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Worse before better? [1]

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Date: 2025-03-06

There's a common adage in activism: “It has to get worse before it gets better.”

I’ve never liked this idea. I believe, whatever the dictatorship, there is always something that we can do RIGHT NOW to start tearing it down. But that doesn’t seem to be the way people work. They won’t act until things get really, really, bad - until the dictatorship becomes unlivable. Up until then they will do what they can to adapt, but they won’t try to change anything. They may complain, but they will accept it.

This is the frog in a pot of water analogy (which has been disproved - frogs will jump out when the water gets hot, but not - apparently - people). Indeed, about Trump’s New Depression, no matter the immediate cost I believe we should just bring it on. The logic here is that this is the ONLY thing that will make the cultists turn against him. They are purely selfish. They have to feel pain - they have to lose their jobs, not have enough food, and even lose their homes. Only then they will wake up.

It is unquestionably a tragedy that this course of action will also cause non-cult members to suffer, but at this point there doesn’t seem to be any other way. The crisis with Trump, Musk and the Republicans is completely out of control.

We have also seen this effect in the pro-democracy movement for the Southeast Asian nation, Burma. Some of the ethnic nationalities in this ethnically-diverse country rose up decades ago, because they were fighting for their survival. But not the largest group, the Bamar. (The generals in the junta that rules Burma are all Bamar.) Life was bad for them, but not bad enough. But when the regime ended the Aung San Suu Kyi (also a Bamar) pseudo-democracy with its coup four years ago (it never gave up real power, though), and then started killing the people who protested, that was it. That finally got them going. (Of course, many individuals had been wide awake and active, also for decades, and even formed revolutionary units like the All Burma Students Democratic Front - ABSDF).

Now we are faced with the situation in the U.S. I am tempted to say to hell with it. A majority of Americans want dictatorship. Let them have it.

The only thing holding me back is my experience with Burma (30+ years). I know, if the Tump/Musk junta succeeds, that nothing less than a new Revolutionary War will be required to drive them out and restore democracy. This will inevitably take a very long time (it always does), and there will be horrific suffering. It is much better to get rid of them now.

So, for the U.S. (and Burma - where there is now widespread revolt against the dictatorship), it is far preferable that it not get worse before it gets better. But without Democratic Party officials doing something - rebelling - there’s little hope. In America you can be an activist and have an impact - on local issues. But to change the nationwide system, even getting millions of people into the streets, in this day and age, with tech-plutocrats having near absolute power, won’t do much. (Although we do need millions to protest - to force the officials to act on our behalf). Only with the Party united and speaking with one radical voice is there any chance. Only then can we regain power for the people, reverse the damage, and address the fundamental issues, including eliminating corporate personhood, billionaire-funded election campaigns (and billionaires!), amendments to the Constitution, and reform of the Supreme Court.

But, as this week’s traitor liefest showed, we still have so far to go. The Democratic Party is its own form of dictatorship, and leaders Schumer and Jeffries not only won’t do anything, they are blocking unified direct action by others to stop Trump. It seems in this case we don’t have a choice. It will get worse before it gets better. We have to oppose both the “democracy leaders” and the actual tyrant (and his party).

Interestingly enough, something like this also happened in Burma. Suu Kyi, like Schumer and Jeffries, would not confront the regime. (The generals were her “friends.”) She negotiated a democracy for show only system so she personally could have the appearance of power. (It was vanity power.) It was only when, after some years, that the junta generals tired of allowing even this, that they launched their coup and at the same time imprisoned her. So what motivated the people was not only that they were being shot, but that her cooling effect was taken away.

The U.S. at this point does not require change through violence. But we do need Schumer and Jeffries to step back from their “seniority positions of power” to let younger, energetic and social media-proficient people organize the opposition. The fact that there was not a boycott at Trump’s speech was unforgivable. It was such a no-brainer. But they couldn’t help themselves and their lifelong desire to “be seen.” They have to move out of the way.

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