Is Israel becoming totalitarian?

[Drifterwood]

Jesus - it is indicative. That is all I am saying.

 

[parr]

I like Israel, and hope they take back their land to 1967's borders. Many years they have had their land (Isreael) given up for 'land for peace' deals.

Isreal has been our true allie in the mideast.:biggrin1:

 

[B_bxmuscle]

Isreal has been our true allie in the mideast.:biggrin1:

I would be too if I had a Sugar-Daddy named Uncle Sam paying my bills to the tune of 2-billion a year!

 

[B_bxmuscle]

I have no investment in the term. It works well for me in the context of the State unreasonably legislating against personal freedom of choice to pursue its political ends.

So, I'll carry on using it if that's OK with you, unless you have a better term.

May I suggest "authoritarian" as an alternative? It's more accurate, doesn't carry the ideological baggage of that other term and is applicable to all types of regimes that use the power of the state in ways you describe whatever their political orientation, including those with democratic features in which electoral majorities acquiesce to repressive policies -- the French Second Empire (1852-70) for instance.

That other term is discredited not only because of its ideological baggage but because of its inaccuracy. While it has not filtered out to the general public as yet, its pretty well established that even heinous regimes like that of Nazi Germany or the USSR under Stalin were not "totalitarian" in the sense of that terms popular usage in any meaningful way. Instead, they rested on forms of consent and support far more than police power and repression. I strongly recommend some of the short, well-written histories of the USSR by Sheila Fitzpatrick, written for general educated audiences, for those genuinely interested in how such systems operated.

 

[Drifterwood]

May I suggest "authoritarian" as an alternative? It's more accurate, doesn't carry the ideological baggage of that other term and is applicable to all types of regimes that use the power of the state in ways you describe whatever their political orientation, including those with democratic features in which electoral majorities acquiesce to repressive policies -- the French Second Empire (1852-70) for instance.

You're probably correct in terms of the definition of what is going on, but I am not sure about the term authoritarian. It can be very broad in scope and relative to political stance.

I generally have in mind Orwell's nightmare vision of 1984 when I ue the term. I don't see it as specific to any real system as you point out.

 

[Zayne]

Lol, reddude got banned.