r/interestingasfuck • u/Dismal-Display-370 • 18h ago

Everyone is too happy around this guy

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

13.9k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

2.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

672

u/BBryant3rd 16h ago

I don't see how you can even tolerate something like that. Every single person always praising you and such. No honest/real interaction. Couldn't do it.

880

u/Sea-Cap-1540 16h ago

I am not young

I lived in Romania under Ceausescu.

I was one of the "happy people" in the crowd.  You had no choice. If you disobeyed you and your family were marginalized, job lost, house taken away. You better be happy.

Dictators love this.

107

u/Lordquas187 15h ago

Romania is the first country I traveled to outside of the US and I had zero comprehension of its history until I got there. The whole revolution story fascinated me, particularly with how modern it felt, being that you can watch Youtube videos of battles where dudes in sick 1990s outfits were smoking cigarettes while shooting AKs. How did it feel when you found out he was killed? Was there some sort of electric energy running through the country or was it a feel more like being in shock and realizing that it was time to start trying to piece the country back together?

472

u/Sea-Cap-1540 15h ago edited 14h ago

I did not live in Bucharest

In my city, it was quiet ( no shootings )

December 1989 the Berlin wall was already down, Poland started reforms, Hungary was in full change. I was lucky to see Hungarian TV since I lived near the border with Hungary and I speak Hungarian, too. They showed what was happening in Eastern Europe and we were praying for soemthing to happen.

December 16th came and in Timisoara started an uprising. Pastor Tokes was suposed to be evacuated ( or something like that ) and people garthered to protect him Police and army intervened, then more people came out. Nothing was said in the state news about this. We heard on the Hungarian TV and there was a radio station in Germany called "Free Europe" who broadcasted in Romanian, too and they were also talking about this.

On Dec 21, Ceausescu organized a meeting in the palace square to condemn the "fascists" elements who whated to destabilize the country.

I was grade 12. I remember like it was yesterday. I was on my knees in front of the tv because we all hoped that Timisoara was the spark. My parents were behind me and talking about change.

Than in the back pf the crowd some screams were heard. This was live tv. ( it is on the net ) They stopped the live transmission. After like 10 minutes, they resumed the transmission. But there was a BIG change.

All the "we love the communist and socialist Party and Ceausescu" panels were gone. In the crowd there were only few Romanian flags. Thise flags had the Socialist country ( sorry I do mot know the proper name of it in English ) emblem cut out from the yellow area of the flag.

It gave us BIG hopes. My mom was crying behind me.

Then it started, the secret service took Ceausescu from the balcony and then the revolution started.

In like 2 days the dicattors were gone.

....but their close politicians still stayed in the power... But they had no choice but to change the system, not because they wanted to, but because it already happened in the rest of the communist countries, because the Soviets approved it.

When I tell people here in North America that the food stores had norhimg in them... they do not understand it. They thing we had food but garbage. They do not understand that nothing in a food store was empty shelves. Only those understand this who came from similar countries.

Whenever I read about...this and that ( politicians in the Western world ) is fascist or communist ... I just lol.

Just in this thread, oh "Trump will be that"... No...he will not be that... He can not be because the system does not allow it. I do not like Trump, I am in Canada now, and we have issues with his policies and border economy.

To say trump is a dictator is disgenerous to those who eacaped dictatorships or live in such countries.

Or when I see that people in the Western world idolize communism or socialism... Like ...why?...stupidity? Plus anyone who disagrees is a fascist like Ceausescu said about the revolutionaries ( or communist if we look from the other extreme ) ( some confuse social democracy like in Western Europe with socialism...but many just love socialism, the economic system)

Ok..I wrote a lot..sorry All the best.

61

u/_bones__ 14h ago

It's a fascinating read. Thank you for writing it.

35

u/Squornhellish 14h ago

Thank you for sharing!

38

u/Themos1980 14h ago

One of the best posts I've read here in a long time

110

u/Both-Subject-3674 12h ago

"No...he will not be that..."

I couldn't disagree more. Dictators come in many flavors, and a silent coup is still a coup. Worse than an overnight coup, is one that is done gradually over 10-15 years so that people are worn down and do not notice it has happened until it is too late. Even today it was announced that Hegseth has removed even more military leadership. Why? Why now? The timing (right before midterm elections that could make Trump a lame duck) is too perfect to be coincidence. They are preparing something. And hand-waving it by saying "it couldn't happen here" is exactly what will allow it to happen here.

You told us that you were in 12th grade when Ceausescu was killed. This means you were probably too young to be paying attention when he tightened his grip on power and turned fully authoritarian, but you can't ignore the parallels.

_____ built a secret police force

_____ instituted/extended mass surveillance

_____ built a cult of personality

_____ destroyed foreign relations

_____ ballooned the national debt

_____ mismanaged the economy and blundered multiple oil deals

_____ controlled the media and fought to destroy the free press

Now -- who am I talking about here? Ceausescu or Trump?

They have done all the same things, but one happened in a small country where people had very little to lose at the end and finally revolted, the other in the richest country on earth, where people still struggle to pay their bills, but haven't hit rock bottom en mass yet, and where difficulty and cost of travel prevents most mass civil protest from reaching a sustained fever pitch like in other countries.

