Why does it feel that the evil sides globally are winning. Even evil people are winning. Why?
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The common version of the phrase…
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,”
The actual version of the phrase…
“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”
Unpopular opinion, but in the west particularly, folk have mistaken writing on the internet for action.
Tweeting resistance rather than performing it.
A lapse into inaction framed as radical rest and self care.
Online they are fierce warriors of justice, offline they go to work in Starbucks, use their apple devices to talk to their families and enjoy the treadmill of streaming services.
And this isn’t to blame them. This is the point of consumerist capitalism. To trap you in a gilded cage.
I saw on Mastodon someone say something kinda like this: good people don’t feel the need to dominate others.
Evil isn’t “winning” as much as it is “on top.” If you look around, talk to your neighbours and such, you’ll see that good and reasonable people are everywhere; good is the overwhelming majority.
That being said, positions of power are chased and coveted by those obsessed with power, and those aren’t good people. Good people need to take charge, but it’s — in a way — against their nature to do so.
Because the return of massive wealth disparity - similar to having kings again - has allowed those with money and power to bend the world in the direction of some form of dictatorship, whether it be fascism, oligarchy, whatever…. The New Kings are carving up society and want to increase control and profit, and an authoritarian governance is the way to do it. Just like how they treat their corporations. They are dictators, the little people are disposable production units to feed their machine.
- Rampant unchecked capitalism of recent decades has created large wealth disparities akin to the earlier decades of the last century. It is no longer possible for one person in a household with a regular job to support a modest lifestyle for their family. All benefits especially medical for the whole family, being completely intertwined with the current job reduces mobility and further feeds into the wealth gap by keeping wages low. It’s easier to blame the powerless for this state of affairs than the powerful because the powerless cannot object.
- The fear of the other has been accentuated by media and misinformation. Targeted algorithms feeding most of the information that is consumed has created echo chambers that reinforce existing beliefs and fears. The propaganda state has never had it easier.
- The large military and police has given never before control to the state about what is allowed to be protested. Combined with the day to day struggles, it’s extremely hard to come together for what is right. The ruling class is able to maintain the fine balance between absolute misery and general dissatisfaction that it is still better to struggle through a thankless job than to say fuck it. Failures of recent large uprisings like Middle East and Hong Kong have reinforced the futility of standing up against the rulers.
- Evil has many heads and there’s always one head that you can find alignment with. It could be the deregulation of businesses, lower taxes, anti abortion, racism, but as long as there’s one thing you can align on, the general sense of powerlessness makes it easier to overlook the other heads.
- The line between evil and good has never been murkier, especially with globalization. If you focus on the betterment of your community, it would be considered good, but what if it leads to suffering of others outside the community. Is it also evil? What is community - is it the people in your neighborhood, your religion, your country, fellow business owners? The fuzzier these lines are, the harder it is to untangle them.
We need more violent good guys
Everytime we talk about violence being the only way to create change, limp-dick liberals bitch about how peaceful protests are the only way.
Liberalism helped build this hell, and it’s determined to maintain it.
Leftist need to get guns. Now.
Liberals have good intentions at times, but they are ultimately toothless because they are pussies. I just have to roll my eyes at the people who you tell you to contact your representatives, but has never spent a minute at the range.
Do you know how you get people to listen to you? Let them know that you and people with similar views know how to operate a rifle.
Some good that’s done us. Country taken over by an unelected foreigner and nothing done. No shots fired, no defense of the constitution, no military honor, all those years of patriot bullshit and fugly flag and camo clothing for nothing.
Or you could just come up with a coherent argument to persuade them, rather than intimidating them with implied force. You’re not as tough as you think you are, shooter.
It’s not about being tough, it’s about saying, “no I will not be raped”. Apparently that’s something you struggle with.
So the republicans were right all this time? Wow
The idea of being armed as a deterrent to authority is historically true. You don’t even need to use violence, just being capable of it is enough.
Republicans worshipping cops while encouraging mentally ill teenagers to own 15 guns is not, however.
