is that the majority of the population in most authoritarian countries can't necessarily tell the difference. For most people, life goes on. Perhaps some things are a little more restricted, some things not readily available, voting is a little bit harder, etc, etc.
Face it, "most people" are not Winston Smith and won't fall afoul of the state apparatus in place to rigidly control some behaviors. Until they do, and then it is usually too late.
And therein lies the problem. What to do? Well you have to "go on with your daily business." Most of us can't go off on a crusade to save the world or the country. There are bills to pay, children to raise, loved ones to care for. And as everything gets just a little bit harder those mundane activities of everyday living take up more and more of our time and energy. One reason "young people" are not overly political is that they don't have time for it, and for a lot of legitimate reasons.
It has been getting worse, though many have not yet felt the true weight of the authoritarian country Repubs and Trumplodytes are fighting to set up. It will continue to get worse, until we can force the gov't to make it better.
= new reply since forum marked as read
