[lazide]

The point is not to be effective (at the stated goals), or follow the laws, or be competent at following the laws.

The goal is to ‘look tough’ for the base, demonstrate the power to act without having to follow the laws, and overall - inspire fear. To extract concessions and inspire fear based loyalty.

The weirdest part to me is that people still don’t seem to understand this?

[LexiMax]

> The weirdest part to me is that people still don’t seem to understand this?

It's possible to understand this perfectly and yet prefer to try and argue a more reasonable interpretation, hoping whoever you're talking to won't pick up on bad faith.

What I really don't get is what makes them so convinced that the state apparatus they're such a fan of won't be turned on them? Even if you look like you belong, say the right things, hold the right opinions, you never know when you're going to accidentally get on the bad side of someone who is willing to tell a convincing lie or has connections.

They're either not the brightest bulb in the shed, or they're not actually from the US and have no skin in the game.

[mrguyorama]

>What I really don't get is what makes them so convinced that the state apparatus they're such a fan of won't be turned on them?

They genuinely believe that the vast majority shares their opinion, through ignorance and personal filter bubbles from social media.

So if it gets turned back on them, that would be "wrong" and "undemocratic" because their beliefs ARE democracy, because there's "more" of them. They believe that could only happen through fraudulent elections.

[LexiMax]

I'm talking more on an individual level. Police states can be weaponized to settle petty and personal grudges, and it doesn't matter if the victims are in the "majority" or not.

"My neighbor is actually a Canadian citizen who is using stolen identity papers." is the next logical level of SWAT-ting someone.

[lazide]

The type of people we’re talking about are not that self aware, in my experience.

[xtiansimon]

> “The weirdest part to me is that people still don’t seem to understand this?”

The weirdest part will be any middle class worker who doesn’t later say, _I was a supporter, because I believed he would bring back manufacturing and jobs. I was wrong._ Everyone else is a cultist or wealthy.

[lazide]

The last couple guys in recent memory who did this kind of thing weren’t (actually) good for wealthy people either. Germany and Italy didn’t exactly do well in the whole ‘preservation of Capital’ angle at the end of the war.

[xtiansimon]

> "...weren’t (actually) good for wealthy people either..."

Especially if you're invested in adding to the US's electrical capacity: GOP Bill Adds Surprise Tax That Could Cripple Wind and Solar (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44421749)

[lazide]

I was more referring to torches and pitchforks (or tanks and bombs) when the angry ‘others’ eventually get enough momentum while fighting back.