Powerful: Ballet Legend Mikhail Baryshnikov Warns Against Donald Trump’s Authoritarianism

[Hortensis]

16. Well, I'm sure that in his profound ignorance

Trump imagines he can, but he can't. The differences are actually huge. Unlike America, in Russia authoritarianism is very much not just a personality trait that make some glad to trade independence for imagined security.

Russians have authoritarianism strongly built into their dominant cultures, a product of centuries of shared authoritarian government by czars and the church. Their first attempt at democracy early last century lasted maybe 15 years before reverting to authoritarian government, and now they're trying again and once again in danger of falling to authoritarian leadership.

The United States is specifically founded on liberal, anti-authoritarian principles written into the Declaration of Independence and Constitution and its centuries of interpretations. Though some local governments are authoritarian in practice and though there is never a time without assaults on the protections against authoritarianism in our constitution, we have mostly been able to prevail over those subversive attempts, and in liberal eras we not only recoup what may have been lost but continually enlarge upon our beginnings. As an expression of our dominant national character.

Btw, in spite of the populist, extremist, and authoritarian agitation from far left and right these days, by far most signs are that we have already entered on of those eras of liberal dominance. As expected. Conservative reverses are followed by liberal advances, and vice versa.