The people who have not been and will not be duped by Carlson , or "Tucker," are those millions of Americans under the yoke of neoliberalism and in lifelong bondage to the banks: it takes more than propaganda to make you believe you're not half starved when you are, or that you are better off without that lifesaving operation you can't afford. Blaming China or Russia is a ruse with a short shelf life. The whole idea behind democracy is that it is virtually impossible to control indefinitely and subtly, people who are deeply dissatisfied.
Good point. The experience of everyday life (paying bills, insecure employment, social breakdown) is a force for reality all its own. No propaganda can match it. America is a low trust, low cohesion, society that prioritises the interests of the few over the many. The increasing use of scare tactics and scape-goats is proof that the system is under pressure.
Yes, such tactics have limited use, and they must know that. They've bet the rent that Russia will cave before they do, utterly. That of course is rank stupidity.
The decision-making elite have no personal experience of the kind of lives led by the Western masses, let alone the experience of ordinary Russians. Social and cultural distance disables them.
You had me till you mentioned democracy, even the founding fathers in their writings explain it's a con-job, and it's only gone downhill from there. Even Saint FDR was busy buying time till external threats were done away with. Worst thing to happen to American working class was the collapse of the Soviet Union, no threat means no hold bared on beating down the peonage. Now they need to get rid of China and Russia so they can finish the job.
The idea of socialist democracy is valid and has a very mainly unofficial historical record: no one wants to be enslaved. The democracy we have is not the one we deserve or are told exists, but it does impose expectations, and that is significant: you can't make something happen of you have no concept of it. So "western democracies" must put up some kind of show, keep the true power structure under wraps, or the game is up totally. The system needs the support of the populace in this regard and is inhibited in its methods. So power will try to avoid a showdown, and that will be difficult because the "lesser evil" tactic can't be flogged forever.
Could not agree more! Liberal capitalism was a response to the fear of revolution from below. Once d'etente was firmly entrenched and it was clear that the USSR was not a pressing threat, the push to weaken unions began. After the USSR fell, oligarchs became bolder and bolder. And there is no reason to believe that business would not push living standards down to Zimbabwean levels if they could.
The people who have not been and will not be duped by Carlson , or "Tucker," are those millions of Americans under the yoke of neoliberalism and in lifelong bondage to the banks: it takes more than propaganda to make you believe you're not half starved when you are, or that you are better off without that lifesaving operation you can't afford. Blaming China or Russia is a ruse with a short shelf life. The whole idea behind democracy is that it is virtually impossible to control indefinitely and subtly, people who are deeply dissatisfied.
Good point. The experience of everyday life (paying bills, insecure employment, social breakdown) is a force for reality all its own. No propaganda can match it. America is a low trust, low cohesion, society that prioritises the interests of the few over the many. The increasing use of scare tactics and scape-goats is proof that the system is under pressure.
Yes, such tactics have limited use, and they must know that. They've bet the rent that Russia will cave before they do, utterly. That of course is rank stupidity.
The decision-making elite have no personal experience of the kind of lives led by the Western masses, let alone the experience of ordinary Russians. Social and cultural distance disables them.
You had me till you mentioned democracy, even the founding fathers in their writings explain it's a con-job, and it's only gone downhill from there. Even Saint FDR was busy buying time till external threats were done away with. Worst thing to happen to American working class was the collapse of the Soviet Union, no threat means no hold bared on beating down the peonage. Now they need to get rid of China and Russia so they can finish the job.
The idea of socialist democracy is valid and has a very mainly unofficial historical record: no one wants to be enslaved. The democracy we have is not the one we deserve or are told exists, but it does impose expectations, and that is significant: you can't make something happen of you have no concept of it. So "western democracies" must put up some kind of show, keep the true power structure under wraps, or the game is up totally. The system needs the support of the populace in this regard and is inhibited in its methods. So power will try to avoid a showdown, and that will be difficult because the "lesser evil" tactic can't be flogged forever.
Could not agree more! Liberal capitalism was a response to the fear of revolution from below. Once d'etente was firmly entrenched and it was clear that the USSR was not a pressing threat, the push to weaken unions began. After the USSR fell, oligarchs became bolder and bolder. And there is no reason to believe that business would not push living standards down to Zimbabwean levels if they could.