So it is 100% happening. And to deny it or dismiss it is just plain foolish in my view.

•

u/Motor_Ad_7103 10h ago

i 100% agree with you!

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 8h ago

Yes, I was not alive when the Communists took over.

A simple answer to your concern: True dictators outlaw all other political parties from day 1. This happened in Ro and in many other dictatorahips. A dictator ( or a totalitarian regime ) does not wait for the next year.

•

u/Development-Alive 31m ago

Are you sure? Viktor Orban didn't outlaw competing political parties but rather defanged them. He took away their access to media. He clamped down on universities that could be breeding grounds for opposing ideas. Orban's first term in office was '98-'02. During that period he operated as a Democratically elected leader, thus was voted out in '02. He was then the leader of the opposition party. It wasn't until he regained power in '10 by a narrow margin that his Autocratic efforts started. It was in 2013, 3 years into his new term, that he changed the constitution to give himself more power, under the banner of the anti-immigrant issue. It allowed him to remove media entities with opposing views, reduced judicial independence and ultimately was a roadmap for Authoritarian rule, or democratic backsliding in academic terms.

In fact, Authoritarian rule rarely happens in a single year. Its typically a response to other issue. With Orban, us used the Anti-Immigrant issue as Syrians/Afghanis were escaping war as his pedestal to convince Hungarians that only HE could solve the problems so they had to give him greater power.

This isn't too different than the attempt by Trump to push the US in that direction. There is just more resistance. The economy isn't bad enough for enough voters to put their trust in him to grant him the power he craves.

Still, the point stands that citizens who embrace Autocracy rarely do so overnight. They are frogs in the pot of water that don't recognize the water is getter hotter and hotter and hotter until it's too late.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 24m ago

Yet, he lost Elections in 2026.

•

u/Development-Alive 1m ago

He lost to someone from his own party that he had excised, purportedly used as a scapegoat. Ultimately, Orban's own corruption caught up with him. That doesn't erase all the anti-Democratic changes he put in place, something their new PM promised in route to winning.

•

u/External-Carpet4215 6h ago edited 5h ago

Appreciate your experience but your views are at complete odds with every scholar of authoritarianism or totalitarianism I have ever read.

Gonna stick with the people who have spent their lives studying this topic.

PS. You would do well to study what occurred in the Philippines, as a start.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 6h ago

Sure I respect your opinion. Books are written by diverse people with diverse views. It is up to the people to value which author is a scholar or not. Even dictators wrote books.

You can enlighten me and post some of these books and scholars. I am open minded plus I have more time to read since I am older.

All the best.

•

u/External-Carpet4215 5h ago

I would start with the works of Ruth Ben-Ghiat, even just her interviews.

Edit: if you want a specific book, try Strongmen.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 5h ago

Thank you I will look into this

All the best

→ More replies (0)

•

u/mary_jays 19m ago

On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder is an excellent read, and highlights the strategies that authoritarians use to consolidate power

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 14m ago

Thank you

I will look into this, too.

I wish you all the best.

•

u/_bones__ 2h ago

There are examples to the contrary.

Hitler took several years to increase his power until he did that.

Russia still has other political parties, and Putin is a dictator.

The US is a nation that has many safeguards against a dictatorship, but those safeguards are under attack. You don't do that if you intend to keep them around.

•

u/GapPrestigious6414 4h ago

Genuinely asking, because to me it's just absurd to liken what happened in Eastern Europe to where modern Socialism is today, do you actually think wanting more democratic processes, such as worker owned co-ops, decentralized governance, and universal healthcare, are synonymous with authoritarianism? People who lived under the communist regimes so often seem to be anti-left and defend the right when in the west, the roles are completely reversed. What you experienced under communism is what we in the west would call right wing.

→ More replies (2)

•

u/Important_Capital875 6h ago

It isn’t happening just because you don’t like him. Get out of your feelings.

•

u/Important_Capital875 6h ago

You realize ice has been around for decades? And you realize you can put Joe Biden’s name for all those statements and it would be correct?

•

u/SourceEast44 7h ago

You are so right. This is not to be ignored

→ More replies (4)

47

u/JesseTheNorris 14h ago

I enjoyed reading your first hand account. Thank you for sharing.

Abot Trump. He isn't a dictator... Yet. He has many teams trying to break down the institutions that prevent him from being one. Evil only requires that good people do nothing.

69

u/Preeng 13h ago

>To say trump is a dictator is disgenerous to those who eacaped dictatorships or live in such countries.

He is slowly becoming a dictator. It's not a contest. His actions go against democratic norms.

27

u/noradosmith 13h ago

He's a wannabe dictator. And sadly a lot of people also want him to be. He definitely isn't one.

5

u/MeanHurry8664 12h ago

Yes, Trump wants to be a dictator, and he would be as bad as any of them. I don't think the comparison is "disgenerous" (sic) - or disingenuous.

