When people say they're "angry" and want to vote to "restore" to some facsimile of American
past, does anyone else get deja vu?
That's German for Deja-vu, by the way…
Hey subjects and subjugators, you probably recognize me, your friendly neighborhood Trace.
According to the traditions and doctrines of the United States of America, governments
should exist for the people, and be run by the people.
But sometimes, along the regular, legal path of democracy, people elect authoritarian heads
of state.
Authoritarians are those who favor or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially
that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom.
It's pretty obvious when one is around, and is related to words like dictator, despot,
draconian or tyrant.
But why would anyone elect an authoritarian government here?
Aren't we masses, yearning to be free?
In the 40s, political scientists began analyzing authoritarian regimes to better understand
their rise.
Researcher Erich Fromm hypothesized people's authoritarian voting stems from feelings of
insecurity.
Hitler was elected, in part, because of German fear of communism, and, according to researchers,
when people are "faced with an uncertain world and lack of direction, people will 'escape
from freedom,'" into security.
In 1959, in the American Sociological Review, a paper claims the working-class are the main
drivers of democratic authoritarianism.
Researchers suggest authoritarianism can arise not just out of political fear, but also from
a rapid rise of societal pluralism and threatened economic interests.
For example: the rise of ethnic minorities, more sexual or social freedom, or the challenging
of some status-quo can all cause authoritarian attitudes to grow.
But that's not all, the authors of the book "Psychology of Terrorism" say terrorism can
succeed by destabilizing the populace through fear.
In a democracy, the people drive the political machine and if they are fearing for their
security, the overall democracy can become vulnerable.
Essentially, if a group of people feel their economic stability is in jeopardy, their safety
is threatened in some way or their country is no longer their own: then they may vote
for an authoritarian regime who they believe can restore uniformity and security, and punish
difference.
In the last 70 years, communication researchers have crafted what's called authoritarian personality
theory to suss out who these voters may be…
They've found, some are predisposed to support, without question, a candidate who they believe
is a strong, decisive, authoritative leader.
Psychologists think this may be more common in right-wing politics, but have to be careful
not to skew the research with the wrong questions.
They can't simply ask if the voter will follow orders without question, or if they dislike
certain groups…
instead they ask if obedience is a virtue, or if "people can be divided into two classes:
the strong and the weak."
What they've found is authoritarian personalities tend to be thoses raised from childhood to
value conforming.
They believe in obedience to people higher up in social status than themselves, and defame
and mistrust those "below" them.
The Social Psychology of Politics reads, "[Authoritarians] believe obedience to authority is the only
morally-approvable position."
They'd then apply that opinion across their life from work, to child-rearing, to politics
and government.
So, when people raised in this way go to the polls, they may be likely to vote for someone
who mimics this decisive, derisive and class-driven worldview.
If, due to fear, some voters were to choose an authoritarian leader, there's no guarantee
that form of government would resolve those fears.
And if voters did,with free and legal elections and a supportive Congress, vote in an authoritarian
leader, there's really nothing anyone could do to stop them.
As Conservative Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said in 1920, "If my fellow
citizens want to go to hell, I will help them.
It's my job."
CTA video So now that you know how the people vote them
in, TestTube News explains how elected dictators have been able to hold onto power after their
terms were up, right here.
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How do you feel about authoritarian leaders?
Can you see this happening in real life?
I don't know if i have to say tell me about it in the comments, as I'm sure you already
have.