By measure of this video from 1946, I’d have to conclude that we’re already in a despotic situation.

Using their measures, I’d like to explain why I think we’re living under a despotic regime.

The respect and power scales are the first two indicators.

Respect can either be unrestricted, or restricted to few. The video says it’s about getting an even break, but it’s much more than that. When you consider the idols and heros of most Americans, we understand that respect is toward a restricted few. We definitely get no respect.

Power is the other interesting scale. It’s either shared or concentrated. In past few decades consolidation of power has become extreme, particularly with the Bush administrations theory of the unitary executive. I had thought absolutism went out with the monarchies of old, but George W. Bush and his team seem to think he’s actually King George.

It gets more interesting as the video then brings in two more scales to indicate when a society is tipping towards despotism.

The variables are those of economic distribution, and information.

If economic distribution tips in favor of one group or another it predisposes us to despotism. And if one takes into account the distribution of wealth in the U.S. you can clearly see that economic distribution is severely tilted.

Information goes from multiple sources of unfettered publication to restricted publication (Fox Network anyone?) and we’re heading toward despotism. Lets face it, if the so called news programs actually ran stories about what was going on, there would be rioting in the streets.

Very interesting video.