Capitol/ credits fixed
this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2025
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Counter-argument since I'm in a contrary mood. A scene like this is only possible in a democracy. In a genuinely authoritarian state, there are no protests on this scale. And certainly none where the protesters have uncovered faces and openly carry guns. And absolutely certainly none where those protesters are allowed by the police to enter the parliament building in order to avoid bloodshed, which is what happened here. In China this would have been either a revolution or, much more likely, a massacre, i.e. Tiananmen Square.
It's cold comfort, but the way this day played out was in fact a demonstration of how resilient US democracy is. The challenge is to stop the system being tested like this again.
counter-counter-argument: how long before this isn't possible in the US anymore?
Sure, that's fair. I'm just trying to counter vibes with some uncomfortable facts, because vibes alone I personally find pretty boring.
The USA has been democratic for quite a while, depending on definitions. Since either the 1960s (the Civil Rights Act), the 1920s (female suffrage), or the 1860s (male suffrage). It's had the same constitution, based on checks and balances, since the 1780s. Fully 240 years.
During that period, most of America's peers have gone through all kinds of completely non-democratic experiences: revolutions, civils wars, uprisings, communism, fascism.
Stepping back and looking at the big picture, I say that yes, America still does have something to teach us about democracy.