A huge part of the rise of fascism in Germany was Hitler’s skillful use of media.
Most people got their news from papers, and formed opinions by talking with other people in person, and there was a robust culture attuned to those methods of information which enabled people to form a clear picture of the world, so that their picture was roughly in the neighborhood of reality. Hitler was able to manipulate the new mass media of radio so that he could distort and manipulate people into believing crazy things, because they still had the set of interpretations that were appropriate for an older set of media that wasn’t subject to the same type of skillful manipulation. It was really effective. It was a big part of what led a fairly democratic state to freely choose to elect a person who literally went on to kill millions, on purpose, when anyone who had a clear picture of reality would have been able to see it coming a mile away.
I will NEVER vote for Kamala Harris, because genocide is a red line for me, and she’s personally responsible for Gaza.
Politics is just too stressful, I try to avoid it.
I really think Jill Stein has some great things to say, I think it’s a shame that the duopoly is trying so hard to keep her down when she’s the only one who can really move things forward. I think I’m going to vote for her.
Voting doesn’t matter. If you really want progress, you definitely shouldn’t vote. I’m not going to. Why would you, even?
Whoops, sorry about that, I had some sort of fit at the keyboard. Anyway what was I saying?
It was a big part of what led a fairly democratic state to freely choose to elect a person who literally went on to kill millions, on purpose, when anyone who had a clear picture of reality would have been able to see it coming a mile away.
Just to be clear, though: Germany didn’t elect Hitler. He was appointed by the President at the time, Hindenberg, on the advice of the ex-chancellor Papen (who believed he could “tame” Hitler in his post as vice-Chancellor). See the wiki. Something I’ll find interesting if Kamala wins the popular vote and loses the electoral college.
Another quote from the same article, which has no relevance whatsoever to America and the GOP today:
Both within Germany and abroad, there were initially few fears that Hitler could use his position to establish his later dictatorial single-party regime. Rather, the conservatives that helped to make him chancellor were convinced that they could control Hitler and “tame” the Nazi Party while setting the relevant impulses in the government themselves; foreign ambassadors played down worries by emphasizing that Hitler was “mediocre” if not a bad copy of Mussolini; even SPD politician Kurt Schumacher trivialized Hitler as a Dekorationsstück (“piece of scenery/decoration”) of the new government. German newspapers wrote that, without doubt, the Hitler-led government would try to fight its political enemies (the left-wing parties), but that it would be impossible to establish a dictatorship in Germany because there was “a barrier, over which violence cannot proceed” and because of the German nation being proud of “the freedom of speech and thought”.
Just to be clear how quickly things when from “this is fine, we have this under control” to Hitler assuming permanent, unchecked, dictatorial power, he was sworn in as Chancellor on January 30, 1933 and the Enabling Act was passed March 23, 1933 - less than 60 days. By December, 1933, all other political parties were prohibited.
First past the post inevitably converges to a 2 party system, with all the frustrations that brings.
You see it as well in UK, Hungary, Turkey, …
Be carefull whenever someone suggests: the prime minister/president/… should come from the biggest party. It can take a few election cycles, but it ends up with a 2 party system, as that’s the dominant strategy.
Absolutely, thank God I don’t live in America cause the politics seem crazy over there.
I wonder what the internet would be like if it was around for 1920s-30s Germany.
A huge part of the rise of fascism in Germany was Hitler’s skillful use of media.
Most people got their news from papers, and formed opinions by talking with other people in person, and there was a robust culture attuned to those methods of information which enabled people to form a clear picture of the world, so that their picture was roughly in the neighborhood of reality. Hitler was able to manipulate the new mass media of radio so that he could distort and manipulate people into believing crazy things, because they still had the set of interpretations that were appropriate for an older set of media that wasn’t subject to the same type of skillful manipulation. It was really effective. It was a big part of what led a fairly democratic state to freely choose to elect a person who literally went on to kill millions, on purpose, when anyone who had a clear picture of reality would have been able to see it coming a mile away.
Whoops, sorry about that, I had some sort of fit at the keyboard. Anyway what was I saying?
Just to be clear, though: Germany didn’t elect Hitler. He was appointed by the President at the time, Hindenberg, on the advice of the ex-chancellor Papen (who believed he could “tame” Hitler in his post as vice-Chancellor). See the wiki. Something I’ll find interesting if Kamala wins the popular vote and loses the electoral college.
Another quote from the same article, which has no relevance whatsoever to America and the GOP today:
Just to be clear how quickly things when from “this is fine, we have this under control” to Hitler assuming permanent, unchecked, dictatorial power, he was sworn in as Chancellor on January 30, 1933 and the Enabling Act was passed March 23, 1933 - less than 60 days. By December, 1933, all other political parties were prohibited.
It’s the world’s most powerful military and largest economy, unfortunately for the rest of the world, we’re fucking nuts too.
Hey, don’t sell us short! We also tend to be ignorant and uneducated.
First past the post inevitably converges to a 2 party system, with all the frustrations that brings.
You see it as well in UK, Hungary, Turkey, …
Be carefull whenever someone suggests: the prime minister/president/… should come from the biggest party. It can take a few election cycles, but it ends up with a 2 party system, as that’s the dominant strategy.