this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2025
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What is your line in the sand?

Edit: thank you all for your responses. I think it's important as an American we take your view points seriously. I think of a North Korean living inside of North Korea. They don't really know how bad it is because that is all hidden from them and they've never had anything else. As things get worse for Americans it's important to have your voices because we will become more and more isolated.

Even the guy who said, "lol." Some people need that sort of sobering reaction.

(page 3) 42 comments
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[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

I don't recognise the current American regime as a valid government. Just like I don't recognise the Israeli occupation force as a valid state.

It's not remotely binding or even meaningful to anyone but myself of course. But hey, nothing matters these days.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

No. I also don't consider the United States to be a democracy.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

Is demos how you say money in Greek?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago

I really never did, not a well functioning at least. They've practiced voter repression for decades, and then they had fun testing how low they could go after 9/11, doing a lot of unlawful shit, going after citizens who spoke out against their policies and wars.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Absolutely not. A country where two parties are the only two viable electoral options, is absolutely not a democracy. Doesn’t mean I’ll stop my membership for the PSL.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (6 children)
[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 days ago

Plus Sized Lobsters

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

Shit I live inside the US and I barely consider it a democracy.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

How can you be a democracy if you have only two political parties?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

With one not giving a fuck, and the other severely fractured due to conflicting ideals none the less

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The next election will tell, my tin hat is on Puting the US into a situation where an election can't be held so they can have a third term.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

I'm not sure even with a successful election and it going to the democrats we'll be able to tell. At least from today's view. It will largely depend on how institutions and the justice/court system can hold out against the current administration right now and during this phase.

I feel like they may have already created damage that won't be cleared just from one election or one election period's fixups.

At the same time, hopefully, this is the wake-up call for opposition and a transformation one way or another. It's plainly obvious what is happening now, and I am hoping opposition will become more apparent and prevalent because of it. Not just in citizens, but institutions too.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 days ago

Not for a long time. The Economist Democracy Index demoted the US to a "flawed democracy" since 2016, where it has been ever since.

Democracy index, 2024 - https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/democracy-index-eiu

[–] [email protected] 44 points 3 days ago

Line in the sand? Going after political opponents. Censoring information. Dismantling media. Abandoning rule of law. Business and government mixing too much.

USA is speed running these.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago

Maybe a flawed democracy at best and it's getting worse every day. At least on federal level, I don't much about states politics. Not really an expert but democracy can't really work that well if you are stuck in a two party system. Having more choice would sure help against populists and autocrats.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago

Yes, but a bad example of one very quickly heading towards autocracy. Some characteristics like screwing up your own economy and blaming 'the foreigners' rings a distant bell.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

No but this isn't recent. My line in the sand was Russian interference in the 2016 US election that came to light in 2018.

*United States Democracy Index

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I am inside and I want to get out

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

Same. Is there a sign up sheet, or...?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

Yes, Americans voted for this administration

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Elective dictatorship, there is no accountability. Is there even a mechanism for the public to recall the president? Or is that it for the next 4 years?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

There is not. He would have to be impeached by the senate, and then convicted by the majority of the Senate. Since the majority are currently his sycophants, it's effectively not an option.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago

Yes. But becoming more flawed by the day

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

Never has been.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

That's a retorical question, isn't it?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago
[–] [email protected] 52 points 3 days ago

A struggling democracy, in the beginning of an Orban/Hungary-like overtake of the country.

Its possible to revert, but you seem to have atleast a 1/3 of the country that would walk down a straight up facist line willingly and happily do so.

You need to fix your shit america.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, it's still a democracy. The electorate wanted what's now going on. That could rapidly change at this point, but for now not yet.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Democracy is a sliding scale and the US is still on it. Could the people choose something different without resorting to violent revolution and protest? Yes

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I'm a bit skeptical about this argument because autocratic states love to hold practically fake and forced elections with 90 or 99 % approval and use that as justification.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

I think the possibly final test for American democracy will be the midterm elections in two years. By then, I think that either trump will have broken the system enough to get a sham election, or we'll see real, verifiable push-back against him. International organisations that monitor elections will probably take part in shaping my opinion on whether the election is fair or not. I think it's worth remembering that whenever countries hold "fake and forced elections" there are plenty of international observers that point out the major rigging going on.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

Unfortunately yes. People wanted this. They still want this. But people were also cheering for like, Mao even after he put millions of his own citizens into the ground, so who knows

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago

The answer depends of the reference point. I was born in Russia (I'm living abroad from 2022) and compared to the putin's dictatorship US is a democracy. You guys still have a freedom of speech, not fake opposition to Trump and independent courts. From the other side, most of the countries are democracies if compared to Russia..

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I consider it a faux democracy. It still has the semblance of one, with people voting, believing they matter and that they have actual free speech, but the masses are being, increasingly less subtly, controlled by media corporations and rendered incapable of critical, independent thinking by an ever decreasing quality of education.

Don't be fooled though! This isn't happening in the US alone. It is widespread all over the globe. The US is simply doing it in a smarter, more cunning way, while leading the wealthy 1% in other countries by example.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

A demo-crazy.

Note that it is not democracy what Trumpeltier is destroying at the moment. It is the functioning of the state. This will take so many years to rebuild, if possible at all.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

Serious answer : I am not living there, have no idea how to compare, nor whether the court system works as a safeguard.

Troll answer In democracy you have the right to healthcare and education, so it's been a while it isn't

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago

No, unfortunately.

[–] [email protected] 123 points 3 days ago (1 children)

See, as a German, when I see a country go down the same route as the Weimar Republic after handing over the power to the Nazi party, I think it's just very obvious. Hitler took some two months to completely destroy democracy, and the US are juuust in the middle of that. History doesn't repeat, but sometimes it rhymes, and the similarities are just remarkable.

So yeah, I guess that would be a big fat trench in the sand.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago

I do. On my imaginary scale around 4 out of 10. So far the mess looks to me like it was voted in.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago

No. I agree with the comment about the electoral system and gerrymandering as fundamental issues. And the current administration does not respect the judiciary branch, that much is clear, and their actions are completely undermining the supposed divisions of power, without which there is no democracy.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Not at all, you are just an autocracy now but don't fully realise it, and as the other commentator had said, not even really a good democracy in the loosest of terms before this entire mess going on ATM!

[–] [email protected] 37 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I consider it an autocratic regime with strong fascist characteristics.

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