The problem is that it isn't really a solution when you look at historical examples. They usually end badly unless the strongman is actually hyper competent and is surrounded by other competent people.
The problems usually do not get fixed--and the person that follows the strongman is usually not competent. It is a recurring problem in au…
The problem is that it isn't really a solution when you look at historical examples. They usually end badly unless the strongman is actually hyper competent and is surrounded by other competent people.
The problems usually do not get fixed--and the person that follows the strongman is usually not competent. It is a recurring problem in authoritarian societies (finding actual competent authoritarians).
You see this in the cycle of the Chinese dynasties or European monarchies, Rome... or the oligarchs in the USSR or the PRC.
There have been more incompetent or marginally competent authoritarians that competent ones... but I guess people sometimes need a reminder about how screwed up things can actually get. The primary skill of an authoritarian is NOT ruling well, it is getting and keeping power. These are not the same thing.
You are correct, it's not a solution, it's just the etiology of how the fatal sickness kills its victim. The people grow so weary of the venality and stupidity and cruelty and idiocy they throw up their hands and say, this is inevitable anyway, might as well skip the intervening events of the novel and jump right to the last page-- where the boot is smashing the human face forever and we decide to love big brother. The scary part is when people like me have these thoughts, it means the mass not only has the thoughts, but actually loves the idea. It means we've crossed the event horizon, no worldlines from here lead anywhere but to the final singularity.
The problem is that it isn't really a solution when you look at historical examples. They usually end badly unless the strongman is actually hyper competent and is surrounded by other competent people.
The problems usually do not get fixed--and the person that follows the strongman is usually not competent. It is a recurring problem in authoritarian societies (finding actual competent authoritarians).
You see this in the cycle of the Chinese dynasties or European monarchies, Rome... or the oligarchs in the USSR or the PRC.
There have been more incompetent or marginally competent authoritarians that competent ones... but I guess people sometimes need a reminder about how screwed up things can actually get. The primary skill of an authoritarian is NOT ruling well, it is getting and keeping power. These are not the same thing.
You are correct, it's not a solution, it's just the etiology of how the fatal sickness kills its victim. The people grow so weary of the venality and stupidity and cruelty and idiocy they throw up their hands and say, this is inevitable anyway, might as well skip the intervening events of the novel and jump right to the last page-- where the boot is smashing the human face forever and we decide to love big brother. The scary part is when people like me have these thoughts, it means the mass not only has the thoughts, but actually loves the idea. It means we've crossed the event horizon, no worldlines from here lead anywhere but to the final singularity.
Sadly, I think you are correct... and I am kind of in the same spot.