Has the threat of Trump really gone? - Timothy Snyder
2024 ж. 22 Мам.
178 977 Рет қаралды
Timothy Snyder is an American author and historian. He is a professor of history at Yale University and a fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna.
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He talks to Krishnan about the future of Trump and 'Trumpism', the rising influence of Russia and Britain's next move.
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Superb interview. Tim Snyder has been giving warnings for years now. Great to see him now going completely mainstream
@James Barlow Glad you think so. I wonder if that is why he is a world respected historian, author, lecturer and commentator and you're not?
Yes, he has been talking and writing about the causes and conditions for democracy, and for authoritarianism. The part of this interview which sticks with me (probably because I’ve been thinking the same thing for years 😉) is that, in order to have a functioning democracy, you need a lot more than simply having elections at regular intervals. It takes an informed, educated population. It takes a relatively peaceful situation. And it takes all that, because elections need to be about more than short-term solutions to acute situations. So people need to be able to think further down the road, which takes some basic security.
Democrats Court Packing? These guys are Propagandists!
@@hexistenz Which is why conservatives Republicans whatever you want to call them always are cutting educational funds they want people to be ignorant so that they can dominate them more easily
Remarkable, unsettling and thought-provoking interview. And profoundly insightful questions and analysis.
Patronising old fart
@@theoilandgasresourceportal2132 You can't handle the truth? Does it hurt when you know that everything he said was real? All you have to do is to change your mind ...that's it .Nothing special...when you see that something it's wrong ,just cross on the other side .You can cross back ,when your old side is right again,but why keep defending a lie ?
@James Barlow again - IF you would have voiced your criticism in a constructive manner one could take you seriously - this way you only come over as a disruptive element
@@gabrielconstantingarvvan2518 Britain voted for Brexit, its called democracy, if you dont like it try somewhere else
@@theoilandgasresourceportal2132 -Britain- ENGLAND voted for Brexit, its called -democracy- OVERRULE, if you dont like it try somewhere else ------- SOME OF THEM WILL
Nice to see Professor Snyder again, he's a great political thinker of our time
Yeah right, this guy's a Leftist clown propagandist.
Wow what a thought proving guy. It’s still all very overwhelming 🙏🏼🌏🌎🌍
Rochester Johnny I agree. I've read everything he's written and listened to his youtube seminars. He is indeed one of our greatest political thinkers of our time. To think he wrote On Tyranny in 2016: how prescient.
@James Barlow IF you would have voiced your criticism in a constructive manner one could take you seriously - this way you only come over as a disruptive element
@@labelmail You don't listen to constructive criticism. If so, you would have known long ago this fellow is a discredited hack.
This is a masterclass of an interview. We could all learn a lot from this. Amazing.
Made you feel warm and smug
Like, what could we learn?
@@goldwater1984 we could learn that academics living in ivory towers have no understanding, concern or regard for the lives of ordinary people
@@theoilandgasresourceportal2132 that's how I see it as well. Was wondering what context theShowman was using.
This interview should have WAY MORE views than it does. People have stopped using critical thinking (if they were ever taught in the first place) and have become consumers of social media misinformation and conspiracy theories. We are going backwards.
00
A superb interviewer! Knowledgeable, thoughtful, respectful, intelligent. Rare on KZhead.
A Brilliant interview. The dichotomy of "Us and Them" is at the crux of human problems, is an important aspect of this interview to take away with one and deeply consider what it means. The Constitution of the US, begins with the word "WE", all of us. "We the people..." is the key. Also, the gentleman who did the interview, has a similar speech pattern to the late Bob Hoskins, which I find very easy on the ears, with his beautiful diction and word usage. Thank you Channel 4 News.
Brilliantly biased sure!
@@DaveSCameron OK.
Mr guru-murthy I’d just like say how much I appreciate you’re journalism,
hear, hear
*yore
Yes, he is a fantastic activist.
