For this reason, elected authoritarians who wish to consolidate control typically win not by flashy displays of might, but by convincing a critical mass of people that they’re just a normal politician — no threat to democracy at all.
That means the survival of democracy depends, to an extent not fully appreciated, on perceptions and narratives. In three recent countries where a democracy survived an incumbent government bent on destroying it — Brazil, South Korea, and Poland — the belief among elites, the public, and the opposition that democracy was at stake played a critical role in motivating pushback.
To allways prioritize funding of education.
Ha that’s never going to happen. In think my option is more realistic. You can’t educate stupid. Especially willfully stupid.
Well, you can, actually. You’ve just got to start early.
First of all, relevant username. Second of all… to quote a litle youtube vid I love[1], “You are not wrong. But also, you are very wrong.”
Education is one of the critical tools to fix this, although that will take 2-3 gererations of hard work and full control of the process, so probably even longer.
Education, however, is not the short-term tool, it is one of the long-term tools. But it is one of the tools. More of a preventative of it taking root again after we root it out.
see 45 seconds in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iQRlUWPj4A ↩︎
Education only works for the willing. Also, that’s why republicans are so hell bent on removing public education.