Republicans also utterly fail to realize corporate power and government power are the same thing.
You don’t even need to use violence, just being capable of it is enough.
This right here. Reminds me of a quote:
“Being incapable of violence doesn’t make you a pacifist, it makes you harmless.”
Choosing to be civil, and being capable enough to deter would-be oppressors, are not mutually exclusive values.
Republicans also utterly fail to realize corporate power and government power are the same thing.
This one ALWAYS bothered me. I don’t understand it! They freak out about income taxes and regulations and wax nostalgic about fantasy-1776 and scream about “freedom”, but their daily lives are more shaped and worsened by their hierarchy of petty bosses, who they’ll simp for and hold them blameless at every turn, even while grumbling about how their job is getting worse and then turning around and bragging about their “work ethic” and how little they slept this week.
It’s gotta be stressful holding so many mind-tearing contradictions together. It’s an entire ideology of corporate sock puppeteering.
I don’t understand the deterrent thing. The US dominates the globe militarily and the corporations responsible for the anthropocene extinction enjoy property rights enforced by that military. How is being armed going to stop them from continuing?
The US military hasn’t done shit but lose to irregular combatants for decades.
Yeah. When they invade and occupy countries for decades, they kill hundreds of thousands of people and eventually go home. So the plan then is for everyone to form irregular militias and engage in decades of guerilla warfare?
No, they weren’t… because they never made any effort to stop authoritarianism, and now are begging for it. The GOP will be coming for their guns.
The Second Amendment wasn’t always a party dividing issue, it was a solemnly held responsibility of American culture. Being a helpless subject to violence from others is a violation of personal liberty.
It became yet another convenient “two party issue” once neoliberalism’s effects on the human psyche manifested into shootings, and the GOP and NRA decided to make “gun culture” into an obsessive “loud toys for boys” fetish. This might have been around the time Gingrich was pushing to radicalize the Republicans to be as comically, ridiculously opposite of the Democrats as far as possible, doesn’t matter why, only that they were loudly opposed and won at all costs. That man is an absolute monster clearly going for a top score for when he finally makes it to Hell.
The other side of the aisle decided to go the complete opposite direction to create more “brand contrast”, so they decided to fear-monger and miseducate about firearms as much as possible so their most dedicated voter base became smug, hoplophobic disarmament absolutists, and pushed for wild ban bills and government registration lists and all sorts of other nonsense everybody knew wouldn’t pass…but it differentiated them from “Those other guys.”
(Seen starkly in the meaningless term “assault weapon”, or that many people believe you can just walk into any gun store and buy a fully automatic weapon, and CNN’s now-infamous “This gun is fully-semi-automatic” clip.)
This was convenient for the parties because it was yet another hot button “single issue voter” issue, which helped capture voters who wouldn’t even think about voting for the other party depending on how they now felt about guns. (See also: healthcare, unions, abortion, LGBT rights…)
It was great fun for those playing the game of politics (read: Not the vast overwhelming majority of us.), but as usual, it’s warped into an artificially polarized tribalism that’s wreaked chaos on general society.
So now we have a disproportionate amount of potential violence on the side of the big red bullies who are now so deeply entrenched in gun fetishization, prepping based on conspiracy theories, and toxic individualism…
And the official stance of liberals is “Um…a harsh reprimand and honest discussion about our feelings?”
Still, there are leftists who quietly take their responsibility seriously, (see: Socialist Rifle Association), but can we be organized enough to make an autocrat and his violence-obsessed pawns think twice? That leaves room for worry.
I would encourage people to at least have basic training in how to defend themselves, because things are both wildly unpredictable and repeating very dark history at the exact same time…
Yeah it’s all the same authoritarian ideology just with different versions of their daddy.
Oh, so where the abolitionist wrong to shoot up slavers?
LUIGI
We need more reasonable people who don’t believe in delusional nonsense like “bad guys” and “violent good guys”.
That only works if the other side decides to not use violence
More milquetoast pussy-aased doormatterie
Because good natured people don’t want conflict so they avoid it.
