What can reverse democratic decline?

“To navigate this moment, Americans must sustain a kind of double vision, recognizing that their country is confronting authoritarianism while not forgetting that avenues for democratic contestation remain open. Losing sight of either truth invites defeat: complacency if the danger is underestimated, fatalism if it is overestimated. The outcome of this struggle remains open.”

  • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
    10·
    6 days ago

    Reversing the United States’ slide into authoritarianism will require democracy’s defenders to recognize the twin dangers of complacency and fatalism. On the one hand, underestimating the threat posed to democracy—believing that the Trump administration’s behavior is simply politics as usual—enables authoritarianism by encouraging inaction in the face of systematic abuse of power. On the other hand, overestimating the impact of authoritarianism—believing the country has reached a point of no return—discourages the citizen actions required to defeat autocrats at the ballot box.

    This puts succinctly the complex thoughts in my head about the US’s fate. On Lemmy there are arguments where people accuse each other of being fatalistic or apathetic with no in between.

    In November 2024 my heart sunk hearing the news of Trump’s win from Canada, I don’t know how Americans were feeling okay with it. Yes it is worse than I expected but I knew at least some bad would happen.