•

u/ruckustata 10h ago

Agreed. I feel like the commenter is drawing from a terrible past but does not truly understand how a country gets there. It's in steps, not leaps and bounds. The acceleration of the diminishing of personal rights is alarming in the US. The prices are rising and the shelves are starting to empty for all but the most financially stable. Empty shelves can mean unobtainable as well. You might as well tell me there are no cars for sale if the only thing available was a Lamborghini, Rolls Royce or a Honda Civic at Porsche prices.

20

u/El_Scruffo 12h ago

Socialism is not just Soviet Marxism-Leninism. Socialist ideologies existed way before Marx. Social Democracy (which I support and feel the US DESPERATELY needs to adopt) is another of the several branches of Socialism.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 5h ago

Current Social Democracy is working in capitalist countries. All Social Democracies that you look up to in EU are capitalist economies.

People confuse Social protections in Social Democracies ( yes Socialist policies ) with Socialism, the economic system ( companies owned by the workers and all that )

If US adopts Social Democracy, social protections like in EU or even here in Canada, US will not be Socialist country. It will still be capitalist, just like Canada and EU countries.

All the best Good luck to you

•

u/El_Scruffo 4h ago

Yes, you are 100% correct. Social Democratic countries are still capitalist economies. I'm just saying that even though SD is not full Socialism, it is still considered a "branch" of Socialism. By the way, I'm so jealous because I wish I was living in Canada right now like you, instead of this shitshow of a circus called United States. Best to you.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 3h ago

Glad that we agreed.

I wish more people would understand that Socialist policies are totally something else than Socialism lime in res star and stuff

I wish you all the best and I hope soon you'll have a better leader.

Take care 👍

3

u/Wet_Viking 12h ago

This is a really good and interesting perspective. Thanks

12

u/reality72 12h ago

Trump absolutely wants to be Ceaucescu. And he is doing everything he can to slowly undermine the integrity of the system that prevents him from being Ceaucescu. Even if he is unsuccessful, he has set the precedent that it’s okay to undermine our democracy and the next guy who comes along might be successful in doing it.

2

u/ForensicPathology 12h ago

radio station in Germany called "Free Europe" who broadcasted in Romanian, too and they were also talking about this. 

Back when the States understood the strength of soft power to push their interests.  No surprise they cut its funding last year.

2

u/LawdHappenstance 12h ago

Radu ❤️

2

u/NatureMarryMe 12h ago

Well, that was a trip, well written my friend!

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 5h ago

Thank you, my friend

All the best to you and your family

•

u/khorenF 11h ago

Thanks for sharing this, it is so fascinating to read it from someone who lived it first hand

•

u/Nefilim777 11h ago

What an amazing post. Thank you.

•

u/Imaginary-Goal-9443 11h ago

Thank you for a very interesting description .

I was 16/17 at the time. I VIVIDLY remember seeing the long lines in front of empty shelves in stores (on tv) Lived in the Netherlands at the time. But the images were very daunting and always stayed with me , as the people always looked so miserable .

People here and now wishing for communism are naieve braindead morons and are just envious of richer people, all while wanting to destroy hope for everyone forever.

Also Scorpions 'Winds of Change'.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 6h ago

My brother / my sister

You noted Wind of Change and gave me shivers of joy and happiness.

OMG what a song in what times

Thank you so much.

I will play it now on the capitalist Spotify  🙂

All the best and good luck.

•

u/Fluffy_pink_Willy 10h ago

Wow powerful read, thanks for sharing, I can’t imagine typing this was easy

•

u/Iceicebaby21 10h ago

Thank you for giving me just a gaze into history.

•

u/Guzzlebutt 10h ago

This was probably the only thing of substance I will read today. Thank you for that!

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 6h ago

Goid luck, and good health, my friend.

•

u/WerewolfOfNewMexico 6h ago

Amazing insight, thank you.

Looking forward to the replies from people without your experience to chime in on why the politicians they don’t like actually are fascists and socialism actually is great.

•

u/DeathAgent01 1h ago

Coming from another socialist dictatorship I appreciate very much your story, it makes me fantasize one day my country will be free too

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 18m ago

I hope so, I truly understand your feelings.

I wish you all the best and hope the Wind Of Change will blow towards you, soon.

•

u/RagingThrawn 49m ago

Thank you. Do not apologize for speaking at length. This story has to be told over and over as many do not understand the realities that you all went through. The history of us all has to be told otherwise we will return to the same mistakes and villainy of the past. It scares me deeply to see WW2, the Cold War, the killing fields, Stalin and so many horribly violent periods be seen as nothing more than a distant story or a concept alone.

5

u/noradosmith 13h ago

Agreed. People who aren't from Europe don't seem to grasp exactly what totalitarianism really looks and feels like.

•

u/faku35624 9h ago

Laughs in latinoamerican spanish

4

u/Journey_of_EL 13h ago

Your family must have been rich to afford a tv.
My wife’s family were already poor although both parents worked as engineers
All their savings disappeared overnight due to devaluation of currency

2

u/Cautious-Oil-7466 13h ago

Considering Ceausescu was a dictator, his life style was not that extravagant compared to other dictators. I saw his house and it was pretty basic for a leader of a country that is to show power.