Bad natured people actively seek conflict and engage with it whenever possible.
Evil never sleeps. Peace does.
Have you ever cheated at a game, cut corners on work or purposefully did something unfair to get better from it yourself?
Yeah it’s much easier to win without any pesky ethics or a strong moral compass.
Good folks have been struggling uphill since the Ancient Greeks as long as there are folks trying to win with a different rule book.
Capitalism is dying because of unchecked greed and people are turning to socialism. The wealthy choose fascism. Until we have class unity. Once we bring out the guillotines, They will retreat to spending the rest of their lives in the bunkers they have built with their stolen wealth.
people are turning to socialism
Feels like they’re turning more to fascism
I also feel like there is always a constant portion of people who worship power and think they can squeeze a decent life out of siding with the powerful. So if there ever is any war, it definitely won’t be a clear cut class war. And the billionaires will do everything in their power to make sure the war happens within the classes first.
i don’t think it’s so simple as they worship power. i think there’s a very strong inbuilt desire to belong to an “in-group” when you feel insecure and vulnerable
and if unchecked neoliberal capitalism has done anything over the last half century, it’s made average americans feel insecure. financially and emotionally
so sort of the same reason there’s race-based prison gangs is the same reason fascism tends to flare up when the system is going through severe stress. just like when your immune system is weak and the herpes virus manages to break out. we always have fascism possible yet most of the time the immune system is strong enough.
2008 + covid + ukraine + more have left us vulnerable
Fair enough, I agree it is common to go for more authoritative figures during times of stress. Which also creates incentive for authoritative figures to keep the stress factors going. But I think there is also some innate desire in humans to worship powerful figures.
I think they worship opulence rather than power honestly. While it’s true that wealth and power are basically the same thing, many people you bump into in America don’t understand or believe that is the case.
“Once we bring out the guillotines”
Depends where you live.
I hear the hardcore revolutionary libs in the US have found a much more powerful way to defeat fascism… buy nothing for 1 day.The US has a really serious problem on their hands which is that their trade war won’t achieve anything. The US doesn’t make anything, it famously doesn’t make anything, the only reason that they trade with Canada is because Canada is close. Even then it’s mostly just food stuffs which Canada can make themselves.
But they have virtually nothing to offer internationally hence the trade deficit, that trump is so upset about, in the first place
I want to agree with you but there are plenty of American products I simply cannot purchase here in Norway. Often there isn’t even an equivalent. I’m not saying what they make is good, but there are things made in USA. Walking in to a Norwegian grocery store the first 20 times had me like, ok but where is like the MAIN, BIG grocery store?
Really?
When Canadians were going on about boycotting American things there was a question on here, or Reddit I can’t remember which, that was asking other people from other countries if they would do the same.
I remember thinking I can’t think of a single American product that’s even available for purchase for me to boycott. Other than quite possibly Jack Daniels but I already don’t buy that anyway.
I cannot think of any food items, clothing, tech products, or materials that originate in the USA that I would normally buy even semi-regularly.
A surplus of food is grown in the US. When you buy anything processed, it’s extremely hard to tell where all the ingredients came from. “Product of Mexico” could’ve been made with x from portugal, y from california.
Also there’s a good chance some of your gas comes from the states too, as they have been an exporter for a decade thanks to fracking.
Thats what concerns me the most. When the US realizes we dont NEED to trade with them, will they try to take our resources with force instead? This is why we need to build strong international relationships built around the US and their dwindling influence.
If anyone in the Trump administration had a brain they would already realize that they have nothing to offer internationally. It’s not exactly a secret.
Trump thinks that if he puts a tariff on imports from, say China, suddenly a bunch of factories will open up in America outputting the same cheap tat that China used to produce. But of course it doesn’t work like that. Attempting to take resources by force won’t help matters because America’s problem is not actually a lack of resources. It’s a lack of infrastructure and a talent pool so shallow that the ground is barely wet.
We’ve seen this with the chip factories that TSMC is trying to set up.
This is not the goal. Their only goal is wealth and power, just like Putin.
