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lysace · 9 months ago
We presume that things that have been stable for hundreds of years will continue to be stable by just some sheer force of history. This is a falsehood.

See also: the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect

> The Lindy effect (also known as Lindy's law) is a theorized phenomenon by which the future life expectancy of some non-perishable things, like a technology or an idea, is proportional to their current age.

asplake · 9 months ago
Implying an memoryless distribution (eg exponential) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorylessness

In the absence of other information it might be as good a basis as any?

lysace · 9 months ago
Honestly? Your comment makes me feel like I'm in a Curb your enthusiasm show.

Except I'm not and much more clever people are working this brand new world, and I really hope they get it right.

smrtinsert · 9 months ago
After reading this article read up on the constitutional flaws in the Weimar Republic. It is fascinating to see how a country can be ultimately brought down by its own legal structure if it's not designed well.
InTheArena · 9 months ago
Yes. Constitutional change or emergency decrees are a fundamental threat to democracy. I read an article last week from a fscking dean of law from Berkeley arguing that we should hold a constitutional convention so we could sneak in an abolition of the constitution.

I fear we are in a world where we’re are simply going to be rotating dictators every 4-8 years unless power is reclaimed from government.

lysace · 9 months ago
It is something else to see it happen in real-time.

Like a month ago I was defending e.g. Musk against uninformed attacks online.

iJohnDoe · 9 months ago
Great article. One classic lesson here is, “Don’t underestimate your opponent.” A powerful opponent is one where they are aware they are being underestimated.

Everyone thought he was a “comical figure”. A lot of people said Trump wouldn’t win. Well, they were a bit surprised.

The scary thing this time is that more women voters and more democrats needed to get out and vote for Harrison. Failed opportunity. The second scary thing is we see everything happening in real-time with all the knowledge of the past and those in power aren’t doing enough. Second failed opportunity.

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jaybrendansmith · 9 months ago
At what point do we fight or flee?
cyberlurker · 9 months ago
The frustrating thing is our elected and appointed officials should have been fighting this furiously. Jan 6th should have resulted in actual consequences.
InTheArena · 9 months ago
I read another article by this author recently it wasn’t impressed, but this is a pretty impressive piece.

The one thing I wish the author went into is the piece: Why is it that people dismissed Hitler with their stereotype of “the small man“ ?

I would argue that it was because of confirmation biases and an overwhelming sense that everyone saw the world the same way that they did, and anyone who did not was not worth taking seriously. They saw the benefits of individual rights, liberalism and socialism.

This is especially important because Hitler’s appeal was rooted and rejecting the international order. Rejecting how far Europe in general, and Germany in particular had fallen.

He saw how the economic order that was so catastrophic to the Germans and connected with Germans who were already disenchanted with liberal and press elites.

The fact that he really did not have any solutions other than scapegoating and war for each of those things didn’t really matter because he saw and tapped into anger that others ignored. That made them adore him.

I think the Hitler and Trump comparisons are catastrophic bad and misplaced (you can easily convince me of more parallels to Mussolini) - but in this sense, I think ithe comparison here makes easier to understand why Trump supporters see the bile and disregard that the media and political opponents as badges of honor - they increase, not decrease their adoration of him.

watwut · 9 months ago
German elites were not liberal nor internationally focused. What are you going on in here. German elites were conservative and generally aristocratic pro-monarchy leaning.

Hitlers program went very much beyond scapegoating - he demanded more land for Germans as in more "living space". He demanded to build stron nation

Oh, he has seen empathy as weakness, word as competition where winners have no responsibility to loosers. Musk and other conservative representatives nazi salute are perfectly fitting.

InTheArena · 9 months ago
You seem to think the monarchists were the only elites. The three parties in control - the catholic center party, the SPD and others were relatively liberal and associated with the Weimar government.

The monarchists did not have any real power until the last dying days of the Weimar Republic - which violence between the communists (who had split from the SPD after the failed revolutions) and nazis had accelerated dramatically. (Along with the collapse of international finance and easy American loans).

It was the collapse of the three parties that led to the rise of the militarists (not necessarily monarchists) and ultimately to Hitler.

Sources - Richard Evan’s three volume history of nazi germany is great.

cyberge99 · 9 months ago
Trump never laughs because it makes him look weak.
vunderba · 9 months ago
Trump is a constant reminder that it has almost always been easier to build a fanatical following based on mutual hatred then mutual love.

"You hate X? I hate X too".

impendingchange · 9 months ago
And burning crosses on front lawns brings people together like nothing else.
InTheArena · 9 months ago
Welcome to the last 28 years of American political parties. Hating republicans/democrats has been the single simply rallying cry of our political system since George H Bush left office.

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