The difference between societies that govern through trust versus fear isn’t abstract. It’s whether athletes can speak without their families becoming hostages.
When American Olympians express “mixed emotions” and the president attacks them for it, MAGA reveals what it’s optimizing for: the authoritarian playbook where criticism equals treason.
The tell is in what they envy. Russian athletes don’t criticize Putin. Chinese athletes don’t question the CCP. Not because they’re more patriotic, because their families are leverage and survival depends on compliance. MAGA looks at that and sees efficiency, not horror.
Authoritarian systems optimize for power and control, concentrating suffering on anyone who doesn’t conform. Democratic systems with high trust optimize for the capacity to speak, challenge, and correct course without losing everything.
The American athletes aren’t tearing down the flag. They’re using the freedoms it represents—-the exact freedoms distinguishing trust-based societies from fear-based ones. When those freedoms become conditional on saying only what power wants to hear, you’re not defending America. You’re dismantling it.
Hunter Hess: “One of the many things that makes this country so amazing is that we have the right and the freedom to point that out.”
That’s what societies should optimize for…not dominating rivals, but conditions where humans can speak truth without fear that honesty destroys their families.
MAGA wants the Chinese model: shut up, comply, or face consequences. They’re not defending American values. They’re envying authoritarian control and calling it patriotism.
Once you’ve lost the capacity to criticize power without retribution, you’ve lost the point of civilization entirely.
Megyn is busy bashing US Citizens representing us at the Olympics who say they have issues with US Policies and actions and Bad Bunny a Puerto Rican US Citizen who also uses his platform to criticize what he sees as things we are doing wrong. If Megyn is ignorant of the fact that he is a US Citizen I will also point out that the official language in Puerto Rico is Spanish and I for one can appreciate a good performance by a performer singing in the official language of their country. I am sure that Megyn has likely seen operas sung in non English languages and was able to appreciate the performance. I greatly appreciated Bad Bunny’s homage to all of the Americas.
Garry, one of the reasons Trump can't handle criticism from US athletes is because it instantly reveals how little Americans respect him. It's a narcissistic injury. His self-concept is that everything he says, does, touches, and believes is right and true because in his mind he's smarter, savvier, tougher, and more capable than anyone else. He's infallible in his own narcissistic mind. When someone representing America gives the lie to all that, in one sentence no less, Trump can't make sense of it and so he gets angry in a childish, narcissistic way. It's the same with all of MAGA. They're so insecure and so ignorant that humility in the face of American ugliness is impossible. Instead, they lash out at the critics, thinking blame and "righteous outrage" will carry the day. They're wrong, of course. The emperor has no clothes.
Yep, the US athletes better enjoy their freedom to speak while it lasts. With the speed the US if plunging into dictatorship and totalitarianism it's gonna be gone soon.
Americans are losing their freedom to the patrimonial psychopath, the gravedigger of democracy, the rights of freedom, nature, Trump, and his loyal repressive forces. I lived in a totalitarian regime for 40 years in Czechoslovakia.
Excellent points.
The difference between societies that govern through trust versus fear isn’t abstract. It’s whether athletes can speak without their families becoming hostages.
When American Olympians express “mixed emotions” and the president attacks them for it, MAGA reveals what it’s optimizing for: the authoritarian playbook where criticism equals treason.
The tell is in what they envy. Russian athletes don’t criticize Putin. Chinese athletes don’t question the CCP. Not because they’re more patriotic, because their families are leverage and survival depends on compliance. MAGA looks at that and sees efficiency, not horror.
Authoritarian systems optimize for power and control, concentrating suffering on anyone who doesn’t conform. Democratic systems with high trust optimize for the capacity to speak, challenge, and correct course without losing everything.
The American athletes aren’t tearing down the flag. They’re using the freedoms it represents—-the exact freedoms distinguishing trust-based societies from fear-based ones. When those freedoms become conditional on saying only what power wants to hear, you’re not defending America. You’re dismantling it.
Hunter Hess: “One of the many things that makes this country so amazing is that we have the right and the freedom to point that out.”
That’s what societies should optimize for…not dominating rivals, but conditions where humans can speak truth without fear that honesty destroys their families.
MAGA wants the Chinese model: shut up, comply, or face consequences. They’re not defending American values. They’re envying authoritarian control and calling it patriotism.
Once you’ve lost the capacity to criticize power without retribution, you’ve lost the point of civilization entirely.
America has democratic freedoms that are still unimaginable in much of the world. But that's not a reason to be idle.
Authoritarianism is never too far.
Democracy is built by the people, and it will collapse of people don't stay vigilant, if they don't keep fighting for their rights.
You took freedom for granted for a long time and stopped taking it when you handed it over to the malignant narcissist fascist Trump.
Megyn is busy bashing US Citizens representing us at the Olympics who say they have issues with US Policies and actions and Bad Bunny a Puerto Rican US Citizen who also uses his platform to criticize what he sees as things we are doing wrong. If Megyn is ignorant of the fact that he is a US Citizen I will also point out that the official language in Puerto Rico is Spanish and I for one can appreciate a good performance by a performer singing in the official language of their country. I am sure that Megyn has likely seen operas sung in non English languages and was able to appreciate the performance. I greatly appreciated Bad Bunny’s homage to all of the Americas.
Um, Trump goes overseas and bashes the US every time. No comment from Megyn Kelly on that??
Garry, one of the reasons Trump can't handle criticism from US athletes is because it instantly reveals how little Americans respect him. It's a narcissistic injury. His self-concept is that everything he says, does, touches, and believes is right and true because in his mind he's smarter, savvier, tougher, and more capable than anyone else. He's infallible in his own narcissistic mind. When someone representing America gives the lie to all that, in one sentence no less, Trump can't make sense of it and so he gets angry in a childish, narcissistic way. It's the same with all of MAGA. They're so insecure and so ignorant that humility in the face of American ugliness is impossible. Instead, they lash out at the critics, thinking blame and "righteous outrage" will carry the day. They're wrong, of course. The emperor has no clothes.
As In China, you have whatever rights you can express nicely. They call it harmony. But dissent is never nice if it’s substantive.
Yep, the US athletes better enjoy their freedom to speak while it lasts. With the speed the US if plunging into dictatorship and totalitarianism it's gonna be gone soon.
Gary is the best, we love him
Americans are losing their freedom to the patrimonial psychopath, the gravedigger of democracy, the rights of freedom, nature, Trump, and his loyal repressive forces. I lived in a totalitarian regime for 40 years in Czechoslovakia.