Journalism? If he was a journalist he would not be employed by Channel 4 News. He is a Journalist in the same way Benito Mussolini was. A political activist who uses his evident talents as a writer and speaker to advance his political views. The main difference between Krishnan and Benito - Krish has no desire to enter active politics.
this is some of his better work - don't like the hectoring quick-fire style on news some times (and the Robert Downey Jr interview was shameful - but he was right to shake Tarantinos cage a bit given his cultural/cinematic influence)
I really rate this guy! Recommended reading from this amazing person: ‘On Tyranny: 20 lessons from the 20th Century “ and “The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America”.
good old russia scapegoat since napoleon. oh you losers
Agree Hazel.
Thanks. Will follow up.
@@MrSp0iler there's just nothing to you is there? You are as empty as your silly statement and I bet if I went to your channel that it would say this channel has no content which after all is just a statement reflecting who You are
Yes Hazel. Great insight & massive knowledge learning most of the languages of Eastern Europe to do original research on fascism and its rise destroying Russian and other peoples throughout the East. So sad to see Putin turning to fascism that Timothy details in his work.
Should be made required viewing in all secondary schools.
Yes, strap their hands in and pry open their eyes with toothpicks as you play it.
I agree with Mr Snyder but alas 1996 Education Act states that governors, councils and heads must “forbid the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject in the school”. It doesn't seem to limit this to the UK context. I never did so during my 12 years' teaching career in the UK as a teacher and distinctly remember speaking to a head of my school who said she was not allowed to take a Brexit side because of her position. Of course, curriculum content is determined by political and ideological views but that is a different story...
No need, they've already been brainwashed by woke Marxist claptrap for decades now.
and well beyond secondary schools
Stop grooming children with your indoctrination you deviant
"Snyder is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Conscience of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum." -Wikipedia
And by pointing that out you just told us more about you than you told us about him. Thanks.
Billithekat .. and the Israelis, of course.
It is hard to know who to trust less: CFR or Wikipedia.
@@billithekat1088 Don't worry, when the Chinese/Russian axis reaches its full maturation, in a decade or less, "nuking" Iran will be impossible unless our fearless leaders can figure out how to stop (technically unstoppable) hypersonic Russian missiles which would be fired in return for any assault on Iran. No difference who is in the White House then.
Of course he is and a member of the mo-co-di cabal too*
Amazing interview.... very thought-provoking and well questioned... thank you
What a fantastic, intelligent and insightful interview. I will be sharing in a substantial way. Thank you so much.🇨🇦
For a opinion that is so not true. This guy is a joke.
@@sandrametzler8625 How so?
@Ivan Dafoe kudos for you. When dealing with a moron you need to be patient
Propaganda by the left. Clinton was ready to hand over to the Chinese. We know, they know that we know. We know they know that we know but they think we are stupid. In the next few weeks we will find out the truth.
LEFTIST PROPAGANDA🚩 STRAIGHT UP LIES! PUKE! 🤮
Timothy Snyder is a scholar in the best sense of the word. That is, one who can support what he says with facts and informed analysis. One of the few people deserving of a long form interview.
Really? This Tim Synder? Author of "Bloodlands". Listening to him in this interview blather on about Russiagate is a bit of an embarassment for a Princeton academic. Tim Synder is at best an incompetent and partisan historian and at worst a rightwing imperialist propagandist.
We’ve dumbed down history. We’ve dumbed down the humanities. Thank you Tim Snyder for speaking an obvious truth.
Pomposity alert
I found this so interesting great program 🦋👍
Such an excellent interview, one that I surely shall be revisiting multiple times and referring others to. Thank you.
I know, right?! Need to listen several times! They are both so eloquent, pertinent questions, incisive answers. Just a joy.
This is my go to for news , plus documentaries Channel four , News, and FILM FOUR. Yes I live in Scotland, lucky me.
Do not believe 1 word not 1 word! Aho Mitakuye Oiyasin!
Professor Synder always, and I mean always, makes so much sense with his clarity of thought, and his uncanny ability to present complex ideas so that all could understand and who was so capably assisted by this very professional interviewer. This is how an interview should be carried out, with respect and with intelligence. Thank you.
