Wednesday, October 2, 2024

The Attraction of Tyrants: Our Default Government is Monarchy

 

The Dragon Queen, Daenerys Targaryan, Game of Thrones

Whether in real life or fiction, for all of recorded history and before, the default form of government we both lived under and wanted is monarchy--rule by a single, all-knowing, enlightened, benevolent, brilliant, brave person.  (Best case.) It hardly bears mentioning that this ruler is the representative of God on earth and easily confused with the supreme being, especially in the mind of the ruler.  

Which answers the question of why so many people can vote for Trump, especially Christians.  Given every word and the life of Jesus (available in a very popular, apparently little-read book) it may seem crazy to think that people who declare themselves followers of Jesus could believe Trump is God's choice to rule America, but they do.  Catholic, Evangelical, Protestant, Mormon, Adventist--every flavor of Christian and all of their global acolytes love Trump.  

It is no accident that Trump praises tyrants in every speech and promises more and more arbitrary authoritarian actions: mass deportations, shooting shoplifters, travel bans.  His rally audience cheers every tyrannical utterance of their chosen bully. 

Partly, this is because the democracy America brought to the world beginning with the Declaration of Independence, requires constant work and compromise.  We all have to deal with our fellow citizens and live with them as best we can get.  

Trump and every other tyrant promises the return order and justice with no effort. That is the center of their appeal.

Americans after World War II thought our democratic history somehow protected us from the rapid fall into Naziism in Germany and to an Imperial death cult in Japan.  We now know it is possible anywhere. Democratic Germans and Japanese were swept up in a popular wave. Many millions of Americans want tyranny.  Trump is only too happy to grant their wish. 

Queen Daenerys Targaryan began her reign freeing slaves and ended incinerating her subjects.  Granting absolute power to anyone is dangerous.  Granting absolute power to a craven bully like Trump will be a disaster from Day One.





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