What are your thoughts on Romania now?

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 5h ago

Hi

I do not know what house you saw, but if you consider Palatul Primaverii ( Spring's Palace ) with more than 50 rooms, indoor pool, golden bathroom, bomb shelter, not extravagant... when everyone else was starving .... You live a good life 🙂

Regarding what are my thoughts on Romania now, I think it improved a lot. But still lots of corruption, not like 20-30 years ago, but still corruption. Lots of uneducated people who cry back those times because they did not have to work and still got a salary, with a cabbage and a chicken in the rural area, they survived. Now they have to work....

But I think it is way better than in tha past. I consider moving back, too.

All the best to you and your family.

•

u/Unrigg3D 6h ago

Before jumping to disagreements. How much of trumps past do you know before he became president? He was raised in similar ways and thoughts as king Jong un and other dictators. His father ousted his sick older brother and just let him die. Trump himself did nothing for his older brother even though he talks about their great relationship.

I have a hard time understanding how you cant see that this man thinks the country is his toy if you knew his family history, his past and his history of doing business BEFORE he became president.

What system are you talking about? If the system worked he wouldnt still be president.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 6h ago

If you think I like Trump, you are mistaken. As I notes above, I am in Canada, and we feel his policies.

He may have dictatorial tendencies, but he is not a dictator ( at least not yet ) because your ( if you are American ) system does not allow him to be. He can not abolish the rest of the parties just because he wants to be a supreme leader. And because other parties exist, people can still vote to whoever they want. I did mot see the secret police standing beside the ballot to make sure you "vote correctly"

Good luck All the best.

•

u/GettingMad2025 5h ago

You see people praying to Putin this days. What do you think? I think Russians,like on those years you lived in Romania are more or less in the same situation, few information,brain washed,fear of the state police. Ukrainians who lived those Soviet years don't want to live on the same way. I guess that's why they keep fighting so hard.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 5h ago

It is fuckung unbelievable.

I di not understand how in a former dictatorship wr still have people ( even younger than me ) who love putin.

Like why the fuck?

But I kind of know why... Because companies are sold to foreign companies, they fire people who do mot work, and these people love to not work and be paid.

It is heartbreaking seeing people back home loving putin. Totally imbeciles.

Good luck and all the best to you.

•

u/Development-Alive 45m ago

To be clear, I think many believe that Trump is a wannabe Dictator, not that he actually is one. As 1/6/2020 and subsequent lack of accountability showed us, the US system is not as foolproof as everyone believed prior to that date. This is the essence of #NoKings. It's a resistance to Trump and his followers Autocratic tendencies.

No, it's nothing compared to Cold War Eastern European countries but it's a significant shift toward autocracy from the country that boasts being the "leader of the free world". When combined with the gains of right-wing elements in European democracies, we'd all do well to heed the concerns that Autocracy is on the rise. Heck, read up on Curtis Yarvin. He has a lot of influence in the Tech Bro community who backed Trump and had direct influence over JD Vance becoming VP. Yarvin espouses that Democracy needs to be replaced by Autocracy. He believes that the end of Democracy is that the poor people who have all the voting power will only support politicians that give them "free" stuff, taking from the earners, the wealthy. Yarvin believes that the solution to stopping that is Autocracy.

Democracy is not guaranteed anywhere. No systems of government has withstood time. All eventually meet their demise. It's important for Americans to fight for the ideals of our founders, the equality, resist systems like Autocracy and Kleptocracy.

On another note, I love Romania. After visiting their for work multiple times in 2018, I can understand what y'all went through. That transition from Communism, where the government supplied everything to Democracy/Capitalism was a very tough journey. Many came out better but I'm certain many others came out worse. I was in Hungary last year and my tour guide, who lived through their revolution, seemed to long for some elements of Communism. She outright stated that life is hard in an economy that left many behind. It's hard to put food on the table, roof over their heads though she also fully recognized the lack of freedom under Communist rule.

What are your thoughts, living in Canada? Do you or your family have to work harder to feed/house yourselves? Is retirement harder for your parents?

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 27m ago

Canada is OK, can't complain, can't brag

No, I do not have to work harder to feed ourselves. We ( as a family ) strive to be good at what we do, tgere are companies who appreciate it, orhers don't... Like in every aspect of life.

I wish you all the best.

•

u/Interesting_You6852 39m ago

Look I come from communist Romania and let me tell you, capitalism is just communism in disguise. There is corruption where people at the top steal all the wealth just like communism. The laws only work for ordinary people, just like communism. If they don't like you they will come get you and you disappear this is what ice is doing now, just like communism.

But to say socialism is the same as communism is stupid and comes from someone who is uneducated.

Denmark and Norway are democratic socialist country's where people are some of the happiest in the world.

Unlike capitalism and communism socialism says we don't mind people being rich but we also will not people be so poor they cant survive. See the difference?

The rich made their riches off the back of poor people and should pay their fair share to live in that society that allowed them to be so rich.

