this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2025
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What is your line in the sand?

Edit: thank you all for your responses. I think it's important as an American we take your view points seriously. I think of a North Korean living inside of North Korea. They don't really know how bad it is because that is all hidden from them and they've never had anything else. As things get worse for Americans it's important to have your voices because we will become more and more isolated.

Even the guy who said, "lol." Some people need that sort of sobering reaction.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It is still a democracy, but that democracy is in crisis. You will know over the next 2/years if it will survive, although the next federal election will be the real test.

  • if the judicial and congress still share power,
  • if elections are still fair.

Democracies can recover if they keep their representation.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Elections in the US aren't really all that fair TBH.

Researchers at the Brookings Institution agree that the strategic manipulation of our electoral process is largely to blame for the erosion of US democracy in recent years. Brookings says this manipulation takes various forms: the intentional addition of administrative barriers to voting, unfairly drawing electoral maps, the subversion of the election certification and counting process, and the violent coup attempt on January 6, 2021.

https://blog.ucs.org/liza-gordon-rogers/us-elections-arent-as-free-and-fair-as-they-should-be-heres-how-science-can-help/

The United States is experiencing two major forms of democratic erosion in its governing institutions:

  • Strategic manipulation of elections. Distinct from “voter fraud,” which is almost non-existent in the United States, election manipulation has become increasingly common and increasingly extreme. Examples include election procedures that make it harder to vote (like inadequate polling facilities) or that reduce the opposing party’s representation (like gerrymandering).
  • Executive aggrandizement. Even a legitimately elected leader can undermine democracy if they eliminate governmental “checks and balances” or consolidate power in unaccountable institutions. The United States has seen substantial expansions of executive power and serious efforts to erode the independence of the civil service. In addition, there are serious questions about the impartiality of the judiciary.

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/understanding-democratic-decline-in-the-united-states/

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

I still believe there are democracies in America but the US of A aren't one of them.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

I consider it a lesser democracy / something that barely qualifies for a few years now.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, it's still a democracy. The electorate wanted what's now going on. That could rapidly change at this point, but for now not yet.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Democracy is a sliding scale and the US is still on it. Could the people choose something different without resorting to violent revolution and protest? Yes

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

For me, the US is still a democracy with elements of an authoritarian regime. Yes, I believe this can happen in any country, including mine, if the elected party or a wealthy figure decides to amend such authoritarian, manipulative, and exploitative policies.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The next election will tell, my tin hat is on Puting the US into a situation where an election can't be held so they can have a third term.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago

I'm not sure even with a successful election and it going to the democrats we'll be able to tell. At least from today's view. It will largely depend on how institutions and the justice/court system can hold out against the current administration right now and during this phase.

I feel like they may have already created damage that won't be cleared just from one election or one election period's fixups.

At the same time, hopefully, this is the wake-up call for opposition and a transformation one way or another. It's plainly obvious what is happening now, and I am hoping opposition will become more apparent and prevalent because of it. Not just in citizens, but institutions too.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

No, unfortunately.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

I do. On my imaginary scale around 4 out of 10. So far the mess looks to me like it was voted in.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

No. I also don't consider the United States to be a democracy.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I am inside and I want to get out

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Is demos how you say money in Greek?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

Serious answer : I am not living there, have no idea how to compare, nor whether the court system works as a safeguard.

Troll answer In democracy you have the right to healthcare and education, so it's been a while it isn't

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Elective dictatorship, there is no accountability. Is there even a mechanism for the public to recall the president? Or is that it for the next 4 years?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

Yes. But becoming more flawed by the day

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Ignoring court orders, and "fake national emergency declarations" to create war and international extortion and remove rights and citizenships for deportations crossed the line. The voter suppression/rigging that won election for Trump is also clearly anti-democratic, but anti-democratic as usual. Media/oligarchy/Israel influence/disinformation might not make for an ideal democracy, but also "democracy as usual".

The big problem with the world is the US empire's manufacturing of hatred/war against "those who are less democratic than us and our colonies" Corruption of democracy in US, who can cheaply manipulate democracy in its colonies, means that you don't have functional democracy either. US praises the most violently oppressive apartheid ethnostates suspending federal and local elections as great democracies if they support US wars. There is something wrong when the most important issue of your government is to increase divisiveness/threats to the US's enemies when the US unjustifiably threatens you, and that thrills you as right track.

So, democracy is simply not working at bringing progressiveness and shared prosperity, or even the most basic understanding of humanist/national interests, to those who say they love it so much. This is global collapse level of delusion. Nations doing best economically are those distancing themselves from US colonial control.

The more objective measure of "good government" is control against oligarchist pillaging, while having pluralism/sustainability, and economic constructiveness. US approved democracies are failing hard on these metrics. Warmongering based on "blanket, evidence free, refusal to accept election results when non-CIA candidate wins" is not the democratic/liberal ideal you think it is.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

Just going to leave this here.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

For a long while I thought America was a democracy but that the population was rather uneducated. Their media and culture seemed to glorify ignorance and shame intellectualism.

I now consider America a fascist state, early stages. I've seen too many simulations to know that the level of organized resistance required to prevent the descent into fascism is either too morally grey or too risky to be worth it. It must get much worse before resistance is meaningful.

At best an American is a victim, at worst they are a fascist.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago

I don't recognise the current American regime as a valid government. Just like I don't recognise the Israeli occupation force as a valid state.

It's not remotely binding or even meaningful to anyone but myself of course. But hey, nothing matters these days.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago

Never has been.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago

Shit I live inside the US and I barely consider it a democracy.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

A demo-crazy.

Note that it is not democracy what Trumpeltier is destroying at the moment. It is the functioning of the state. This will take so many years to rebuild, if possible at all.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (12 children)

Not when they have the Electoral College bullshit upending every election in favor of a minority.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

In some aspects, but no more than china. (spaniard here)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

Nope. I see it as an autocracy run by an elite oligarchy.

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