• atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
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    3 days ago

    democracies aren’t famous for granting new freedoms to citizens either

    The history of the US has been one of slow and steady increasing of individual freedom. Similar with other democracies I assume.

    Non-land owners can vote, slavery abolished, women’s suffrage, the equal rights act, abolition of poll taxes… Even the right to free speech has generally been expanded over time to include things like porn and anti-war speech.

    US history doesn’t start with Trump’s first term.

    • Skiluros@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      I am not American, but I have lived there.

      The impression that I got is there has been a level of regression in rights in the US in the past few decades (going as far back as the 70s, i.e. before Trump).

      Enablement of mandatory arbitration clauses de facto removes your ability to fair civil trials and force you to use a USSR-style kangaroo court. Legally allowing unlimited campaign donations by oligarchs undermines universal suffrage.

      • QuarterSwede@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        As with almost anything, the line of progress never goes up constantly and steadily. Progress is as messy as we humans are, it’s spaghetti.

        • Skiluros@sh.itjust.works
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          3 days ago

          Definitely, it’s not a straight line.

          But a country regressing on a more or less permanent basis in the medium to long term is not unheard of.

          • QuarterSwede@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            Fair. It’s not backtracked as much as you think. Lemmy makes it sound like the end is nigh when we’re far, far from that. Honesty that’s my biggest problem with this place, events are almost always blown way out of proportion, Gaza being the exception. I guess that’s what sensationalism breeds.

            • grue@lemmy.world
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              2 days ago

              I’m pretty sure it’s current events and analysis of them from e.g. climate scientists, fascism experts and Legal Eagle on Youtube that are making it sound like the end is nigh to me. Lemmy is just where I discuss it.

            • Skiluros@sh.itjust.works
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              2 days ago

              I can’t speak for Lemmy, but I had a very different opinion on say things like prevalence of local corruption compared to the average American when I lived there (and this was under the second Bush and Obama, so not that recent).

              I will admit, the US seems very far from “end is nigh” (I don’t mean this in a positive sense, it can get infinitely worse, I know from practical experience), but that doesn’t mean regressive tendencies aren’t broad and have deep roots (completely unrelated to Trump’s direct actions).

              Again, treat this as a perspective of a foreigner who lived in the US for multiple years and visited regularly before COVID. Just an alternative perspective of sorts.

      • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        So you missed all the gay rights stuff that happened? Yes some of it is being undone currently but progress is nonlinear. Such rights still exist in entirety in many states.

        Also Title IX protecting against sex discrimination, women in the military, etc.

        You can’t see evolution happening in real time. You need to look backwards.

        • Skiluros@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          I am not saying there wasn’t any progress (perhaps even a lot), but from my impressions living in the US there were serious regressions in terms of democratic governance and rule of law (in the broad sense of the term, not US specific).

          Just my view from my time living there.