“Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.” ― Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
Truth
We’re living real time in the first vestiges of Authoritarianism
Seems like the Trump admin set out to prove Arendt right as far as they could.
History is brimming with proof that oppressive regimes eventually come crashing down — but not before enough people put down their tools, and stand up to the oppressors. The French Revolution, The Russian Revolution, The American Revolution, The collapse of the USSR… We’ve gotten complacent.
MAGA has checked that box with an extra wide Sharpie.
Yes.. and those with talents are co-opted.. we see that here in the Media... please click on the red Frame to expand for reading.. bsky.app/profile/ogre...
To see this in action, just look at the Trump Administration!
This is a must read for everyone, especially Americans. Midterms? POTUS election? WILL. NOT. HAPPEN. We're there, we will not be able to get back what we had. The stats don't lie, the apocalypse that was ignored is out of the bottle, it's never going back in. cmarmitage.substack.com/p/i-research...
Wow are we deep into that too.
Better keep an eye on the current White House inhabitants
Crackpots and fools motivated by greed and self interest.
Hannah remains the expert on totalitarian regimes. She lived it.
bsky.app/profile/gene...
It's called kakistocracy & this administration excels at it! Rising fascism worldwide inspired me to write an allegorical trilogy on its perils: unjust war; failed democracy; race-based oppression. Get The Antunite Chronicles free at Libby/Hoopla or buy at bookstores or: amazon.com/dp/B0B1JNBCTK?
Arendt 🎯
A single company owning more than one 'social' media organization is a recipe for social manipulation and potentially freedom of speech and thought
That's certainly what we're seeing at present...👎👎
We are here, slaves to the system as always. But at least they disguised it better & allowed us some freedom. That's ALL out the window. America has fallen. The coup d'é·tat worked. We are living under an oligarchy ruled, authoritarian gov. Only gonna get worse.
Sure. Whereas would these despicable fools get a job?
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Exactly! That’s why we have useful idiots in that cabinet!
Hannah Arendt published "The Origins of Totalitarianism" in 1951. Nothing has changed. Trump Administration = Project2025 = Totalitarianism = The most foolish people in positions of power. This should not be happening.
People wonder why SV hasn’t made anything of real human value in 25 years .
THE ORANGE CLOWN IS TRYING TO ERASE AMERICAN HISTORY AND REPLACE IT WITH HIS OWN BRAND OF BULLSHIT WITHIN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, THE KENNEDY CENTER AND MORE. MAKE COPIES SO WE CAN PUT IT BACK WHEN WE PRY THIS PEDOPHILIC GERIATRIC FARTSACK OUT OF THE OVAL OFFICE-😉 takano.house.gov/newsroom/pre...
Which sows the seeds of the regime’s eventual downfall. Sadly not quickly enough
She portrayed perfectly Trump’s government.
Look at the shirts worn by Trump's January 6th Republican/Evangelical TREASONOUS TERRORISTS to know exactly what and who Donald Trump is.
ORALÈ RESISTERS 5050CA VOTA YES CA50 50 STATES 50 CAPITALS ONLY ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL CALIFORNIA! STOP TRUMP TEXAS POWER GRAB NOV 4th #5050CA #VIVAGavin #VoteYesCA50 #USdemocracy #VoteYesProp50
Yup. A truly first-rate intellectual and creative person may start out agreeing with a Hitler or Stalin or Trump but is likely to break away when the movement tilts into insanity and cultishness.
True talents and artists will not be replaced, but rather will flow like water around and away from all of these heavy-handed thugs and Philistines who seek to control or eliminate the true human spirit.
If you believe just getting rid of trump will solve this country’s problems, you need to wake up.
Shit the fuck up you dumb ccccc when the cult leader dies the cult dies
He said he liked Republicans because they’re dumber and believe anything I tell them. Said several times.Turns out he was right! Every government agency he placed his bobbing heads at the top. Making what he’s doing easier! He’s a tyrant with cruel revenge! Investigate with fake charges! DEFCON 1
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So as my daughter reminds me that I am not the Democracy saving fairy, I have resorted to a song. I don't think I have time or inspiration for a dedicated Labor Day protest song. This is "Yellow Texas". Lyrics are mine, AI music/voice. Protest on Labor Day. youtu.be/O6EzqLPbMt8?...
