Despottage Du Jour

Gold cherry

By Schubert

Mon, 03 Feb 2025
  • 422 reads
7 comments
 

Warning Signs! 

Recipe for Disaster

(From the Tyrants Cookbook)

 

Despottage du Jour

 

Ingredients:

 

  1. Undermine electoral integrity with a heady mixture of gerrymandering, voter suppression, manipulating electoral bodies and claiming results were rigged (if no proof, repeat relentlessly)

     

  2. Impose restrictions on journalists (stating national security), discredit media organisations, harass individual reporters and repeat the mantra 'fake news' at every claim. Repeat relentlessly until thoroughly overdone.

     

  3. Destroy the independent judiciary by packing the courts with biased judges and dismiss those who rule against you. Season heavily with judicial reforms.

     

  4. Bypass legislative bodies with a liberal sprinkling of executive orders and freshly picked legal loopholes. Season where necessary with grated emergency laws.

     

  5. Discredit opponents with fake stories, harassment and threats of arrest. Criminalise dissent and create a rule of fear. Impeach vigorously to taste.

     

  6. Add liberal amounts of disinformation, spread falsehoods and encourage deep social division and polarisation. Manipulate public perception vigorously, introducing lightly whipped authoritarianism when required.

     

  7. Shut down independent organisations, grassroots movements, the media and watchdogs by labelling them as enemies of the state. Season to distaste.

     

  8. Weaken public trust in democracy by furthering corruption and criminality. Close down investigative organisations and shield tainted officials from scrutiny or prosecution. Coat liberally with heavily seasoned disdain.

 

To create a really tasty despottage, chaotically unplanned and illegal incremental steps are required and it is essential that early signs of success are exaggerated. The weakening of institutions, the suppression of dissent and the removal of democratic governance and accountability must be blatantly carried out. If done carefully, your despottage will delight the tastebuds of the faithful and infuriate the democrats. Any leftovers may be thrown in their faces.

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Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Very true - but did you see the rather alarming results of that survey recently? 52% of young people aged between 13 and 27 prefer a strong leader and feel they shouldn't have to worry about elections and democracy getting in the way of their victory. It's terrifying!

 

Submitted by Schubert on

I did and I agree, it's horrifying. We have to hope that he can be stopped from trying to cancel elections and annoint himself emperor, but my faith in common sense prevailing with the US elctorate wains by the day. 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Despottage is a brilliant word :0)

 

Submitted by Ewan on

 It's laughter in the dark, but as that's when we need it most, who are we to deny ourselves the comfort it brings? A recipe for disaster, indeed.
Clever, and deeply worrying. That's why it's our Pick of the Day!
Please share it on your social media, if his friend Elongated Tusk will let you!

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by Schubert on

Cheers Ewan, much appreciated. 

Submitted by David Kirtley on

There is so much which has gone into this recipe that it is going to be very difficult for true democrats (not just the Party) and constitutionalists to counter it. I do hope that not too many Americans swallow this. Maybe the inflation and economic dislocation brought about by high tariffs will make the maggots and the Trumplings see better sense!

Submitted by airyfairy on

Despottage is indeed a brilliant word. Wonderful use of language all round. Among all the delicious morsels, 'grated emergency laws' particularly tickled my tastebuds.

Lovely piece of writing!