4

There's Constant Paranoia About Influence From Abroad

You may have already spotted the irony of Russians fearing secret American influence around every corner. After all, if you search Twitter for the words "Russian bots," you'll see that this has become a meme. When some right-wing hashtag is trending, the assumption is that it all originates with Russian trolls and swarms of dummy accounts. Don't get me wrong, there is good reason to be concerned about Russian interference in American politics. The disinformation machine is real. But ultimately, the fundamental mistrust of any information we disagree with may be more damaging in the long term. It becomes one more way in which the well gets poisoned.

In Russia, said poison comes directly from the top. In 2014, Putin, having just annexed the Crimean peninsula, gave a speech about that "fifth column" of national traitors threatening Russia at the behest of Western politicians. These labels are applied to those who protest his war in Ukraine or other issues (like, say, his unusually long reign).

Russia's state media readily obliges, producing such gems as a "bombshell" about Alexey Navalny, an anti-corruption activist often seen as the most prominent face of the country's non-systemic opposition, who they say is, you guessed it, a spy for foreign powers.

The "investigation" features recordings of a man who sounds nothing like Navalny, as well as documents in poorly translated English. Even the FSB (one of the successors of the KGB), which is usually more than willing to arrest people on the stupidest grounds, doesn't find the evidence convincing.

Related: Eerie Similarities Between Trump, Putin, ISIS, And Kim Jong Un

3

The Law Is Applied Selectively

The phrase "rule of law" in America is a lot like "freedom," "democracy," or "all you can eat" -- you're constantly told that it's good, but rarely does anyone understand its boundaries. The idea is that nobody is above the law, no matter who they are. Lately, however, our 45th president has voiced his disagreement.

2

The Cult Of Personality Is Creepy, And Carefully Crafted

Look closely at a Trump rally, and you'll note how many of his followers seem to have adopted his style -- if not the white polo shirt and khakis, then the ubiquitous MAGA old man hat. Then there are pro-Trump political cartoonists whose portrayals of the man seriously make you question whether they've ever seen a real photo of him. Trump has swollen pecs and biceps, right?

Ben Garrison

1

One Man Is The Culmination Of Years Of Building Tensions

Considering that you hear his name about once every four seconds in America, it's easy to assume that all of the bullshit starts and ends with Trump. Flip a few states in the Electoral College, and we'd be living in an alternate, normal America. People get so occupied with what happened after the 2016 election that they forget what Trump was saying just before he won it: Namely, that if he lost, it would mean the election was rigged. Does anyone seriously think his supporters would have taken that lying down? Do you think they'll throw their hands up and admit defeat if he loses in 2020?

We can't forget that Trump isn't the source of all of these tensions; he's the result.

Putin, as you may have noticed, doesn't seem to worry too much about elections (in fact, he doesn't even debate opponents). But what he and everyone else in Russia are very concerned about is what comes after him. That's because he, like Trump, is the product of massive cultural, economic, and political changes that go back decades. In the USA we talk about globalization and the financial collapse of 2008. In Russia, the shifts were both more abrupt and dramatic -- the fucking flag changed, after all. Putin managed to capitalize on people's demands for stability after years of economic collapse, war, and rampant organized crime, to name a few of the problems plaguing the former Soviet Union at the time.

In reality, Putin never got rid of these things; he just changed the nature of the game in ways that made it less noticeable or more predictable for a lot of people. Still, Putin's media machine constantly reminds citizens that if he ever falls, the country will return to that '90s-era post-Soviet lawlessness. When the man goes away, that anxiety will remain. Likewise, if Trump loses in 2020 or 2024, the headlines might become slightly less stupid, but the wounds in the culture that got us here will continue to fester. If you want to change the direction of the country, getting past Trump is just the beginning.

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