This administration jumped on that.
RFK Jr
When trump started running again, i turned directly to Hannah Arendt.
And, conveniently, trump replaced true generals with “his” generals before sending the military to occupy US cities, chased career prosecutors from DOJ before beginning political prosecutions, etc. etc.
Not brilliant filmmaking but damned damning doc on where "just obeying orders" leads: www.pbs.org/wnet/america...
A remarkable woman & a survivor who gave the world an unadulterated view of fascism.
Which was how Nazi Germany didn't develop the Bomb but the US did, because the Jewish scientists left Germany for the US. Racial purity has its downsides, I guess.
In any extremist movement the most extreme and cruel rise to the highest levels like Steven Miller. The challenge with extremists is they do not stop on their own. They must be stopped. See ; Taliban, Hamas, al Quad-a, Nazis and MAGA.
Which is why totalitarian economies are really pretty terrible. I am surprised that Trump hasn’t tried to put us back on the gold standard.
They're very predictable because they're stupid and unoriginal
We’re living real time in the first vestiges of Authoritarianism
The logical hierarchy: Autocracy is the broad category of non-democratic rule) •contains authoritarianism, the systematic suppression of opposition Authoritarianism •contains fascism, ideological autocracy with specific characteristics •contains totalitarianism, maximum state control over society
You’re at the totalitarian stage I think. Fascism next. To me it’s all the same. People need to get on this. Quick and dirty
The type described here is more of the Stalin type while the Nazis we’re more of the other major type, where they create more and more over lapping groups who then look to the “great leader” to “solve conflicts”
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A homeowner shot & killed two of them rolling up as "police" in Houston. Real police confirmed that they were not police.
Omg anyone can get shot around there. Not safe for police.
We are looking at: One party totalitarianism, and Christofascism - dominionist theocracy, amoral objectivism and virulent fascism.
bsky.app/profile/pino...
So many great libraries have been burned throughout history. You think we'd have learned by now.
An undeniable fact on the face of it!!
“It does not require many words to speak the truth.” ~ Chief Joseph A’ho🪶
This explains a lot.
AMEN, SISTER ARENDT !!
Hits the nail on the head👍💙🇺🇸
This really makes you think power does tend to favor loyalty over talent
There is not even one iota of talent in this regime, only avarice, cruelty, and hatred.
Yeah totally! Sometimes it feels like power and greed just overshadow all real talent.
I think Democrats should allow a government shutdown this time so ICE and National Guard can’t be funded. It’ll be a sacrifice on all our parts, but it would be better than this dictatorship.
fascism arises from and feeds off the weak-minded, who unfortunately exist in abundance. but we have intelligence on our side, and a ferocity that has not yet been revealed, though there are signs now...
Fascism feeds off a working class sensing lost power over the past 50 years. I reject their scapegoats and sacred cows. Fascism takes root when grievance hardens into entitlement and rage is turned downward instead of upward.
bsky.app/profile/pino...
Sounds about right
Unfortunately, it will likely take a generation to fix
If it is fixed. Germany had benefit of external forces fixing the problem, Russia is on some authoritarian yo yo which started in Tsarist times and may only stop when the last vestige of the country self destructs. The US does not have the German Option.
Yes, I am making a big assumption
I wouldn't rely on the next generation. I would fight as much as I can now. Because what comes next is children being indoctrinated (school, social media and TV ) the propaganda. Remember (Chile ? USSR ?) parents wouldn't speak freely in front of their kids, because children were indoctrinated.
I agree with you. I still think it will take a generation. The fight and the threat will still be there until most of these motherfuckers die or are in wheelchairs. You will be lucky if the next generation will be less infected. I have to optimistic that will happen but it’s still a crapshoot
Or... you help infuriating/ feeling guilty / seducing MAGAs, NOW, so they stop voting. ( I understand, being overseas, I'm not entilted to give dangerous advices, so excuse my French) but I know history. And we are all facing far-right take-over.
