The thing is, being repressive becomes more and more expensive past a certain point. It's not cheap being the prison capital of the world or building a surveillance state. The US is one of the only countries that can even afford to do as much repression as it does.
Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
I think we can also ask how the material conditions change the considerations for who we should make pacts with. The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact was made during an era when there were different competing imperial powers, but the modern era is one where they all work together. Singing a pact with the hegemon means giving up sovereignty and being absorbed into the empire.
You take comfort in the fact that I am going to be tortured and r*ped to death in men's prison, like CIA-backed death squads used to do to communists in Latin America and Southeast Asia - and those were """tankies""", supporters of and sometimes supported by China and the USSR. That's the fate you want for me, and you want it so badly that you'd happily die to make it happen.
Talking to you is self harm. I hope you wake up to the real danger we're all in before we all fucking die.
Idaho just passed a bathroom bill making it illegal for trans women to use the women's restroom. It comes with jail penalties, and the Trump regime has issued rules saying that trans women who are incarcerated do not get access to hormones and are to be placed into men's facilities. The same regime is also putting people with "radical gender ideology" onto the FBI terror watch list.
This is happening right now. They're going to kill me first, and you'll cheer. As you've already said you want me to die.
And then they're going to come for you, and there won't be anyone left to speak out for you. Start taking this seriously.
Not exactly - this actually came up in court before. In 2005 they dismissed a case brought against AIPAC to force them to register, even though this law is supposed to apply to lobbying groups that represent foreign interests.
Okay, I'll tell you what the fascists are going to do to me. I won't just be killed immediately. I'm trans. They'll take away my hormones and put me in men's prison, and what do you think they'll do to me in men's prison? Yankees looove to make jokes about it, everyone knows what will happen to women like me. I probably won't even survive to my execution.
And you love it. My only crime is having an opinion that's different from yours on China, and you'd happily die just for me to face a fate worse than death.
I think it was popular for a while simply for the novelty. Easy access to gelatin and refrigeration was kind of new in the 50s.
Then people got over it because the novelty wore off, and without that it's just a bland cold food.
I have no idea what could explain the continued popularity in Eastern Europe.