Dismembering Our Democracy

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Dismembering Our Democracy

As the effects of late-stage capitalism begin to manifest, the economic system once seen as an engine of growth and prosperity becomes hostile to the working class. It extracts from the many to preserve the privilege of the few. Rather than reform or change course to serve the people, those in power are turning to increasingly authoritarian measures to maintain their dominance. Fascism is no longer a possibility on the horizon. It is unfolding now—and the public is already feeling the harm.

In this moment, it feels dangerous because it is. The government has shifted from protecting public welfare to enforcing corporate interests. Public institutions are gutted, civil rights are eroded, and dissent is punished with force. The mechanisms being put in place mirror the historic hallmarks of fascist regimes- coercion, propaganda, suppression, and loyalty to power over law. The signs are not abstract. They are unfolding in plain sight.

In this environment, the public is no longer seen as a constituency to serve, but a problem to manage. Dissent is reframed as disloyalty. Rights become conditional. And a culture of fear and obedience replaces civic engagement. It is here, in the vacuum left by failing capitalism and corrupted governance, that fascism finds fertile ground and takes root. It is not as a sudden and abrupt turning point, but as a steady tightening of control, disguised as order and stability.

A System Under Siege

The erosion of democracy is not accidental. It is deliberate and strategic. In late-stage capitalism, maintaining power depends on the suppression of awareness and stifling any challenge to authority. The turn toward fascist controls is a direct response to growing instability and public unrest. These tactics are meant to extend the life of a system that has begun to exhaust its human resources and is gasping for air.

The techno-oligarchy now driving this transition uses identity politics as a tool to divide and distract the public into inaction. At the same time, mass data collection and surveillance are employed to restrict access to information and construct narratives that protect wealth and power while undermining democratic resistance and collective action.

Real-World Signs of Fascism

Drawing from the widely recognized "14 Signs of Fascism," we can see these patterns taking shape:

1. Powerful and continuing nationalism

Propaganda campaigns present dissenters as enemies of the state. National identity is weaponized to justify surveillance, border militarization, and the suppression of pluralism.

2. Disdain for human rights

Increased ICE activity—often carried out by agents who refuse to identify themselves or show warrants—has put communities on edge. The administration has openly called for ending birthright citizenship, deporting U.S. citizens, and suspending the writ of habeas corpus. Protections for minorities, worker safety, women's rights, and bodily autonomy are being stripped.
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3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats

Immigrants, trans people, journalists, and protesters are vilified in public discourse and policy. State actors frame these groups as existential threats to justify repression.
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4. Supremacy of the military

Police forces are militarized, and protest is increasingly met with armored vehicles, surveillance drones, and extreme crowd-control tactics.
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5. Rampant sexism and religious control

Christian Nationalist ideologies have entered mainstream policy, pushing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and attacking reproductive rights under the guise of moral tradition.
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6. Obsession with national security

Civil liberties are curtailed in the name of security. Dissent is conflated with disloyalty.

7. Corporate power protected

Corporations receive bailouts and tax breaks while labor protections, unions, and public services are dismantled.

8. Labor power suppressed

Workers face exploitative conditions, while organizing is legally and physically suppressed.
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9. Controlled mass media, and disdain for intellectualism

Media outlets that challenge the official narrative are attacked as untrustworthy or un-American. State-aligned media push disinformation. Trump has threatened legal action against dissenting journalists while promoting his own platform, Truth Social. Funding for public education and independent thought is slashed or politicized.
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10. Obsession with crime and punishment

Harsh penalties, mandatory minimums, and criminalization of protest reinforce a system of control. Immigrants are routinely framed as violent criminals without due process.
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11. Cronyism and corruption

Government positions are awarded based on loyalty, not qualification. Oversight is resisted or dismantled.
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12. Fraudulent elections

Voter suppression, gerrymandering, and disinformation campaigns distort democratic participation.

**13. Rampant surveillance
Surveillance infrastructure is expanding rapidly, especially targeting marginalized and activist communities.

14. Authoritarian control of law and order

The administration defies Supreme Court rulings, arrests judges, and threatens to dismantle judicial independence—all hallmarks of executive overreach.