Wise words from history repeating itself this minute.
So your saying it's much like corporate management then?
yeah, that was the litmus test when he created his cabinet....we didn't need to wait any longer than that to be sure of his intentions
Straight truth
But that loyalty doesn’t go both ways.
Ideologues never think their Dear Leader would turn on them.
Body language tells you a lot. After his meeting with Putin he looked beaten. Beaten into submission.
This needs to be an ongoing meme with a photo of each member of the cabinet. Please create and pass along
Time to meet Dire with Fire!
It is not only about that. Stanisław Lem described is as a dicatorship of unremarkables, who believe they deserve praises, glory, wealth etc. It is also about greed and ambition.
The "dictatorship of unremarkables" so well describes the current state of affairs in the US. The US has turned into the most dangerous place in the hemisphere, unfortunately.
Lem, who survived Nazi occupation of Poland and was a Jew, was describing the hitlerite regime in 'a laboratory of genocide' i.e. General Government. I sadly believe you are correct. What is happening in USA takes ideas from all kinds of places including Mao's, Stalin's and Hitler's regimes.
I couldn't agree more.
Einstein was one of the first to leave it behind.
True. But fascism often arises in places where those first-rate talents, many who know better, get together and serve and protect the 1%, rather than the citizenry they were supposed to represent.
And such is the reason we've seen TFG fill his cabinet with sycophants who, in most instances, are no better qualified to run their respective departments than i would be. At least I would have the humility to admit when/if I was out of my depth. Meanwhile, we've a bunch of neophytes running things.
Boy, we sure are seeing that one being put in place
Priority of sycophancy over intellectual abilities is required by autocrats whose goal is to Destroy and Loot the country.
bsky.app/profile/pino...
Boris Johnson openly subscribed to this strategy, it mostly worked for him. Brings into question the whole assumption of what truth is - the work of Nietzsche comes to mind.
OMG THIS.
Kamala Harris was intelligence, empathy; she had the smile that could have given America and the world a direct and firm leadership; she would not have filled the Whitehouse with gold, had a stupid gold covered aircraft with her head on it. She would have only given people humble service! 💙
The Republican Party is the Party of Groomers, Pedophiles and Rapists
Is there any political appointee in this administration who ISN’T a crackpot or a fool? I’m trying and can’t think of even one.
Be sure your legislators know where you stand. ☎️ 202 224 3121 Congressional Switchboard resist.bot/petitions/PC... @resist.bot #resistbot #2028election #totalitarianregime #antifascist #everydayaction
Perfect statement of what has happened to our country…seeing is believing…now how do we reverse it and how long will it take???
Nailed it!
Take a look at the Klown Kar Kakistocracy running our government. They is not an iota of honesty or honor among them all to say nothing of competence or allegiance to the Constitution or the Rule of Law.
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So that explains RFK Jr and everyone else… CRACKPOTS who will be “loyal” to the BOSS and “not loyal” to the AMERICAN PEOPLE!
We dont need people pontificating about the state we're in. We need people who will act.
We also need to be considering the destruction of totalitarianism & how to promulgate it.
Ms. Arendt also expounded quite eloquently on the banality of evil. Also, being effectively demonstrated among both US elected representatives and the general US population.
Finish off the fascist regime
Well the circus is certainly in town with its mad ringmaster and tumbling troupe of clowns.
A class people recruit A class people. B class people fear being overshadowed so they recruit C class people.
Kamala Harris POTUS year one in 2029, jail the MAGA loyalists and replace them with first-rate talents. Like replace RFK Jr with a qualified Japanese female doctor.
Most of all that CUNT Oprah!
This is an excellent description of the Trump presidency.
This is exactly what happened in the UK post-Brexit, accelerating the inevitable steep decline in the UK's prosperity, public services, rights & protections, moral standards, world standing and political discourse - very likely leading to full-blown fascism under Trump fanboy Farage at next election
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Only one way out now. The VP has to be neutralized first, then the puppet tyrant, in short order.
Crackpots and fools perfectly describes the current regime.
