When discussing the direction for America, we must remember we are discussing humans, not numbers.
Within any demographic, roughly 20% of the population are constantly terrified, and willing to eliminate individual freedom if a hereditary dictator promises to protect them from their fears. They believe most people are evil and cannot be allowed to choose their own leaders. They won't take responsibility for their own actions, and deny the obvious, like racism and global heating. They don't consider facts, nor can they reason critically, and they prefer hate slogans to solutions, either because of their overriding terror or inadequate education.
Another 20% are like me, fierce believers that most people are good, and that democracy and individual freedom are worth fighting to protect. We are unwilling to tolerate leaders who are above the law and would put the citizens below it. We believe most people are good, and that diverse and inclusive government performs best.
The remaining 60%, ignore politics. When you include "slightly agree" to the two 20% groups, you can roughly divide any population into thirds, the terrified, the brave, and the "don't cares", each outnumbered 2:1.
Historically, populations, and nations, have always moved towards the loudest 1/3. The American Revolution occurred after the 1/3 who wanted individual freedom made themselves such a pain for the British that the British began committing atrocities, convincing the 1/3 who normally didn't care, to care.
Today in the USA, those who want a dictatorship are LOUDLY making themselves known, by mass shootings, caging babies, dumping industrial waste into rivers, reversing clean air, all sorts of headline grabbing atrocities.
If those who love individual freedom and electing their own leaders, really want to avoid dictatorship, they have to get off the couch and start protesting. If they don't, then clearly the majority WANTS dictatorship. While the terrified are clearly fooled, I do not buy that the media is responsible. Mass media pushing right wing propaganda isn't new, it's as old as media.
The original reason to CREATE media was to spread propaganda.
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