In other words, the United States will respond to this crisis the way it has responded to other crises: with securitization and the curtailment of political rights. The grave term “domestic terrorist,” which gathered much traction in the days after January 6, paved the way for just such a response. But the insurrectionists were not terrorists. Their primary purpose was not to inspire terror in the general population; their purpose was to prevent the elected president from taking office. Unlike most terrorists, they acted directly upon their target, going to the seat of political power in the United States and attempting to seize power, following what they perceived as orders from the president of the United States.
Gessen, Masha. Surviving Autocracy (p. xii). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
One of the key elements in autocratic governance systems is the disinformation perpetrated by what in George Orwell’s novel, 1984, is called “newspeak” and “doublethink.” In Trump’s first term Kellyanne Conway labeled this practice as “alternative facts.”
Can you think of other words or jargon that are used to spread disinformation as autocracy infects the US in 2025?
One of the key factors that operate in the autocratic form of government is the degradation of truth and the denial of objective reality. Without agreement on the truth how can human beings survive?
For more click here.
