this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2025
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[–] ExtremeDullard@piefed.social 144 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

It's not news. My personal date for the start of dictatorship in the United Stated is March 14, 2025: that's the first instance of Trump and his henchmen disobeying a court decision.

[–] Professorozone@lemmy.world 101 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

I think it was earlier, when the supreme Court ruled that the president could do what he wanted as long as it was part of his duties and THEY get to decide what is part of his duties.

Yes I did say duty. Grow up.

[–] Assassassin@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Mans be getting his duties all over the constitution

[–] Professorozone@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago

Thank you for this because I wasn't serious about growing up. Never grow up!

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[–] pulsewidth@lemmy.world 53 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

IMO it's the day he took power the second time.

As he said plainly, "I'll be a dictator from day one". And then millions of Americans looked at his record, looked at all the crimes he'd been found guilty of, considered his promise, and voted for him anyway.

Real Darwin Award shit.

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[–] Mk23simp@lemmy.blahaj.zone 45 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I would trace it back to September 11, 2001 at least. Specifically, the highly authoritarian response to that. There's a direct line from what the US government started doing then to what they're doing now.

[–] thefluffiest@feddit.nl 14 points 2 weeks ago

Yes indeed. Bin Laden can be proud, the terrorists won

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[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 25 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

It happened November 5th 2024 when he, Elon and Putin stole the election. We've been cooked ever since.

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[–] yesman@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

1832 called and wants to remind you of Worcester v. Georgia. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Worcester-v-Georgia

[–] chunes@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

My date is 2014 when a Princeton study concluded that the USA is not a democracy, but an oligarchy.

[–] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 91 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

They decided to wait and see if Trump won, and if Homan then accepted bribes. It would be a much more airtight case. So the Biden people handed the investigation off to the Trump people, no doubt holding out the vain hope that the career people would persuade the political people that someone taking a bag of cash was something that ought to be investigated.

The fucking ineptitude of the Liberal elites never ceases to amaze me.

[–] RenLinwood@lemmy.blahaj.zone 30 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

They're not inept, they're corrupt

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[–] MBech@feddit.dk 15 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

The reality is that the democrats would much rather have a fascist dictatorship, than work in the interest of the people. The answer to "why?" has always, and will always be "money". They sold out the american people to fascists, because openly taking bribes is more important than the lives of minorities.

The democrats have held a trifecta of power twice in the past 15 years, and both times they have managed to do absolutely fuck all. Why? Because they weren't paid to actually do any of the things they promised their voters. They just used those talking points because people would vote for them.

[–] zqps@sh.itjust.works 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

More specifically, because they need to maintain the capitalist status quo that they sincerely believe in (it works for them!), so they believe fascism to be the lesser evil. And they think they can control fascism, just like last time.

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[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 60 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

This headline is so fucking wrong it might as well be misinformation...

Like, it's the same flawed thinking that says there can't be a communist democracy.

We're 100% an oligarchy, and a sham if a democracy...

But that's not new at all, trump is just terrible at hiding shit.

Telling people "America isn't a democracy" like some just changed isn't helping anything

[–] ToastedRavioli@midwest.social 22 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Quasi-democracy is probably the best way to put it. To be an outright oligarchy that would have to be a more explicit thing. Instead we have what masquerades as a democracy despite actually functioning as an oligarchy

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 19 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Instead we have what masquerades as a democracy despite actually functioning as an oligarchy

Just like every other oligarchy...

I'll never understand why people legitimate think people used to run around saying:

I'm evil, am doing evil things, everyone knows it, but no one will stop me.

Propaganda has been around since Og told everyone Grog just fell over for no reason and hit his head on that rock 5-10 times.

Even back to "real" oligarchs like medieval royalty, none of the peasants thought it was an oligarchy at the time. They thought royalty was chosen by God and who were they to argue with God?

By your metric of people needing to recognize in the moment, we've never had an oligarchy and never will, and you don't even seem to understand that.

The only time the populace realizes they live under an oligarchy is the short time it takes them to have a revolution.

[–] PMmeTrebuchets@lemmy.zip 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Right like "we have what masquerades as a democracy" so it's am oligarchy, you're just too chicken shit to call it that LOL. What's under the MASK? Or did OP forget what "masquerade" meant ??

[–] Guidy@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago (11 children)

He may have cheated to win the last election and he’s at least somewhat likely to run a third time and cheat to win that too.

I don’t really give a fuck about your nuanced opinion on how things were before vs. now.

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[–] Cruxifux@feddit.nl 8 points 2 weeks ago (15 children)

Seriously. American liberals still acting totally unaware of what their country is is very on brand.

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[–] Zephorah@discuss.online 8 points 2 weeks ago

Stewart’s cast spoke with a professor who worked with our CIA to develop a predictive model for a country’s destabilization.

She speaks on this and calls us an anocracy. Basically the state of being between democracy and authoritarian which is, predictively, one of two key destabilizing factors.

She further states that by no one’s definition of democracy are we a democracy anymore.

Take that however you like.

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[–] pjwestin@lemmy.world 58 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I mean, Princeton released a study over a decade that the U.S. was no longer a democracy but an oligarchy. I understand that the author means where descending into authoritarianism, but this didn't start with Trump, and we left democracy behind a long time ago.

[–] Meron35@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

The timing is worse than that. The study was only released in 2014, but it used data from 1981-2002, nearly 3 decades ago.

Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens | Perspectives on Politics | Cambridge Core - https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/abs/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B

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[–] quick_snail@feddit.nl 43 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

There was a time when we considered countries where women couldn't vote as a "democracy"

The goal posts shifted. As they should.

In the 21st century, I don't think we can call a system without rank choice voting a democracy. The US has never met modern standards of a Democracy

[–] Obi@sopuli.xyz 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That eliminates pretty much the entire commonwealth except Australia, right?

[–] Soggy@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago

I think clinging on to inherited royalty is another big point against "democracy", no matter how vestigial.

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[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 41 points 2 weeks ago

The US briefly experimented with democracy during Reconstruction but that was quickly defeated and it never happened again.

[–] TuffNutzes@lemmy.world 35 points 2 weeks ago

Correct. The US is now one of those shit hole countries Trump keeps talking about.

[–] WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org 32 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Maybe none of these 1st world nations aren't what they say they are. Maybe they are more like farms and they have mastered the psychology to convince people not only to be the workers but also the product. Wealthy people making their product pay for itself to supply their greedy habits.

[–] justOnePersistentKbinPlease@fedia.io 25 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Tip to writers.

Please don't use regional persian slang for bribe when trying to sound sophisticated.

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[–] answersplease77@lemmy.world 21 points 2 weeks ago

This is only news for brain-damaged americans.

Land of the $2-trillion military budget, and the biggest prison population. and in the last two years, your elected policitians sent $30 billions from your taxes to a genocidal aparthied because they represent and serve the interests of another country

[–] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago (34 children)

It has been a uniparty for decades.

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[–] quick_snail@feddit.nl 14 points 2 weeks ago

Never had been

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 13 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Was it a democracy when women and people of color couldn't vote?

Was it a democracy when the two party system artificially limited your options in the voting booth?

I don't think it was ever a democracy.

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[–] carlossurf@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah the billionaires run that country

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