this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2025
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What is your line in the sand?

Edit: thank you all for your responses. I think it's important as an American we take your view points seriously. I think of a North Korean living inside of North Korea. They don't really know how bad it is because that is all hidden from them and they've never had anything else. As things get worse for Americans it's important to have your voices because we will become more and more isolated.

Even the guy who said, "lol." Some people need that sort of sobering reaction.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

American political system can very easily produce a new authoritarian leader, the president has much more power and with Congress majority can easily turn things around. The fact it hasn't happened before is a great achievement. Looking at everything Trump administration has been doing is to concentrate power at the top and to become new dictatorship. It wont be Trump, maybe JD Vance who knows.

It depends on what the Americans will allow to happen, cause I feel that Americans are getting pissed harder each year and many large protests will happen. Is it going to be a wakeup call to become democratic and sensible again or full dictatorship only time will tell.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

Nope. I see it as an autocracy run by an elite oligarchy.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

yeah of course. it's still a corrupted and broken democracy.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

People seem to think freedom and democracy are synonymous. Places can be free, but not have democracy; places can also have democracy and not be free. When a simple majority of the voting public supports cracking down on freedoms - you will have one of the two, but you can't have both.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

Yes, Americans voted for this administration

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

I guess, I'd say it's a democracy-in-progress currently. I mean, all democracies always are, but the US perhaps a bit more. Seeing the protests is a very good sign, though.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

No, because I'm sure it's passed the tipping point towards autocracy. There's endless different forms of both it and democracy, but it's a constant that democracy begets democracy and autocracy begets autocracy, so that's my "line in the sand".

In America's case as of now, all the checks and balances that used to work are still there, but they've been questionable for many years and aren't going to do anything going forwards, so they're functionally more like Canada's monarchy.

If you're looking for a perspective on what's normal and what's not, consider that when there's a big social problem in Canada, it's only a matter of time until a law trying to address it gets passed. That's what a functioning democracy is like. Meanwhile, there's been a known place in the US where no courts have jurisdiction to prosecute serious crimes for two decades now.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

That's a retorical question, isn't it?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Depends on the outcome of the next election.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Democracy is an umbrella term. These are the types of democracy the US is:

  1. Representative Democracy

  2. Constitutional Democracy

  3. Presidential Democracy

  4. Liberal Democracy

Types of Democracy the US is not:

  1. Direct Democracy

  2. Parliamentary Democracy

  3. Illiberal Democracy

  4. Participatory Democracy

  5. Social Democracy

So yes, it's a democracy.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

The short answer: yes.

The long answer: it will take a long time to completely dismantle a democracy in a country as big and complex as America. You don't just do that in three months.

All trump has done so far is move as fast as possible to make as much of a mess as possible in the hopes that some of his nutty ideas goes through once the system catches up to him. And the system will catch up to him and Musk and all the other cunts who are having their little ego fest currently.

I have patience. Kind of. I look forward to seeing the consequences of their actions come to haunt them. I also hope this period in American politics will be the wake up call America needs to hopefully bar politicians and political parties from taking donations from big corps essentially try to buy the government and weaken true democracy from flourishing. The US isn't the only country with this problem, but it is certainly neck deep in one of the worst outcomes of letting big corporations take ownership of a government.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Kinda. On how the voting process works in general, I consider it a worse democracy than Brazil, since nearly anything only gets voted if there's enough lobby money being thrown at it, not to mention the astronomic campaign costs. Each state having different voting laws makes the democracy weaker

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Yes, but hardly an example for a good one. Besides that, it has become a bad ally, if it even is one at this time, and a factor of uncertainty.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

For the time being, sure. I dint think democracy is a binary. Democracy doesn't imply a fair system or universal suffrage or a system where power is split.

Like for example the Vatican is a absolute monarchy and also a democracy.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It's what they call a "flawed democracy" now. It's not at the point where thousands of people simply disappear and every aspect of political life is dictated by one party's leadership.
But it's sliding downward.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Is anywhere really?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Sure, though the developments are worrying. If Donald gets a third term, I will consider USA an autocracy.

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