1

u/anteatersaredope 12h ago

To be fair when polled more Russians say they were better off under communism than they are now and China is socialist and they have plenty of food and the quality of life has been getting substantially better there for the last 30 years while it's been declining in the US and Britain.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 8h ago

China is socialist? Today? It was... But today they are not. They are ruled with iron fist by one party that call themselves socialist/communist so they take the benefits of being in power.

But they are not socialist.

You think Ma from Alibaba or Wang from Dji have the same net worth and fortune as their employees? You think the above companies are owned by the workers?

•

u/anteatersaredope 4h ago

They're socialist not communist.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 3h ago

I did not claim that they are communist. But they are not socialist, either.

They are capitalists ruled by an authoritarian party. Jack Ma would mot be a billionaire if they were real socialists.

•

u/Just_Nobody9551 10h ago

Please tell them again! Socialism and Communism have never worked—successfully. Anywhere. But they are fantastic ideas. However, human greed inevitably takes root.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 6h ago

I say it again Communism and Socialism ( the economy, not social ) never worked and will never work.

It is a utopia.

Yes, I agree, human greed takes root. It is valid for politics, for business. That is why we need good rules and parties that implement these good rules.

To whoever disagrees about communism and Socialism being bad...have you ever had a tooth extraction without anesthesia because the anesthetic was inexistent... Just like the food? Think about it.

•

u/kemb0 10h ago

That’s a great read but I would like to add that many dictators edge their way in to power, slowly crumbling the systems that keep them in check. Under communism, many dictators were installed by the soviets but in many other cases a dictator rises slowly in to power.

People aren’t saying Trump is an outright dictator so much as highlighting the very real things he’s doing to edge America towards a dictatorship. It’s how Hitler rose to power. They slowly infiltrated the hearts and minds of the people, pulled down the systems keeping them in check and then, only when the groundwork was done, did Hitler become the dictator.

This route is very different to what happened in Romania so it can’t really be compared to your experience of what is and isn’t a dictator or a dictator-in-waiting.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 6h ago

Hitler changed Germany to a 1 party dictatorship in like 6 months. There were no other parties to challenge him nor people to vote for....in 6 months.

Same play was done by communists. Fast changes.

Romania went from Fascism under Antonescu to Communism under Gheorghiu-Dej in a blink of the eye. We jumped over the center..lol

But it's true, other countries had their fingers in.

•

u/Current_Ranger_7954 10h ago

Thank you for sharing! I was attracted to the whole communist BS when I was a kid, and it's this kind of first person account that made me think further, including from an old lady who spent years in prison because of Ceausescu.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 6h ago

Good luck

You do not have to own a company to live well in the western world.

Just be good at what you do. Be the best or among the best in your field. You will never ever have a problem finding a job or be paid well. Companies will call you to offer you jobs. People move from one company to another and when they are asked... Hey do you know someone who should we hire, they will say, call Current-Ramger-7954. And they will call you, and you will have the advantage in negotiating. But then you have to show that you are not just a story, but the real deal.

And from there ...the possibilities are yours to explore.

Good luck and success to you and your family. All the best

•

u/Current_Ranger_7954 6h ago

Same to you! Thank you for the kind words. I do strive to be as good as I can at what I do, and have never felt hunger thanks to this.

All the best to you and your family and loved ones

•

u/One-Recognition-1660 9h ago

Whenever I read about...this and that ( politicians in the Western world ) is fascist or communist ... I just lol. Just in this thread, oh "Trump will be that"... No...he will not be that... He can not be because the system does not allow it.

Jesus Christ man. I grew up in Europe, now live in the US. I'm old, at least a dozen years older than you.

I can see one hundred percent how actual fascism is happening right here, right now. It's bizarre to me that you have lived through what you've lived through and still can't recognize the obvious warning signs.

•

u/Inevitable-Level-687 9h ago

I think you're operating under the assumption that political ideology and economic ideology cannot be separated. That a capitalist country MUST be democratic, that a socialist one MUST be a dictatorship. No, you could easily have a capitalist dictatorship and a socialist democracy. Every socialist I know is a democratic one and is very much against autocracy. Socialist dictators were autocrats, and while they implemented socialist policies they did so under an autocratic system. There is no reason why socialist policies cannot be done in a democracy, in fact I live in a country that's much more socialist than the United States and we have a much more democratic system than they do, not less.

Trump isn't a dictator like yours was, but it's not black and white. He doesn't flip a switch and suddenly dictatorship. He has democratic institutions to get rid of first. And he's been doing it. What the Americans have isn't a dictatorship like Romania was a dictatorship, but they are well on their way. Google the signs of fascism - you'll see many od those signs were around decades before Trump showed up. Trump did not bring fascism, he's a symptom of decades of American decline, and that decline has sped up under his influence.

But thank you for sharing your story and your experiences. What the Americans are dealing with isn't as bad as what you did, but please don't think that it can be safely ignored because of that. It cannot. Evil things happen when good people stand by and do nothing.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 8h ago

" under the assumption that political ideology and economic ideology cannot be separated. That a capitalist country MUST be democratic, that a socialist one MUST be a dictatorship"

Since many people consider Europe as Socialist, we have to clarify if you mean Socialist as in social protection ot Socialist as in Socialist economy?

