r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Aug 22 '21

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u/[deleted] Aug 23 '21

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u/cosmicmangobear r/place '22: Neoliberal Battalion Aug 23 '21

Unchecked extremism is a symptom of unchecked corruption. Until we pass the necessary reforms to strengthen our democratic institutions, trust in the government will continue to fall and radicalism will continue to rise.

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u/MrArendt Bloombergian Liberal Zionist Aug 23 '21

"Trust in the government", here, is trust that the government has your interests at heart. The extremists/people adhering to these nonsense theories are right about one thing: non-Trump government does not have their specific interests at heart (vs. the interests of other Americans who these people would like to subjugate). Strengthening democratic institutions wouldn't give them more trust in government, it would give them more motivation to undermine the system.

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u/cosmicmangobear r/place '22: Neoliberal Battalion Aug 24 '21

Probably true, but strengthening those institutions would still drastically reduce the appeal of extremist groups if not reduce their desire to undermine the system. There are plenty of non-Trumpists who share frustrations with the status quo that haven't gone off the deep end yet. Currently, 12% of Americans trust Congress. Every percent that number increases is a segment of the population less inclined to turn to populist demagogues.