Is it paranoid to think

[orangecrush]

That with the gas prices, inflation, etc. that the oligarchs are intentionally creating the kind of instability that could set the stage for American acceptance of an autocrat?

I have a feeling that Trump was truly a dry run.

Is there an effective antidote, besides obviously getting out the vote?

Asking for a friendly democracy I grew up with.

[XanaDUer2]

1. I wonder, too

Shock doctrine

[Ocelot II]

2. Yes. Gas prices and inflation are international problems

that are a lot worse in many other countries than they are here. https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/inflation-rate

[LakeArenal]

3. Yes. They've been grooming insurrection for decades.

[Wounded Bear]

4. Not paranoid, smart...autocracies come in when chaos and unrest are high...

People will gravitate toward a "strong" leader that they think will end the chaos. Usually that ends up being someone who is strong in an evil, unsavory way.



Oh, I do believe that oil companies are driving high gas prices to increase the likelyhood of repubs winning Congress in November and ending the small part of the Green New Deal we did get started.

[SoonerPride]

5. Inflation and gas prices are global.

Now the gouging on top could be ameliorated but republicans voted against that.

So it’s not a conspirator think the right os trying to make it as bad possible.

But not the oligarchs.

Just plain old right wing evil.

[questionseverything]

7. The right wing and oligarchs are subsets of the same whole

[bucolic_frolic]

6. There are personal antidotes, namely it's time to hunker down

Buy quality for durability. Find alternative sources of supply in all necessities, if you can. Learn a skill that either produces for you or could become a side gig. Stockpile an extra one or two of critical consumables. For example, I wouldn't operate on one vacuum cleaner bag, or 4 pair of socks. In the aggregate, meaning all consumers who do this, it will fight inflation due to not needing so much and not being so vulnerable to the whims of the marketplace created by big corporations.