So true. We are seeing the results from the president on down
Yup, USA 2025
.and remember Republican Senators voted for the unintelligent Secretary of Defense. The ruthless AG. the unqualified Secretary of Education, the crackpot Secretary of Health & Human Services…..
Weeeee Live in a kakistocracy, A tacky whacky-stocracy
WHat are democrats in government at all levels going to do if trump tries to postpone, cancel, elections and/or he puts troops/ice on the ground in ALL heavy blue areas to obstruct/block/intimidate voters at the polls?
Democrats in government won't be able to do anything. That is the point of putting the military in Democratic strongholds. The citizens of the US are going to need lots of drones to observe and document the coming slaughter of innocent civilians.
Replace Totalitarianism with Government. It is the nature of every for of government to do that if they have that much power. Blaming Totalitarianisms is just one more way of saying "my shit don't stink" It all stinks.
It's certainly what's happening in the US right now. My fear is that this is going to continue even once the 🍊💩 is gone.
And creates opportunity to bring it all down. Get ready to form a New Union, and be sure to learn from the fall of this republic. Lessons like our key weakness being the paradox of tolerance, cannot be ignored in our future constitution.
Some people say we should have a dictator - I’m not the brightest lightbulb in the room but I do know that there has never been a good dictator - in fact they’ve all been downright horrible - people it’s been tried ….
open.substack.com/pub/thenewsr...
Hannah Arendt: The Origins of Totalitarianism Expanded Edition (LOA #389) (Library of America)
Republicans' largest voting demographic is white people with a HS education or less. For Democrats, their largest voting demographic is people with post-graduate degrees. The chasm between the well-educated left and poorly educated right is enormous and why Trump is president.
One can't have loyalists having moments of clarity.
This gives rise to a machiavellian struggle for power. The inner circle will spend more time plotting against and impeding each other, than working as a cohesive team. Alliances are made and betrayed quickly. Outsiders plot against the insiders to replace them. A sick leader makes this worse.
Thanks for adding to my rather long reading list ... looks interesting.
That explains the low calibre people Donny chose to support him. Anyone with half a brain would never consider working with a moron who even bankrupted a casino yet brags how smart he is. That's just his mirror talking back to him.
How does that mirror not break into a million pieces...
Oh, she got that right.
Thank you Hannah Arendt. Totalitarianism.
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Donald J Trump: The Plan
Fuck fascism
“Those who fail to obverse history’s lesions are bound to repeat them” This failure is humanities Achille’s heal. Failure occurs when you’re either illiterate and can’t read, ignorant to history in general, or you’re using it as a roadmap.
It's true, Zamyatin was a good Communist party member, but his talent was such that he could not stay within the limits of expression allowed by the system. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevgeny...
Unwritten corollary to the "Peter Principal"...never promote anyone smarter than you.
It's true, and is why they're always doomed to fail.
And thank God we got rid of Biden and kept kameltoe kamala out of the presidency..otherwise this would have come true
Reminds me of old Voltaire... “I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it."
First American dictator in 250 years.
If you put intelligent and independent people in your inner circle....well they might get the bright idea that you are a failure or a danger to everyone or just want the power you have. So, you know, dictators don't that shit.
Totalitarianism is here. Make no mistake. Be as courageous as you can
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☠️☠️☠️aka Trumpsuckers FFS 👺👺👺
Totalitarians hate everyone smarter than them. And in Trump's case that's nearly everyone. Why do you think he's never had a dog?
😂 This is too good! 😂
The next democrat president should rescind every corrupt and lawless pardon. Not just those of Trump. But all of them. Including the Jan 6 folks. And hunter biden s well. It’s an inherent duty of the office to not allow corrupt actions to stand. A president may have the power to pardon, also to fix.
That part!
In addition, putting incompetent people in the jobs keeps competent ones with expertise from doing the jobs well.
Agree. Agree.
Putin has only one native threat to his leadership; the man was far from Moscow & Putin’s mansion/bunkers. So he ordered him to come to Moscow & serve under one of Putin’s right hand men. Subservient & now under observation. But DJT isn’t smart enough to do that.