Such a clear headed teacher! I have been enjoying Tim.Snyder's lectures on the making of Modern Ukraine.
What clarity of thought Snyder has. It is a joy to hear and to see.
For insight into what is happening watch this interview. Thank you Channel 4.
Not only a fascinating discussion but a skilfully woven one too.
We’re wish he can be our President for ever
I really appreciate this interview and the information I've listened to. My train of thougts exactly. I appreciate the way he articulates it like he does, without sounding like a conspiracy therosist. I love to listen to all sides before I judge and this interview sums up my thoughts. Thank you and much love to you all. Moving forward, we will need it.
Haha! The ensuing partisan discussion here proves Timothy Snyder's points brilliantly. All of them. Reading the comments only, I would be more pessimistic about the future.... I don't think he emphasized this enough: living in different realities, with a different set of facts, is crushing to any nation. Especially to the US now.
@sybiz sybiz222 I would not agree with what you said about his best traits. I do not agree that his ability to motivate and inspire people Threatening people, stealing money, engaging workers to carry out work on many of his buildings, then refusing to pay them for the work they've don. defrauding people, cheating on each of his wives. He's a crook, who even tried to alter his own Father's Will, to ensure he got as much as he could. Think on.
Absolutely eye-opening information! Thank you, Professor.
I could listen for hours. Excellent discussion.
Fantastic stuff Krishnan, Snyder's closing comments certainly something to think about.
Krishnan not Kristian
@@bl00dhoney Cursed auto-correct, thank you!
@@JackOsborneFilm auto-correct = them😅
The Rural/Urban divide is still there even when Trump leaves.
@Live Free or Die 2021 oh don't worry they can ignore it, nothing to see , those people don't count.Black,White, will all suffer.
@@davidrenton a large part of the urban/rural divide is largely a function of income inequality and opportunity inequality. If we can smooth that out and improve the lot of people in rural areas much of that will evaporate. And I live in a rural area, so i have a front row seat on the neglect of rural areas (access to broadband and quality healthcare are good examples).
Incredibly interesting interview.
This is by far the most important film I have watched in over a decade. . The future isn't what it used to be. We have to change that for our children. Because it's our fault. .
WE cannot change. We can only improve. Social media is already part of our reality. What we can do is improve the conditions the virtual world operates under
Some of the people leaving comments clearly haven't paid attention to this and do not know that Snyder was talking about them
Example?
@@jo18533 Leslie Wright
A rich privileged white man telling the plebs how dreadful they are. How they should all embrace his world view, which will keep him rich... stfu
I wouldn't place so much emphasis on throwaway comments by damaged nobodies, they don't contribute to leading thought. Very interesting was his point about the downgrading of humanities and history in education, before you learn what to think you must learn _how_ to think.
@@SirAntoniousBlock im sure you'd love to tell people how to think..
I was a bit annoyed yesterday when you cut Timothy short in a news segment about the capitol riots. All is forgiven after this arrived! Timothy always provides a great perspective on Trump. Thank you Krishnan. I continue to keep my copy of 'On Tyranny' close at hand.
Gawd !! I could listen all day long
This guy is a real deal , very good talk
Professor Snyder , I agree. Now approaching my last year's, I'm shocked and concerned how little history is known by the rising generations. We need history, geography, civics and the arts returned to class rooms, along with math and science curriculums. For the sake of our human well being and future.
Wonderful journalism, brilliant questions! Thank you!
Journalism requires presenting a balanced view.
Fantastic and extremely informative interview. Thanks for sharing.
Informative? Yeah right, you could get the same propaganda from watching MSNBC. This clown just parrots the same narratives: "Donald Trump convinced his supporters of his 'big lie' that the election was stolen." What a buffoonish statement. It's not a lie and the American people don't need Donald Trump to convince them of that. The evidence speaks for itself.
@@brettgbarnes ok - which evidence?
@@EMBEVIDEO Oh, that's original. Like you have no clue right? Do you know how many times I've heard that reply?
