Binary People in an Analogue World. What is an “Authoritarian Environment”? China versus The West
One day in Rome, I asked the policeman, “Is it okay if I park my car here, partially blocking the emergency entrance to the hospital? I just want to go across the street for a coffee for a few minutes.” And he said, “Sure, but leave the keys in it in case I have to move it quickly.”
Italy is not renowned as an authoritarian environment. It is so interesting to observe Americans, and indeed all those in Western Right-Wing politically-conservative societies like Canada, the UK and Australia, gleefully condemn other nations as ‘authoritarian’ when the US is by far the most authoritarian country in the world, excepting only a few theocracies like Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Americans condemn politically Left-Wing, socialist nations as authoritarian when they are in fact the antithesis of authoritarianism, and where the authoritarian mentality flourishes only in a religion-based Right-Wing society. It is only these places and peoples who live in a black and white world that are authoritarian by definition. The fact that Americans have this understanding exactly backwards is due 50% to propaganda programming and 50% to native ignorance.
Authoritarian means “Do as I say, or else …”. It means you do it my way, or you don’t do it at all. It means there is no leeway when breaking rules or disobeying even minor laws about things like jaywalking. It means if the policeman sees you, you get a ticket. No warnings. It means that those in positions of authority, like policemen, can even shoot and kill you with impunity on the grounds you broke some minor legal code. It means paying your electric bill by the due date so you don’t freeze to death in the dark. There is no forgiveness built into the system, no leeway, no understanding government mother who will say “Okay, but try to do better next time”. A twisted evangelical religious base, a Right Wing mentality, political conservatism, and authoritarianism are part of the same package and cannot easily be separated, these terms describing the US more or less accurately.
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