Leopards Ate My Face

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Leopard Voters Got What They Wanted – Those who expect that the leopard will hurt others, and not them, are likely to be unpleasantly surprised. (www.theatlantic.com)

submitted 1 week ago by TheTechnician27@lemmy.world to c/leopardsatemyface@lemmy.world

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[–] N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 1 week ago (9 children)

Last worries that we might now be in a transition to authoritarianism of the kind Russia went through in the 1990s, but I visited Russia often in those days, and much of the Russian democratic implosion was driven by genuinely brutal economic conditions and the rapid collapse of basic public services. Americans have done this to themselves during a time of peace, prosperity, and astonishingly high living standards. An affluent society that thinks it is living in a hellscape is ripe for gulling by dictators who are willing to play along with such delusions.

This is the problem. Americans are not living "affluent" lives. They may have iphones and Netflix, but they are struggling to make rent and buy groceries. Their credit cards are getting maxed out. And their wages are staying flat, certainly relative to the sharp increase in the price of everything.

Americans are hurting economically right now. I wouldn't compare the situation to Russia, but seeing your bank account disappear, your debt grow, and no solution in sight is a recipe for desperation.

It was the economy, stupid.

[–] Gsus4@mander.xyz 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

But the "economy" on paper is indeed fine, there is just itty detail that it doesn't trickle down to most voters, who will then seek shelter from these madmen with the other idiot they find selling an even worse alternative...

It's so inflexible that the american system only enables two parties.

[–] Aqarius@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

The stock market is fine. It's just often confused for the economy.

[–] veganpizza69@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

The trickle down thing was obviously wrong many decades ago. Now it's only said ironically.

Not only do the 'spoils' at the stock market not trickle down, but Trump is probably going to give a huge tax cut to rich people in his first week as president in 2025. The only way it can trickle down realistically is by high taxes on the rich paired with UBI or federal jobs programs, which isn't something that Republicans would do. The Private Public Partnership model also favors the rich as the private company owners and executives take most of the gains while paying terrible wages to everyone else. Hence, "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer".

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