@@brettgbarnes Easy question. There has to be an answer to it in case of evidence. So answering should be easy. If not ... it is just conspiracy nonsense. You know - it's all about facts. That make truth so simple.
@@EMBEVIDEO _"Easy question"?_ It's a dishonest question. Don't play childish games. Unless you've been living under a rock for the last three months, you've already seen more evidence of election fraud than I could ever describe in a KZhead comment. The Left's "baseless conspiracy theory" propaganda narrative is the true "big lie" of the 2020 election. I ain't playin' your game.
it's called delusion, not stubbornness.
also part of Trumps playbook. He studied Hitler
Very, very interesting, thank you.
Niiice! Make discussion great again.
This guy is a genius. Thank you
Calm collected intelligent thought provoking Must View KZhead.
Excellent, superb discussion, let us all think about what was said, humanity!
Informative and great insight. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent interview with excellent insights!
“In the past 30 years, we defunded the humanities. . . . . These are not technical problems, they are moral problems, aesthetic problems, they are questions of judgment. And to have the concepts and the tools and the references for all these things, you need the humanities. History always has something to say about the present. It’s not that it repeats or even rhymes, it’s that it gives you this flow from the past into the present which may help you to see possible futures. History gives you the sense what structures there are that are limiting us, but also gives you the sense of how you might get around those structures and find ways into new structures. Also, unlike other ways of looking at the world, history emphasizes that there is certain amount of irreducible human agency, human choice in things." 25:00
Bravo!
Well said!
Great interview thank you
Why can't a man like Snyder ever become President?
Corporations like yes men not intelligent men. That goes for women too:)
@@rorygee482 Corporations don't get to vote. People do. So we have no one to blame but ourselves, no matter how influential you think big money is.
@@endlessadventure541 Of course I’m not saying we bear no responsibility, however rich people like Murdoch who have agendas and the outlets to promote them can keep a lot of politicians in check. They can make or break political brands as easily as they can washing powder brands. That’s just factual.
Thank you!
Superb interview ,
Thank you both very much for this excellent interview. The King's Library, in The British Library, deliberately combines Humanities and Science with equal importance. I'm a Physicist first and also like to learn from history. Someone once quoted to me that "the experiences of our past illuminate our future". That should be true in reality, what we would call a current fact in science. Dealing with facts in science for 50 years has made Trump's lies seem like the world was going mad to me. Most of my career, however, has been spent in human communications (not in technology and not in "anti-social" media, as I've always called it). Also, I've often pointed out that with the mantra of "Competition", by definition, you build in both winners and losers. Yet, human success in evolution of the species has been dependent upon people working together and cooperation. It'd be great to hear more from Prof. Snyder, especially on the US networks! Thanks again. Ken Allsopp
I don't often get inspired by listening to this kind of thing, but this was inspiring. Excellent interview.
In terms of what he believes to actually be true, I would observe that narcissists tend to actually believe what they say...even if it's completely at odds with reality. That's one of the reasons why they can be so compelling; you don't think that they are lying because they're not...they're deluded.
Narcissistic Behaviour here! Antifa/BLM are deep state operatives! Trump will take the day and you will rejoice when the Truth is unveiled!
@@kathyborthwick6738 You might try wearing a tin foil hat to stop those strange voices you're hearing...it's a pity you weren't able to learn something valuable here...all because they keep ranting away at you so loudly.
@@kathyborthwick6738 Black Lives Matter,I cant breathe. Dont kill me.
@@judytelles9227 have you seen the whole tape? Where he's walking back n forth sayin I can't breathe, which happens when you're od'ing on fentanyl, but, unfortunately, his body stood breathing.
@@billithekat1088 George Soros pays for most. Look up BLM, and it says donations go to the democrats campaigns, after the top mucky mucks take their shares, of course.
Society must re-learn to be guided and learn from history
The lack of ego from both the interviewer and interviewee is so refreshing. Snyder is a clarion voice and it is delightful to see him being allowed to fully explain his ideas.
Came across by accident.I don’t do politics but I have found this video really interesting.I hope America will be united again.Best Wishes To All.Keep Safe.
Excellent interview.
