Those of us who come from dictatorships should collectively think about the allure of authoritarians. It's something I'm thinking about a lot as I look at election results.
When I think about how much I adored Ferdinand Marcos as a kid, I remember how he made me feel safe because it seemed like he knew all the answers. I imagine that's a big factor. When your life is precarious it feels good to admire someone who looks confident, even if it's fake.
Also I think people underestimate how someone who seems to be on your side can turn against you on a dime, that the bad things that happen to other people won't happen to you, until it does.
Also I think authoritarianism does follow that boiling frog metaphor: the water gets warmer bit by bit and you don't feel that you're being boiled alive until it's too late.
Like, you know there are things you can't do or say, like criticize your leader, but you don't mind because he makes you feel good in all these other ways, until one day you wake up and realize you're in a prison of your own making.
Also thinking a lot about something I overheard on a bus in the Philippines after Duterte got elected. "They say he kills drug addicts but my family is dying of starvation so what's the difference?" Collective principles are less relevant to people the harsher their lives are.
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