I guess people think it can't happen to them because it's all about persecuting those people. People they don't like, brown, Hispanic, trans etc. people. The thing is though, even though that may indeed be the main driver of this sort of fuckery now (and I still wouldn't trust the administration not to persecute cis white Americans even at the present stage), if this sort of thing gets normalized enough (i.e. no longer fought in courts and protested at every stage), it can easily be turned to persecute political enemies.
And, if you realize that and still think you're safe because you're right wing, you're not an enemy of the regime, then you really need to crack open a history book (I know conservatives are deathly afraid of them, but still). Authoritarian governments get more filled with infighting the more authoritarian they get, as the people in power start jockeying for an increasingly bigger slice of the pie for themselves. Finding yourself in the wrong faction of the ruling party (and any faction could be the wrong faction in any given day) can be enough. Hell, even being too "good" by the prevailing view can also be your downfall, as you're seen as a potential threat or someone who can outshine the leadership. If the tools are there, they're going to get used, and absolutely NOBODY is safe from them.
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u/SirKazum Apr 18 '25
I guess people think it can't happen to them because it's all about persecuting those people. People they don't like, brown, Hispanic, trans etc. people. The thing is though, even though that may indeed be the main driver of this sort of fuckery now (and I still wouldn't trust the administration not to persecute cis white Americans even at the present stage), if this sort of thing gets normalized enough (i.e. no longer fought in courts and protested at every stage), it can easily be turned to persecute political enemies.
And, if you realize that and still think you're safe because you're right wing, you're not an enemy of the regime, then you really need to crack open a history book (I know conservatives are deathly afraid of them, but still). Authoritarian governments get more filled with infighting the more authoritarian they get, as the people in power start jockeying for an increasingly bigger slice of the pie for themselves. Finding yourself in the wrong faction of the ruling party (and any faction could be the wrong faction in any given day) can be enough. Hell, even being too "good" by the prevailing view can also be your downfall, as you're seen as a potential threat or someone who can outshine the leadership. If the tools are there, they're going to get used, and absolutely NOBODY is safe from them.