I'm a Tim Snyder fan. I've read The Road to Unfreedom. I'd like to meet him and have him sign it.
I agree with the point of needing more emphasis on history and humanities, and would add that we need to invest a lot more in education overall. Especially critical thinking skills, bc that is SO basic to build all other education on. And we really need to value education as a society. It seems like we will certainly continue to decline as a society, unless we have a better educated population.
Don’t you realize that these elites don’t want you to critically think, because if you did you’d realize you were on the wrong side of history.
Important conversation covering a wide spectrum of topics impacting humanity around the world.
Wow thank you for what you know.
super interesting interview
What a superbly high quality interview; thank you.
Proper interview and meaningful information. Who knew it was possible?
I really enjoyed listening to this well informed discussion
Fascinating interview! The major problem was that both China and Russia were taken from a US historians perspective. Russia was Putin and China was considered as a Dictatorship and not an evolving Communist System with an enormous population and thriving economy. One important point was the need for the focus in education to include the “Humanities”. I Would instead emphasize International History, but even more relevant Anthropology and Languages. In order to understand and draw comparisons it ie essential that “ Others” and their cultural values are perceived from a non ethnocentric perspective. And that the particular historical, ethnocentric perspective of the Historian is contextualized. Finally, it’s simple for an English speaker to compare and analyze aspects of US or British Societies. On the other hand once they broaden their generalizations to “Other” societies and nation states, they often forget that in the cases of the USA and England that these two “Democratic” States, have plundered, attacked, destroyed, and colonized other peoples and continue to undermine and attack others often in the name of “Democracy” and Human Rights. ♦️♦️♦️
Road of Democracy has to be legal. Cheating isn't legal
What a legend, that's what wisdom sounds like
Trump has employed the same tactics as Hitler did in the 30s. America is at a crossroads and the direction it takes has never been more important.
Snyder consistently gives me new insights and challenges to view history from a different angle. Thank you for this interview.
Thank you 🙏🏽
Thank you very much for this great video.
The real question should be: Has Putin already gave up on Tramp?
Fantastic interview. Highly recommend listening.
The (schoolboy) editing was unfortunately seriously messed up. Check out 4.25 into it and the host is speaking but it's the guest we can hear. Channel 4 please don't let your professional skills and attention to detail (or lack thereof) mar you message.
well spotted mate! there must have been a ton of suitable 'noddies' they could have used, poor QC basically (having spent 15 years in the broadcast industry)
I am astonished that this was your takeaway from this interview... Class A Smartarsery
It sounds like he agreed that human rights is not just about civil political rights, but also socio-economic rights, to be free. Basically, you cannot make a free, rational and informed decision when you are in poverty or face existential threat from the state. But what is poverty?
'Poverty' is the inability of a person within a society to have a viable contingency plan for a (foreseeable) threat to his well-being that other people in the same society DO have a viable contingency for, primarily through the use of purchasing power. The easiest example for this in the US are situations with medicines, where person A is able to afford the cost and survives, while person B cannot afford the cost, so person B has an existential threat to his life. While in poverty, an individual will not be able to consider the impact of different political platforms that impact his future because his priority will be to figure out how to survive today.
Good discussion point from @ J H. I'd go a little more basic and say that poverty is not simply based upon economics or even basic survivability (food/clothing/shelter). Rather, it is based in the marginalization of any people from societal norms. For example, the societal norm is to have insurance, saving, etc. to legally survive an emergency. The marginalized may have no other option than to operate outside of the law to meet the needs of the same emergency: theft, hustle, con, etc.) There's also "intellectual poverty" (and many others) that are obviously rampant across segments of our populace - both in the US and across other countries/cultures. But I digress. :)
History has never repeated itself. Similar occurrences are but a distant echo.
I don’t think he actually said that. He talked about patterns, not identical events.
Any book recommendation from this guy ,l really like this historian
Bloodlands by Snyder was an excellent ......sobering....book
Beyond Tyranny is short and an excellent guide to preventing authoritarianism.
