An essay about American authoritarianism

The Atlantic published this essay recently:

Representative Paul Gosar’s murderous and misogynistic video takes a page—albeit an extreme one—straight out of the authoritarian playbook.

Authoritarianism has evolved over the past century, and old-school dictatorships are now joined by electoral autocracies. Yet at least one constant remains: Illiberal political solutions tend to take hold when increased gender equity and emancipation spark anxieties about male authority and status. A conquest-without-consequences masculinity, posing as a “return to traditional values,” tracks with authoritarianism’s rise and parallels the discarding of the rule of law and accountability in politics. We commonly associate autocracy with state restrictions on behavior, but the removal of checks on actions deemed unethical in democratic contexts (lying, thievery, even rape and murder) is equally important to its operation and appeal.

That’s why it’s unsurprising to see a culture of lawless masculinity developing within the GOP, which adopted an authoritarian political culture during the Trump years. Renouncing democratic norms, the Republicans have normalized disinformation, election subversion, and violence as a means of governance, as expressed in their support for the January 6 coup attempt and the fiction that Donald Trump, not Joe Biden, won the 2020 election.

It’s symptomatic that a recent Fox News chyron trumpeted the need to “embrace masculinity,” and that Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri now styles himself the defender of “traditional masculine virtues—things like courage and independence and assertiveness” against a left trying to “feminize” men. The fist pump Hawley gave to the insurgents who had gathered to assault the Capitol hints at the real political agenda behind such calls for renewed male strength.

Whether or not Trump returns to office, the GOP has made his brand of outlaw glamour its own. A real man takes what he wants, when he wants it, whether in the bedroom, the workplace, or politics, and pays no penalty. As the Republican quest to destroy democracy intensifies, so will abusive, predatory, and criminal behavior be further enabled and justified. For a century, “getting away with it” has been central to authoritarianism’s allure, and it will be no different as the American version of illiberal rule unfolds.

This is just another voice that sees the obvious danger that tens of millions of adult Americans cannot see.

One can wonder whether authoritarian Republicans like Hawley really believe that they are defending traditional masculine virtues, or are just cynical opportunists seeking power and wealth.