Democracy in Peril

Anyone who is familiar (or should be familiar) with the Holocaust recognizes that the rise of Hitler and the extermination or imprisonment of millions of Jews, Polish, Russian and German individuals would not have been possible in an advanced industrialized nation such as Germany without Law enforcement and other governmental entities tacit approval or inaction. By not speaking out and taking a stand by those charged with maintaining the rule of law, neighbors turned on neighbor, family members turned on each other all the while those in charge turning a blind eye. Thus a relative small vocal minority was able to gain the upper hand and dictate the social conscience of a entire country. Those who spoke out were initially ridiculed, denigrated or met with violence and later imprisoned or worse. It didn't take long for others who were observant to understand that speaking out or taking a stand was a dangerous position to take. Therefore members of the law enforcement community and the judicial system stood by, kept their thoughts to themselves and engaged in appeasement hoping that the apparition known as the Nazi party would self-destruct and Hitler with it. As has been proven many times in history, appeasement and not standing up for what is right has had disastrous consequences. It is a lesson that all of us should internalize and apply in our own lives today. Allowing one man or a vocal minority to dictate events, turn reality to their own thinking, prostitute the law and characterize certain populations as inferior or second class will not end well.

Populist autocrats have been with us for centuries. Recent surges in their popularity, be it in western countries such as the US, (think Trump), in eastern European countries such as Bulgaria or our neighbor to the south, as well as key emerging markets such as Brazil, India, Turkey, Russia and the Philippines, have brought into question the continued viability of Democracy. These usually charismatic leaders, have cast themselves as the saviors of the working class, demonizing the privileged, the elite and the supporting institutions such as the media and the judicial system. These populist leaders are initially embraced and supported by a population that feels ignored and disadvantaged by the current system. Unfortunately these populist leaders begin to implement policies that over time result in large scale corruption, self serving attacks on those institutions that are supportive of free expression and accountability, as well as erode law and order and restrict political expression/rights.The end result is increasing limitations of individual choice, manipulation of the facts, the creation of straw men and propaganda efforts designed to keep themselves in power and turn away attention from themselves to "enemies of the state", meaning anyone or any institution which is in disagreement.

I am not comparing what we have experienced during the last four years to Nazi Germany. However, it is our individual responsibility to stand up for what is right, to speak out against injustices and ensure that, as a Society and culture we adhere to common decency and respect for each other. Just as important is our stance on the truth and facts. If we are not willing to challenge obvious distortion of facts, debunk conspiracy theories and call to account those who are attempting to rewrite history, we are embarking on a slippery slope that will end in disaster. Once we abdicate our moral responsibility in favor of acquiescence or worse give credence to our inner most biases, we have effectively relinquished our right to be free and we have made a mockery of the ideals that our friends, our relatives and our ancestors sacrificed and died for.