If socialist economy... sorry, that will never be democratic. Why? Because Socialism does not allow private ownership, individual ownership. Because if I have a skill or if I have an idea that could benefit my family by working more, creating new products, why wouldn't I choose that? Why would I share my struggles' benefits with others who did not invest or worked with me years to develop my service/product? Socialism ( the economic one ) works as a coop ... in a capitalist country.

People want choices. I want to have the choice to create something and benefit from it. For that, theree must be a party that promises that posibility. That party will be voted democratically ( since you sait it is a democracy ) by more people like me. Therefore that country will become a social democracy ( yes, capitalist ) and stop being socialist. If that is not allowed, it is not a democracy.

•

u/nonkeywayzee 8h ago

This was a great read, as a Venezuelan the last paragraph resonated with me so much, you have no idea.

I really wish all of these first world socialists ignorance and never having to live the consequences of their so desired revolution.

It is no coincidence the people in socialist states always have to flee those countries by the millions.

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 8h ago

Preach, brother

I wish you all the best

•

u/ComradeGibbon 8h ago

Worked for a company one of the board members sold large industrial valves to the oil industry. He sold stuff to the Soviets. My boss and his wife went to Moscow with him on a business trip. Wife was free one day and went walking around and poked her nose into a butchers shop and the only thing they had was a slab of pork fat.

•

u/Dred_Capt 8h ago

Viewpoints like yours - 1st person experiences with totalitarianism - are desperately important.

Do not be sorry for telling your story.

The world needs to hear it.  Speak up, Speak more.

→ More replies (12)

•

u/stereotomyalan 11h ago

I think he means being the dictator is embarassing. I'd also be "wtff???"

•

u/Critical-Snow-7000 9h ago

You’re probably not the right person for the job then.

•

u/PingouinMalin 8h ago

Call me old fashioned but I would also tend to dislike murders and torture. Maybe that's why I'm not trying to become a dictator. But let's face it, some people LOVE flattery, torture and murder. The current POTUS is one, so it's not even limited to dictatorships.

•

u/brubblefeet 6h ago

Just aspiring ones

•

u/LowkenuinelyReally 38m ago

Probably because they also need to buy into it or they’ll get deposed

17

u/dudeude 15h ago

Asa e. Been there done that. Like the previous guys said. Not sure if the commenter doesn’t mean the dictator

8

u/LaLegende35 13h ago

I also think they were talking about the dictator, not the people

2

u/Sea-Cap-1540 15h ago

Multa sanatate 👍

•

u/rom_rom57 10h ago

We left in 1970, but yes the Government of every flavor in Romania, took the family business, familial homes that we had to rent back, my parents became “enemies of the state” and could not work for almost 20 years. Yes Christmas ‘89 was a great holiday!

11

u/Plucault 15h ago

This is what Trump wants. You can see it in the US and the way he demands adoration. In his weird public cabinet meetings.

These are broken people

•

u/Bubbles_2025 7h ago

These are scared people

2

u/Sea-Cap-1540 15h ago

Lol

No And he can't achieve this.

Read my comment below as reply to Lordquas187

6

u/Plucault 14h ago

I agree but you can see how it starts and the type of personality it is meant to appease.

•

u/ILoafPizza 10h ago

I was born after 1989 but my father told me stories about Ceausescu and everything it meant, all he had to ho through. I am still baffled how so many people claim it was better back then…

•

u/SaltyBeefCubes 8h ago

My neighbor is from Romania. This is why he’s love America with every fiber of his being and is probably the most patriotic person I know.

He knows how lucky he is to be here and how bad it could be

•

u/LadyMirkwood 53m ago

I read 'Burying the Typewriter' by Carmen Bugan about life in Communist Romania. Even for someone like me who reads a lot about the Bloc, I was stunned at how pervasive and repressive the Securitat was.

There really should be more books about it, theres lots about the GDR and Soviet Union, but not enough about Romania. Thank you for sharing your experiences

3

u/Metzger4 14h ago

I’m sorry you went through that. And I hope the situation in Romania is better now. I live halfway across the world so I don’t know much about your nation unfortunately.

🇷🇴 🇺🇸

2

u/netherwing95 12h ago

Communist dictators* especially

1

u/Practical-Opinion-83 13h ago

Absolute control over puppets?

•

u/Iceicebaby21 10h ago

If I may pry (and it's not too uncomfortable for you) what was that like back then? How did it free when you and your country broke free of his tyranny?

•

u/Sea-Cap-1540 6h ago

I do not know how to describe it.

I have kids and always wanted kids. When my first kid was born, I was in euphoria.

Something like that...but regarding hope and hope for freedom ( since we did not know who will take the power )

All the best Good luck and good health to you

17

u/Senor-Delicious 13h ago

Imagine it being like that all of the time growing up. I think at that point you don't even know how normal behaviour looks like.

8

u/red_dragin 13h ago

Congratulations, you're not a narcissist.

Whereas he is and enjoys the power he has over the people.