@@adriennerutledge5745 Do you mean "On Tyranny?" If so, I agree.
thank you
Magnificent interview. Thanks.
Excellent interview. This needs to be shared with the Brexit and Trump camps
But will they listen.
A perfect voting system in USA... really ??
@Live Free or Die 2021 USA doesn't need the Russians to fck up. Russia can lean back and watch how USA manages by itselves...
What a breath of fresh air ! Thanks
Brilliant content! We need more of this input! Promotes humanism!
Awesome interview
Staying in the limelight and raking in contribution from his fans, as well as earning income (which he has never done except as a media performer) will all motivate him to maintain a media presence -- through one of the right-wing cable channels or through a new organization of his own. The connection with his following can be maintained only by giving his media presence a political coloring. Of course the "I wuz robbed" story will remain useful for that. Therefore, however unlikely another successful run for President might be (and let's not forget that it's being unlikely and Trump's recognizing the unlikelihood are two different things), Trump will be a major presence in the Republican party at least until 2024.
He pulled in $200mill
WHAT A LOAD OF DECEITFUL RUBBISH.
People said him running and winning the primary was unlikely. Never rule out the unthinkable
"My Military, my police and my biker friends". ....great interview
Excellent work here. One MAIN POINT of many - WE NEED MORE OF THE HUMSNITIES!!! Technology is NOT going to solve humankind's emotional blindness and INABILITY to percieve and discern REALITY.
Truth is irrevocable. Thankyou for telling it like it is.
What happened in America now, this can repeatedly happen all over the whole. So UK government should take action in case we have the samething happen in UK.
Yeah best stay clear of Dominion counting machines and smartmatic softwear
Very interesting and informative discussion - as always. Thank you.
Jack Ma, criticism of Chinese banks and system has made him disappear. Where’s Jack? American government and democracy is not much different.
View in depth, great view.
He explained the troubles of Trump to me more accurately than any political commentators and academics. I will buy his books.
This guy is a bright dude!
The idea of rigging elections is not in the least bit novel in the UK. They did it in Ireland for centuries, and it took decades of violence to end it. Also, the US infection and death rates aren't the worst in the first world... Take a look at the lis and you will find that per capita, the UK is significantly worse. Wonder why.
How did "they" rig the elections in ireland ? & who are they ?
Pushing the boundaries of oligarchy in USA?? Sorry, those are way behind you...
Superb Piece!
An open letter to Dr. Snyder, I very much enjoyed reading your editorial in the NYT today. I noticed the early Quaker influence you had; my most cherished years were studying the humanities and theatre at Earlham College '91. I grew up on an apple orchard in Vermont, went to a boarding school, then after Earlham, went to study theatre design and production at UC Irvine. Following a career as a dance-theatre producer in San Diego, I moved to homesteaded in southwest Oregon which gave me more than a decade of time to reflect on the world around me. I am writing to share a critique I hope you accept as a kind gesture despite its rather direct approach. It's in response to your lovely critique of malefactors and illiberalism in an interview from a year ago with Channel 4 in Britain. Calling "populism" nationalism and authoritarianism is an unfortunate framing of the word. Many adherents to Liberalism (perhaps the neoliberal wing?) mischaracterize populism as if it were despotism, autocracy, totalitarianism, fascism, or as a dictatorship. They claim that democracy and Liberal governments are under attack by populists. They do not point to populists for evidence of their claims; instead, they point to self-aggrandizing malefactors. For a recent example, many asserted their defamatory claims by calling the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol populists. This is nonsense; those are not populists. They are fear-driven insurrectionists who pledge allegiance to a wannabe authoritarian-fascist who himself is a truly corrupt elitist. Too many of Liberalism's adherents inaccurately ascribe to decent, peaceful populists the work of a few stupid, evil leaders and their angry mob. This is not fair. For context, populists are best exemplified by the Quaker tradition -- citizens seeking agency, peace, and consensus in the direct control over their private and public affairs, whether at the local, state, national, or worldwide level. Just because populists want more agency in their lives does not necessarily make them an adversary. Populists do not want despotism, autocracy, totalitarianism, dictatorship, and fascism. Indeed, many around the world have had enough of that already. Members of the ruling class, most of whom are neoliberals