It Can't Happen Here question

Hi. The only part of it that disturbs me vis a vis today (not at all dismissing the events surrounding Lewis's writing of the book), well, maybe two things, first, the extreme factionalization, the outright hatred, which is necessary is one is going to accept the fact that one's neighbor has lost employment or disappeared, and two, the attempt to silence the free press. I do believe we are a strange mix these days, both deeply offended and easily offended ("triggered," forgive me for even using the word), to the point that we will rationalize any discomfort we feel at the loss of free speech. We want someone to hurt the guy next door, and after he's been hurt, we want to go on comfortably living our lives.

I am truly glad I read the book. Prescient? I hope not. A wonderful study of how people respond psychologically. I learned a great deal from the book about the range of possibilities, which I thought improbable until North Carolina stripped its governor of certain powers. And last year I watched counties pass "non-binding" resolutions that landlords could not rent to people from certain countries, regardless of the fact that they fled countries with which we are at war, not to mince words, without asking if they fled persecution or not.

Interesting. I feel differently now than I did when I began my response. So, yes, it could happen here, because no one believes it can. Which is the third thing that concerns me, how completely ignorant most of us are of even the recent past. We are, to be blunt, so stupid that the fake news issue is not an issue. We simply have no past, and no history to be violated.

Hmm.