The Christian/Corporate Fascist Theocracies method to achieve wealth and power is to bankrupt the government, privatise all public services and land, remove the threat of democracy, and plunge the people back into feudalism… all while lining their pockets, exactly like the Russian oligarchs did post-USSR.
They do not give two shits about bringing jobs back to America or any of the other virtues they vacuously signal. They’re the kind of people who outsourced everything to China begin with.
But they have virtually nothing to offer internationally hence the trade deficit, that trump is so upset about, in the first place
I don’t think it’s fair to say that America makes nothing. A big part of that trade deficit (certainly with Canada) is down to the relative size of the consumer markets - America has a population of over 330 million people to Canada’s 40 million so of course America will be a net importer of Canadian goods.
Doesn’t explain Europe though. European market in the American market are almost identical in terms of population size.
And who you going to put on the guillotines? You own! People are getting so blind with anger
Speak for yourself
People are scared and angry and want action without thinking about the long-term gains only the short term. Creating fear is fascism 101 and how many rise to power
Because now it is affecting you personally. Before it was in the middle east or some random aftican nation where people dont speak english, and media make sure it is not in the front page. Reading some history of any conflict will show the root starting a while back but no one cares.
I think the issue in America, is that the Constitution only addressed political power, but failed to account for fiscal strength. Money is inherently a thing that manipulates the fates of individuals, companies, and nations alike. By not setting down rules, limitations, and expectations regarding economics, the Founding Fathers allowed a key form of power go unaddressed.
The vast majority of Project 2025’s major backers are wealthy people, who have far beyond what any normal person can ever hope to possess. This imbalance means that workers have to sacrifice much time, money, and energy to be barely heard on a single issue, while a rich person can just hire experts to massage every aspect of their many messages and to deliver it everywhere with a mighty voice.
IMO, we will need a Constitution v2.0 that fixes not only assorted political flaws like the voting system, but also prevents wealth from being a microphone that only a few can afford.
The constitution isn’t some Holy Document that has the power to shape reality. You can write in as many legal clauses as you like, but so long as you’re allowing a small class of oligarchs to control capital, they will use that power to influence policy.
I don’t have the source, but I am almost certain the constitution, per the founders, was meant to be rewritten every few years…or at least edited.
It’s not some accident or overlook that a bunch of slavers made a pact to violently enforce their privilege. That was always the point.
Another constitution sounds good until you realize it’s going to be same kind of people making it. And the state will still be an involuntary system of violent coercion.
My opinion on this generally boils down to that the system has been set up to reward evil/antisocial behavior, and this part of the system is so entrenched and well established and organized that it has not been effectively and completely toppled or eradicated in so long, it has been able to consolidate power and resources to a point where very few extremely evil people are personally in charge of so much of what happens that it seeps into everything. Actually “seeps” is the wrong word, it’s injected into everything. It’s like has been said many times in recent memory, the cruelty is the point.
For a simplified example, evil executives reward evil behavior by their managers, who in turn punish their employees, who lose control of so much of their lives to these companies and managers that they end up hurting their families and friends out of confusion and anger and other complex emotional reactions, and harm is perpetuated in every area of life.
It’s self sustaining, and even worse it replicates itself. In some ways I think of these systems as viruses. Also as cults. We all buy in to some degree.
The internet. It led to the following:
- Good social change occurred very rapidly from the 1990s-2010s, causing highly motivated pushback from those who didn’t like the changes
- Rising wealth inequality caused by tech billionaires increased incentives and capability for a small number of extremely wealthy people to seize control of media and political power centers
- Foreign dictator governments became more able to more easily spread pro-dictator propaganda
- Media became more decentralized, leading to some good things but also the hijacking of our psychology to spread fear and disgust for the sake of grabbing attention
I would just like to push back and say that the Internet was an open public project, and it has helped countless people across the world. Every single problematic tech that people are pointing to at the moment are closed-source commercial projects.
That is Capitalism at work.
Class solidarity among the rich. Rich people want willing servants. They want people to fear disobeying them.