from the left and right, say we threaten society when, in fact, it is they who feel threatened. Their deceit on this matter is a bitter irony: they have used their corporations to control our governments by overwhelming our democracy through campaign financing and lobbying. We reject the gaslighting accusations that we are the very thing that we want to escape and that they aren't already doing what they falsely accuse us of wanting to do. Populists (the populace) want more involvement in their government beyond just voting for oligarchs and their obsequious sycophants to rule over them. We want magnanimous representatives, not overlords. Currently, we do not sufficiently control the governments we elect, nor the corporations for whom we work or from whom we shop -- that's a growing problem. Ours is an effort to regain control of our governments and livelihoods: this is what populism is; this is what the populace wants, and it's not such a bad thing. But many in the ruling class defile the term populism to push back against the populace from having more power and control over the political economy. I have a strong intuition that it's not a winning strategy: Thomas Edsall writes every week about how Liberalism is under attack and crumbling. Neoliberalism is solely at fault for its demise; alienating the populace for the past 40 years (letting neoliberals steer the ship) is a serious existential threat to Liberalism. It appears to me the reason Liberalism defames populism is to discredit both populists and evil malefactors at once, forging one opponent out of two very distinct, opposite political ideologies that threaten Liberalism. (Look no further than Francis Fukuyama and his colleagues' "Global Populisms and Their Challenges" for an example of this.) We can all agree that the increasing number of despots, autocrats, dictators, totalitarians, and fascist wannabe's who threaten the social structure in the U.S. and Europe are heinous. I would ask you to also agree that they are not populists. But it appears to be a Neoliberal fashion to smear populists as evil or dangerous, and in one stroke, take down both competitors in one shot: 1) the compassionate, caring populists who want more agency in the political economy, and 2) the evil, destructive malefactors sowing mayhem around the world. I suggest an alternative: please consider attracting the populace to Liberalism instead of alienating it. Allow populism to positively impact Liberalism's rough edges (I'm thinking here about how Catholicism absorbed cultures by adopting their stories like bunnies and santas). I understand there is some awkwardness in a glomming merger of Liberalism and populism (we need experts!), but there is certainly a long term benefit to forging an alliance with the populace rather than alienating it; the two could really go after the despots, authoritarians, dictators, and fascists in a united way. The Overton Window is closing on Liberalism's view that populism (perhaps let's call it "a more direct form of democracy") is a threat that runs contrary to minority rule by an elite class of experts. Surely, we cannot abide a kakistocracy or ochlocracy, no reasonable person would suggest such disorder. But fading to a more representative (less overlord) system is a far better alternative than despotism and fascism. I think this means governing for the human persons, not the corporate persons and their owners. You mentioned the proper Us vs. Them contest is between humans and machines; perhaps, but more importantly, I think it is also between humans and corporate persons. One aspect of Liberalism that has been metastasizing over the past 40 years is how individuals rise up by virtue of their merit to run the political economy on behalf of the populace who do not possess the skills to do it themselves. Another growing problem is how the scarcity of elites in the free market justifies compensating them for their responsibility to the populace at higher levels compared to the median income. Both circumstances are, ideally, reasonable; however, they have been taken to an extreme, and that is causing the backlash to Liberalism worldwide. Liberalism's leaders have wrestled control of the free market by writing laws (and setting case law) permitting all manner of income inequality, including lowering tax rates for themselves and allowing campaign financing and lobbying to further ensconce their control of the political economy in order that they can further aggrandize themselves financially and politically. This feed-back loop of power and wealth has begotten more power and wealth for them; as such, Liberalism's leaders have abused their heightened position at the expense of the populace. The blatant jettisoning of Noblesse Oblige is intolerable, poor form, and a bad strategy. I hope my letter finds you well and that you may share my concern with your peers. I am a proud member of the populace working on the above issues and ask for your support. Kindly, Christopher Hall Cave Junction, OR
excellent discussion