019)
terikanefield-blog.com/things-to-do/