42

u/FreakindaStreet 15h ago

He doesn’t either. He’s locked into this hell and can’t get out either. If he flees, he’ll be locked up by Western governments and his family will all be killed back home. If he abdicates and stays, him and all his family will be killed by whoever takes charge.

He has to carry on the choreographed charade or his closest allies will see it as weakness and… yup… kill him and all his family.

I don’t feel bad for him, but I don’t envy him at all.

15

u/L0LYGAGIN 15h ago

I think so too. 1st and 2nd gen prob loved the feeling of control but after almost everyone from the initial creation has all died, their inheritors r locked into this scenario without much option to change things cause it will affect the balance of power too much and cause even more chaos.

11

u/Shining_w1zard 13h ago

No, it's publicly known that even Kim Jong-Il hated it. There are private recordings of him giving conquest type speeches.

•

u/rodeBaksteen 1h ago

I men's you could absolutely slowly abolish some ridiculous laws or punishments.

•

u/whydonlinre 9h ago

i feel like a good analogy is those court dramas. On paper the king has absolute power but in practice you'll realise that he depends alot on his lords and so has to pass laws and do stuff that accommodates them and isnt just his sole will. otherwise hes gonna be deposed soon

•

u/FreakindaStreet 8h ago

This is the reality. Him deciding something that goes against the interests of key players is not going to work out well.

https://youtu.be/rStL7niR7gs?si=AXmaxSrzi3AgvGrz

This video explains it very well.

•

u/afewnameslater 11h ago

North Korea is one of the very few countries where change needs to happen top-down. Otherwise the viscous cycle will continue infinitely

•

u/pixeldots 10h ago

I know its a serious thread, but viscous took me out lol. On the other hand, viscous still applies to his circumstances

•

u/Gunnar_Bjornson 10h ago

Oh cool, like regime change... that always works.

•

u/afewnameslater 5h ago

The only change of power that does not bring turmoil is a one that never happened at all.

•

u/Gunnar_Bjornson 5h ago

Stop it. We change govt every 4 / 5 years in democracies.

•

u/afewnameslater 4h ago

I said what I said. Change of power =\= change of government

•

u/Gunnar_Bjornson 4h ago

what? keep digging, its funny.

•

u/afewnameslater 3h ago

No, no, just ask Russia. Or you think dems vs Reps is change of pwer in America, where the senators de-facto rule for no less than 11 years on average and since the 70s more than 15 years. You might say ooh but democracy thrived in Europe. Like what? Brexit? Almost Grexit? Far right parties gaining 30% share in governmental elections across Europe?

You know what, I kept digging, long before your sorry ass even had a clue.

•

u/Gunnar_Bjornson 3h ago

what exactly am I asking Russia the famous democracy?

As for the US, its pretty clear a change in political party results in a change of power. How else do you explain Lake of America.

Please do more its too good.

→ More replies (0)

•

u/lennycooke 7h ago

Everyone looks so happy there though

•

u/afewnameslater 5h ago

Ephasys on looks

•

u/zepsutyKalafiorek 11h ago

I believe in most countries government is corrupted and should be replaced from top (ofc it is nowhere that bad as in Korea).

•

u/Sriracha002 7h ago

Interesting perspective and I think factually accurate.

5

u/ethanlan 13h ago

This is nonsense, if he wanted to he could make a deal with south Korea and work with them to end this.

It'd just be a little dangerous but hes a coward, they would love to end this and unify.

The sad part is unification is a fleeting thing that could happen. As the old generation dies out, younger south Koreans want less and less to do with the north.

•

u/Actionman___ 11h ago

Unification would not be a good idea. At least like the next 50 or 100 years.

The economic inequality is way too huge for a country to handle. Not to talk about culture differences.

Unification of east and west germany was already incredibly difficult and we can still feel the eruption after 35years. And the inequality of North and South Korea in economics and culture is way bigger and has been gone for the double of time than germany

•

u/ninjaiffyuh 11h ago

There would be no immediate reunification (most likely the North would have to be turnt into something akin to a military dictatorship while the South Koreans develop it), but a unification down the line would be desirable. South and North Korea complement each other very well: the South has a large, highly educated white collar population, is rich, but has no natural resources; the North has a large blue collar population and loads of natural resources

•

u/Moustacheski 10h ago

You can see the issues from there though. Poor country and people being ruled by the rich country that'll profit from the resources. I'm not saying North Korea's situation is any good but there must be a better way than to hand over the country to South Korea.

•

u/ninjaiffyuh 10h ago

The only comparable reunification would be Germany, in which case the country was de facto annexed by the FRG

Either way, a police state of sorts (or at the very least, a heavily patrolled border) will be necessary to limit mass migration and depopulation of the north, until both countries are comparable in purchasing power and development. This will take decades, but it's better than having a rogue state that still adheres to Juche

•

u/WingerRules 8h ago

Lets not pretend that industrialists in South Korea are not salivating at the thought of access to some of the the worlds cheapest labor if unification were to happen.

•

u/Actionman___ 8h ago

Which would make unification even a way bigger risk.