TRUMP WILL MAKE INNOVATIVE, INTELLIGENT PEOPLE LEAVE OUR COUNTRY BECAUSE OF THIS STUPID MAN BABY WHO THINKS HE IS SMARTER THAN EVERYONE EXCEPT PUTINTRUMP DESTROYING DEMOCRACY WHILE OUR MEDIA ignores MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WHO ABSOLUTELY HATE HIM!! Because money and ratings mean more than AMERICA!
bsky.app/profile/pino...
"Totalitarian regimes may favor loyalty, but they do not always replace all top talents; often, they keep skilled individuals whose expertise advances the regime’s goals, showing that intelligence and creativity can exist alongside political loyalty." ~ LLM AI language generation 🤔
That sure fits with the most incompetent cabinet in US history! I still haven't seen any historian propose another cabinet that was worse or even, as bad.
Sounds familiar.
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Hence it fails. The right are hoping AI will Dave them.
But garbage in - garbage out with AI. It is only as smart at its programmers and its users... iterations of dumb are just dumber.
Scary thought!
It's not a thought, it's exactly what's happened in Trump's USA
Verily; however, I think of this Republican agenda as a WIP that can still be stopped and reversed, if enough Resistance is applied.
Following to a T:
Now imagine those crackpots & fools impersonating doctors, soldiers, police & in the intelligence department instead of qualified & experienced. How safe is anyone in America?
I dunno, I kinda find these assholes quite creative about how to turn US into a fascist state
In a sense it's them being idiots like Trump that in so many ways make it less threatening ie because of their inherent stupidity they often get judgements completely wrong which gets reversed by the courts. If they really had a brain it would be much more effective & sinister
Trump's administration. The greatest bunch of "miscreants, morons, and Dunning-Kruger effect specimens" (-Keith Olbermann) ever assembled.
Pretty amazing.
We all have to read or re-read Hannah Arendt, in view of the current state of affairs in the US.
Hannah Arendt: The Origins of Totalitarianism Expanded Edition (LOA #389) (Library of America) Available at Amazon, of course!
I buy from other suppliers, if I can afford to do it.
Totalitarianism never trusts intelligence, dijit to the max, replace with crackpots, i.e., Gabbard.
Trump has the best crack pots corruption can attract.
Totalitarianism because it privileges a narrow demographic and low bandwidth ideology essentially defaults a low efficiency, 30% duty cycle
Oh snap!
Absolutely perfect description.
Quite a silly comment. Many totalitarian regimes were ruled by coteries of smart, albeit vicious, "first-rate" dictators. Arendt was a silly person, hyping out on unsupported, wild assertions.
We are there🥲
If blue state stop pay taxes to the federal treasury, crackpots will need to work for free. These conservatives hate actually work. They are talkers looking for paychecks talking only. Make they do the work. Make them did it for free. See who is there in 3 months of volunteer Nazi wannabe.
Read it as a poli sci undergrad. Way over my 19yoa head. Sadly, I'm learning the lesson first-hand now.
Well that’s sadly exactly where we find ourselves.
Well Trump has definitely achieved the most crackpots and fools in any administration ever!
Yes!
In the end, loyal fools' lack of talent, bumbling incompetence, ignorance of procedure, cause the destruction of a totalitarianism regime. So we live in hope!
Are we still questioning whether we are experiencing a constitutional crisis?
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This brilliant woman ..
Crackpots is right, every cabinet member is a reject from society 🥴
I went to an Indivisible Conference in Albuquerque, NM.I heard from Gabe Vasquez and Melanie Stansbury who spoke about all my concerns. We are so lucky to have great state reps,trifecta government and an award winning software ballot system.The best people are here in New Mexico.🇲🇽I love my state!
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That's why these regimes always resort to violence against their own, and it's why they will always fail. It may take a long time, but they will inevitably crumble and fall.
"But in the first seven months of Mr. Trump’s second term, there has been a conspicuous absence of far-right demonstrations." .. NYT The reason is ICE hired a) unemployable sixers b) proud boys c) three %ers All masked So they are busy terrorizing brown people. 26 is coming vote them all out
Sounds like Trump's cabinet.
Damn. They called it perfectly.
