**A Philosophy - If You can Get One **
The Germans of the Weimar period were increasingly frustrated, angry, disgusted with the “system,” and ready for change. So are Americans. The Germans, following their intellectuals, were disgusted with what they regarded as reason and freedom, and they were ready for Hitler. The Americans are disgusted with unreason and statism; but they are directionless. Without intellectual guidance, they do not know what went wrong with their system or how to prevent the country’s disintegration and collapse.
Thus, by default – despite the profound differences between Americans and the pre-Hitler Germans – the similarities between the two nations, the similarities between their intellectuals and the social trends they shape, are growing. The most ominous aspect of the trend is that, if it is not reversed, it will ultimately change the character of the American people. It has already begun to do so.
Eh. I betcha that there are fifty points in America’s history in which we resembled pre-Hitler Germany. Just because there are similarities between the two doesn’t mean that America’s destined for the same fascist rise to power. I mean, let’s look at the differences:
-Not nearly the same level of economic desperation.
-A lot more tolerance (in my opinion, though I AM writing from a very liberal area of the country, admittedly) towards minorities.
-A history of being very distrustful of political attempts to consolidate power.
-Lots and lots of gun owners (said in jest! Calm down, calm down!)
My concern about America turning into another Hitler Germany are slim to none… well, no, just none. Granted, I’m not going to call such a radical shift “impossible”… I’m just going to call it “improbable”, as it’d require a large number of unlikely factors to arise in a short period of time.
Welcome to the Board, Agis. Your interesting cite is dated 1980. Those were the days when America had double-digit inflation along with high unemployment at home. Our ally in Iran had been overthrown by a religious tyranny. America’s foreign reputation had sunk to the point that the Ayatollahs in Iran were able kidnap a large group of Americans, without fear of repercussions. Communism had been vitorious in Vietnam and it was threatening to take over Afghanistan by military force.
Both domestically and internationally, America’s situation seems to now be moving in a positive direction.
Well, the server has been a little slow lately. I am sure that the OP is happy to see that his fears have not come to pass as we look back over the last 20+ years.
Good Lord! I knew the hamsters that spin the wheels of SDMB server were slow, I had not realized they had mummified! Had I been consulted, I would have strongly argued against purchasing servers at Radio Schlock, and that an 8086 chip is simply not adequate to our needs.