Let's not overdo it. The world's greatest experiment in freedom was simultaneously conquering indigenous people by force and engaging in race-based slavery. I understand those were different times and different values, but the truth is, the systems of human exploitation for the purposes of creating unequal wealth survives to this day in one form or another, and they're much to blame for the predicament we find ourselves in now.
I think part of the reason why there isn't nearly as much pushback against MAGA's hostile takeover bid is because many Americans are already familiarized with authoritarian structures. Take the companies we work for, buy from, and invest in. These are authoritarian governance structures that are very familiar to us. I think when a lot of people look at Trump/MAGA today, they don't see an American Adolf but rather a CEO who's cleaning up his ship.
Speaking of which, the military is another governance structure that's familiar to us, even to those of us who've never served. We understand that the military isn't a democracy or a social experiment. We accept it. In both cases, we regard the success of these institutions - the corporation and the military - as necessarily undemocratic.
To many, Trump is just behaving like a successful CEO or general, which is why they're not necessarily as alarmed as we are by what we're all witnessing. When this nightmare finally ends, assuming we're still a nation intact, we're going to need a rethink of our values and the blind faith and trust we put in various social, economic, and political institutions.
