There’s this idea that authoritarian regimes happen all at once, in some grand display of military force. Suddenly, the Capitol building is surrounded by tanks, fighter jets scream overhead, and pilots sit with fingers poised over triggers, ready to rain down bullets. But that only happens in movies.
Historically, authoritarian regimes arise slowly. A leader emerges from real angst, from the populist pits and the darkest elements of our humanity. The stories are easy to find, and I don’t think a deep dive is needed to make my point. It might be enough to remember that it took Adolf fourteen years to become the Führer—one could say he played the long game.
But why am I talking about this? Why today?
Well, because it seems obvious to me that we’re walking down old roads yet again. As if humanity—or at least a good chunk of it—decided to forget the whole bit about “never again” altogether. Here we are, once more, laying the foundation for nightmares to take hold.
“It’s all a joke.”
“He doesn’t really mean it…”
“He knows if he loses, he has to go.”
“He’s not going to try to stay in power.”
“Democracy is too powerful. Don’t worry.”
“That’s why we have checks and balances.”
We’re so quick to dismiss the words Trump utters, it’s alarming. There’s a sort of fatigue at play now, a numbness that’s taken over our emotional bandwidth. “I can’t bother with this... it’s just too much.” We trust the system can withstand these tests—and yet the cracks are forming in real time.
Before the election, there was a video that went viral for about ten minutes. Trump, addressing his Christian base, informed them that this was the last time they’d ever have to vote. All would be “fixed” if he got elected—and after that, voting wouldn’t be necessary anymore.
I remember twisting my head in confusion, rewinding the video, trying to make heads or tails of it. “Why won’t people need to vote?”
Some voices on the left raised a red flag, but of course, they were dismissed. They’re “blue-haired septum-wearing lunatics,” after all. The ad hominem always works when you don’t want to address the actual point. Sadly, that’s the intellectual rigor of modern online debate.
These first months of this administration have been disastrous for America—and I dare say that’s not a partisan opinion. For the record, I’m not a Democrat. But sincerely, it wouldn’t matter if I was. The only consistency this administration has shown is its ability to be consistently chaotic.
This time around, Trump has assembled a cabinet of sycophants who tell him exactly what he wants to hear. Blind loyalty to him—not to the country—seems to have been the most important qualification. Think I’m being unfair? Watch a video of his cabinet addressing him and prepare to witness trembling peasants kissing the ring of an unstable king. Every intervention starts with the same pathetic script:
“First off, I’d like to thank the president for his incredible leadership…”
This morning, however, I saw what I’d call a probe being deployed. New merch is out. An update to the ever-important red hat—the essential relic every cult member must wear. It now reads: “Trump 2028.” Because nothing says I love the Constitution like a third presidential term.
Listen, I know what the Trump fans are going to say. I’ve heard all the excuses. Which one shall we pick today? Triggering the libs? Yes, that old classic. I’m sure that’s how they justify it—but I’m not buying it.
When Trump said the only way he’d lose the 2020 election was if it were stolen from him, everyone laughed it off. People I respect told me there was no way he’d try to stay in power. “Our democracy is sacred,” they said. “Even he knows that.” Well, should I lay it out? It hasn’t been that long. I think we all remember.
Now, there might be some folks out there who think Trump turning into America’s Putin would be lovely. A strongman who takes no shit and puts “America First.” But if I may be so bold—they’re speaking out of turn, and out of ignorance.
Putin hasn’t stayed in power this long because he’s adored. He’s stayed in power because his opposition keeps mysteriously getting penetrated with radioactive suppositories. I’d hardly call that a democracy, would you?
At any rate, at the risk of being called hysterical or ridiculous, I say we ought not to let this one pass. He’s toying with the idea of staying in power—because that’s exactly what he wants. He said so on live TV about a week ago, and even then, people shrugged it off. “It’s just Trump being Trump.”
Yet, the 2028 hats?
They just sold out.
MenO
A few days ago, I shared on here I'm on a little mission all on my own. My idea is to share short videos about my blog entries on Web2. I can soft sell Hive by simply including a logo at the end of my video, adding some hashtags, etc.
So, with that plan in mind. I wrote this blog entry, recorded a video, and then uploaded it to Twitter.
https://x.com/menobass/status/1915920375713612216
Since politics tends to be something occupying my mind a lot lately, it makes sense to start there. But, the topics could be about anything.
Hopefully this inspires other people to give this a go. Write blogs, make videos, share them on web2 and point back here, back to our home— Hive.
If you decide to do this with me, please let me know. I'll be more than happy to follow you and support your efforts. I'm still working out the formula, but I trust that if more people get involved, we can fine tune this soft-selling technique way faster.
Anyways, I think that's enough for today.
MenO
