2016 compared to 1917

Watching what is going on in the US, I find a lot of common between Trampists and Bolsheviks. Both promised to address grievances of the “forgotten” people, told them what they wanted to hear – the promises not easy or impossible to fulfill. Both did not expect to get power. Both were not able to use the acquired power for the benefit of the nation efficiently. They spent most of their energy on keeping the power, ascribing to themselves the fruits of not their actions and blaming their “enemies” for their failures. I hope the Russian tragedy will not repeat in the US.

David Brooks wrote for The Seattle Times and picked up more nuanced communality in his article Of Bolsheviks and Trumpists. The image is from his article.

I also have hoped that new technologies will make the world more democratic, making voices of the minority better heard. Instead, the information centralization (Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon) facilitates the increasing control of the minority over the majority with all its consequences.

But I cannot say that it depresses me. Human history knew much worse situations. Meanwhile, humanity, in general, seems to get better and more civilized over time. It looks like progress in the right direction. Not too bad, so far.