# Is anyone seriously preparing for the end of America right now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 14, 2020, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051 "2020-08-14T03:29:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/205 "2020-08-31T15:15:49Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > What I still can’t figure out is 70% of the electorate in America is women and minorities. How the fuck are we electing fascists to national office? I could understand if only white men were allowed to vote (which was how America originally operated, property owning white men could vote and thats it). But as the electorate expands to include the poor, minorities, women, etc that should form a bulwark against fascism. Other than being a woman, all those other things are social constructs. There’s no reason a Black person, Muslim, Latino, LGBT person, woman, etc. won’t also succumb to fascist thought if the conditions are right. I’m convinced that some people are born with the propensity to think this way. Being white doesn’t predispose to it, nor does being Black, etc. protect against it. It’s an accident of history that white people in the US are in the majority, and it’s being in the majority that increases the likelihood that fascist thinking will be expressed, not being white. The good news is that it seems like fascism tends to run at less than 40% of the population. The bad news is that the other groups have differing priorities and often can’t agree what to do when the non-fascists are in power. Part of that is because the natural born fascists in the out groups really want their own brand of fascism (as opposed to the current Trump style) rather than a progressive society. The 1994 and 2010 mid-term elections are perfect examples of this. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/206 "2020-08-31T15:44:23Z")
I don’t agree. historically fascism has promoted. hostility to out groups and promoted social dominance hierarchies. in the US women, gays, non whites, non Christians etc are all going to see their rights curtailed under fascism. It’s supposedly one of the ways to resist right wing politics. when only property owning in-groups can vote, the electorate moves to the right. white men voted trump about 62-36. I’m sure property owning one’s were even further right wing. an electorate full of out groups, minorities, the poor etc should provide a bulwark against fascism. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/207 "2020-08-31T16:14:55Z")
I’m having a hard time envisioning any sort of apocalyptic scenario where there’s widespread fighting and violence. Even if the election was obviously stolen, what purpose would local violence serve? I mean, I might be pissed, but shooting up stuff in Dallas wouldn’t change what happened in DC. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/208 "2020-08-31T17:30:50Z")
Not me, but a friend of mine knows a lot of guys in the Army mostly 82nd airborne and some are worried about a civil war. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/209 "2020-08-31T19:28:16Z")
If Trump “wins” one way or another, the you will probably see a whole lot of protests, a bit of rioting, and a bit of violence here and there by the left. The right has already shown that they are willing to arm up and storm state capitals over wearing masks and not being able to get a haircut. If Trump loses, I expect to see a lot more of that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/210 "2020-08-31T20:00:10Z")
The saying/slogan make America great again implies that we are already in the decline and the best is behind us (and a dictator want-a-be is trying to sell us their bill of goods.) ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/211 "2020-08-31T20:19:59Z")
Elections determine whose rules the rest of us live by. What happens if, say, a president Biden and the Democrats pass a law that require background checks to purchase handguns and people impacted that law refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy not just of the law (which can be taken to court) but the legitimacy of the people in power in the first place? What if businesses and individuals refuse to pay increased taxes “because the president’s not legitimate.” Conversely, what if Trump undermines Obamacare denying healthcare access to millions? What if there’s a national disaster in a blue state and Trump tells DHS to let the states handle it, that they’re on their own? What if immigration becomes more restrictive? Yes, people would protest anyway, but the intensity of the protest is greater if you believe that people in power lack legitimacy. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/212 "2020-08-31T20:21:41Z")
I thought this was an interesting read. > **[This model forecast the US's current unrest a decade ago. It now says 'civil...](https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/model-predicting-united-states-disorder-now-points-to-civil-war/12365280)** > > "Is the US headed for another civil war? In a word, yes." ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/213 "2020-09-01T04:32:43Z")
I both agree and disagree with you. If by fascism you mean the exact political philosophy then I agree women, gays, non whites and non Christians would not support it. If by fascism you simply mean a totalitarian police state I could see women, gays, non whites and non Christians supporting a totalitarian police state that was aligned with liberal political views. A lot of anarchists and libertarians use “fascism” as a shorthand for totalitarianism even if it does not meet with the standard historical definition. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/214 "2020-09-01T23:07:46Z")
