A Near-Majority of Americans are Authoritarian Racists (And They're Just Fine With That)

 It's one thing to be a racist, but it's another to be called a racist.

Here's what I'm thinking about as American Democracy collapses under international attack:

American Exceptionalism (wiki link, lots of reading)

    My current sense is "most people" think of the US as an outlier nation - above all others in moral foundation and righteousness of action. Because we think of ourselves as a dominant power, we feel we're immune to attack (Russia, China) which is partly why those countries efforts to influence our elections are working.

Racism (and Sexism) predict support for Trump

    A Google Scholar search with lots of results. Key insight: Trump voters love the raw power of racism and sexism. They'll die to uphold white supremacy. Worse, they'll kill, too.

 Narcissism.

This is America's "real problem" however it intersects with the above in ways that predict authoritarian outcomes. To Republicans, "government" = "police" = "state violence." Advertising media amplifies this signal to +1000 overwhelming our ability to create a reality other than theirs.

The Overton Window

It has moved to the Right after The Fairness Doctrine was struck down (by Republicans... of course) which makes formerly centrist ideas appear "far left" (i.e., racial justice, police reform, medical care)

Running thoughts:

• There is no American "left" to speak of, there is only a right wing noise machine that is basically a racist propaganda system. The "left" is a product of right-wing thinking, specifically "there must be an enemy to defeat" + false equivalence = "liberals are enemies!"
• Facebook is a right-wing propaganda amplifier and has always been. Yes, they can buy your data from other companies, but getting away from the ecosystem entirely has health benefits that go beyond mental/emotional.
• The sons and daughters of the WWII generation went on to raise a nation of sexist authoritarians who think Hitler might have been onto something in the first place.
• Internet hosting companies who have "de-platformed" neo-nazi groups have never fully answered to how/why they were platformed in the first place...

TOE's (Theory Of Everything)

 Peak Complexity:

• Predictable human response to complexity is seeking (or reducing to) simplest form(s)
• Some things can no longer be reduced (mobile phones, radio technology, internet, etc)
• All national and cultural origin stories are up for examination / deconstruction / annihilation. This is a worldwide existential crisis and predicts pockets of fundamentalist violence.
• Most "entry level" jobs are now specialised (barista) and require specific training or behavioral adherence (i.e, food safety standards).Early entry to the workforce is critical to long-term positive outcomes, and higher bars to entry leave too many behind.