Fair enough. But my impression is that historically fascism is authoritarianism along with curtailing civil, political and human rights for out-groups while cementing the priviledges and status of in-groups. > **[In-group and out-group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-group_and_out-group)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > In sociology and social psychology, an in-group is a social group to which a person psychologically identifies as being a member. By contrast, an out-group is a social group with which an individual does not identify. People may for example identify with their peer group, family, community, sports team, political party, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or nation. It has been found that the psychological membership of social groups and categor... Since in the US generally in-groups are whites, men, christians, heterosexuals, etc. a fascist state would curtail the rights of everyone who doesn’t click those boxes. And going on race and gender alone, nearly 70% of voters are women or minorities. Granted white women are also huge supporters of the current regime, but about ~20 points to the left of white men in their support. Noam Chomsky wrote a book and did a really interesting documentary called requiem for the American Dream where he discusses how as the electorate shrinks to only represent in-groups and well off people, politics moves to the right. All fascist systems are authoritarian, but not all authoritarian systems are fascist. Venezuela is authoritarian but not fascist. So is China, Saudi Arabia, etc. Meanwhile Poland is becoming fascist but only moderately authoritarian (for now). Thats my impression. There are some on the left who would support authoritarianism, but I don’t think its anywhere near as large as the right who support it, especially considering that most people who score high on the personality metric of authoritarianism have become republican in the last few decades. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/215 "2020-09-03T21:42:46Z")
The idea that America is ending is gaining more widespread traction: > **[Opinion | I’m Doomsday Prepping for the End of Democracy (Published 2020)](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/opinion/im-doomsday-prepping-for-the-end-of-democracy.html)** > > Even if Trump loses, there’s no guarantee we’ll make it to the other side. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/216 "2020-09-03T22:05:01Z")
As one might guess from my OP, since the writer seems to share the same beliefs as my acquaintance, I’d have been interested in learning more about the result of the argument and how he’s making decisions about his family and his future based on his outlined beliefs. IOW, to what extent is he putting his money where his mouth (mind?) is, like my acquaintance? As it is, the headline misled me and left me mildly disappointed. Anyone can doomsay. Not everyone believes enough in their doomsaying to upend their lives. And that’s what I was interested in. (And wouldn’t a new, more reliable car be vital for any efforts to flee the city/country?) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/217 "2020-09-03T22:37:29Z")
its my view that if there’s any type of civil war it will end up like yugoslavia or somalia at some point it will just be armed gangs and it will be “american freedom militia” instead of "la grape street mafia crips " Sort of makes you wonder what the street gangs who are better armed than the police in a lot of areas will do once they get involved … ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/218 "2020-09-03T22:41:41Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Climate change will be the real back-breaker This. I don’t think anyone except climate scientists and lifelong misanthropes such as myself have much grasp of how fast and how direly things are going to change for the worse. As for the OP, I’ve been foreseeing it for decades, but preparing? I don’t know how to begin to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/219 "2020-09-04T02:55:20Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > its my view that if there’s any type of civil war it will end up like yugoslavia or somalia at some point it will just be armed gangs and it will be “american freedom militia” instead of "la grape street mafia crips " > > Sort of makes you wonder what the street gangs who are better armed than the police in a lot of areas will do once they get involved … Thats assuming they care to get involved. Teenagers looking for a reputation aren’t known for caring about global political events. Having said that, on the plus side if they did get involved they wouldn’t join the white nationalists. For a lot of us Trump isn’t the problem per se, its the fact that 63 million people are perfectly happy with this behavior thats the problem. It shows we have severe rot at the center of our country. A lot of people value white privilege and their tribal identity more than they value rule of law, morals, competence, intellect, Americas reputation or democracy itself. Its a scary thought. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/220 "2020-09-04T13:40:56Z")
The thing a lot of us may not realize is that the US will very likely be dealing with the impact of climate change even before climate change’s worst effects hit the United States directly. One reason why so many migrants from Central America are desperate to leave is because climate change is making it impossible to farm in some areas, displacing people who’ve only known farming for generations. In time, this crisis will worsen, and it will create a massive climate refugee crisis that will first destabilize Mexico, who will then have to find ways to deal with this crisis themselves, most likely letting them pass through to the U.S. - by the millions. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2020, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/221 "2020-09-04T14:14:33Z")
When I was offered a position at a company in Canada about two years ago, the three deciding factors were: 1. Trumpism- Trump isn’t the cause, he’s a symptom. Getting him out of office will help, but the causative factors are still going to be there. Unless serious changes are implemented, the next Trump will be smarter and even more effective. 2. Climate Change- Republicans have zero impetus to change, and they are a more effective legislative bloc than Democrats are. The area I moved to (Edmonton) is predicted to be the next breadbasket if climate change continues unabated. 3. Healthcare- My wife and I are getting up there in years. We don’t have to stress so much about whether we can get healthcare up here. I’m working on my Permanent Resident status right now, with the ultimate goal of citizenship within five years. Once that happens, I’m going to see if I can help my family come up here, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051/222 "2020-09-10T00:17:42Z")
There are someones who seem to be preparing _to end_ America right now … > **[America Could Be in the Early Stages of Armed Insurgency](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/09/america-insurgency-chaos-trump-violence.html)** > > One of the world’s leading counterinsurgency experts sees similar patterns to Colombia, Libya, and Iraq. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-seriously-preparing-for-the-end-of-america-right-now/918051.md?page=10)