On of the most crucial bad things with german unification was actually, that West-german businesses bought like 99% of all the stuff that was in the GDR. From companies to buildings. The ex GDR people left with nothing and then were exploited as cheap labor force, as you said.

Till today this is a huge issue and one of the main reason for the raise of farright extremisn.

And Samsung Korea will exactly do that with North korea. But probably to a way radical extend

1

u/FreakindaStreet 13h ago

It’s easy to be brave and do the right thing when your daughter isn’t the one going to be tortured to death.

Enjoy the comfort of your couch, where the biggest moral choice you face is whether it’s more moral to order the chicken sandwich over the beef bolognese.

10

u/SaphironX 12h ago

Wait. Your take is that notable villain Kim Jong Un has been a villain for his entire political life, executing civilians for almost no reason when he feels the tiniest bit slighted, because his daughter will be tortured if he acts decent?

Kim Jong Un. The guy who did all this shit before he even had a daughter.

Yeah okay man.

Simpler explanation: He’s a raging power mad asshole.

6

u/zlyle90 13h ago

You realize that people other than dictators have to make complex moral choices every day, right?

→ More replies (2)

6

u/Funneduck102 12h ago

Are you defending Kim Jong Un of all fucking people right now? Like man you could have probably picked a better person to use this argument for.

→ More replies (3)

•

u/Livid-General7 7h ago

No one in a Western government is locking him up. Countries would be lining up to help him convert his country to a democracy if he wanted to just be a rich oligarch instead.

You know he's western educated, and he'll send his children to western schools too, with those governments knowing fully well who the children are.

77

u/Dyrogitory 16h ago

This is exactly what Trump is trying to get.

0

u/SeaPollution2750 13h ago

Nah, he likes blondes...

•

u/polloasado81 10h ago

Muricans too fat to jump and down like that.

18

u/Background-Spot-5068 16h ago

All the people who couldn’t do it were dealt with… in terrible ways

37

u/24FPS4Life 16h ago

I believe the comment is saying they couldn't do life from Kim's perspective of constantly having people be fake.

7

u/BBryant3rd 15h ago

Yes this is what I am meaning.

5

u/Kitanokemono 14h ago

He’s probably like Trump, doesn’t even realize it’s fake because he’s so out of touch with reality.

•

u/Dont_Use_Ducks 8h ago

Nah, he knows, he grew up in Europe.

2

u/WatchesandHuskies 14h ago

Trump would be in heaven.

1

u/Ok_Attitude3329 16h ago

tbf these are mostly honest interactions. theyre brainwashed and hes practically a god to them.

1

u/mastersplinteremover 15h ago

Makes it easier to know who to give political favors to and who to put in camps.

1

u/herrcollin 15h ago

It's weirdly very Truman Show in that aspect but in a sick, twisted way where Kim is both Truman and Cristof.

1

u/cavernbird 15h ago

The lack of honesty is part of the appeal. Dictators love a performance of loyalty as part of a submission display. The performer's true interior state of love or hate is irrelevant.

Or if they override their hate to do it, even better, since it shows that their submission is authentic even if their love is not.

1

u/NewAudience6075 14h ago

This is what happens when the boy in the Twilight Zone episode who could send people to the cornfield grows up.

•

u/LeisureSuitLaurie 8h ago

Funny, I also thought of Twilight Zone, but I was thinking about the guy who dies and can get everything he wants.

Heaven? What made you think this was Heaven? This is…the other place!

1

u/hobopwnzor 14h ago

It's about power and obedience.  In some ways it's the most genuine reaction there is.  It's fear of losing you and your families lives if you don't act the part.  He's not fooled by the constant flattery.  He sees it as the equivalent of them crying and begging for their lives to be spared.

1

u/inspectormadget6421 13h ago

but you would do it. this is what happens when power is not distributed but accumulated in one small circle. one person that decides law, economics, how lives are led ad eternum. you bet your ass youre gonna suck up to him, so that your family, child, your life has a future.

1

u/mrbofus 12h ago

Because you’re not a narcissistic despot! Which is good. 👍

1

u/Overdayoutdeath 12h ago

It’s not fake that’s the thing. He’s a symbolic figure because his grandpa is the founder of the country.

1

u/Just-Heat-8141 12h ago

all dictators have some kind of brain damage

•

u/Telefragg 11h ago

He was brought up in this environment. You can see him bringing his daughter up in this environment right in this video. They take this kind of life for granted, they don't know how it could be any other way.

•

u/skairaider 11h ago

Its narcissism

•

u/DGNT_AI 11h ago

even homelander got sick of all the glazing

•

u/United_Branch_5736 11h ago

I am not sure: are you being sarcastic or you really don't see that Trump is exactly the same? Just wondering. 😂

•

u/TheJeeeBo 10h ago

You're just not built for dictator life. I'd crush it being Kim Jong Un

•

u/Tango_D 10h ago

It is not about how you feel, it is 100% control and nothing else. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down along with their entire family.

•

u/konstfack 10h ago

That’s the most fundamental issue with that sort of state system.

Check och Macronomy’s explanation on socialism on YouTube about this.

•

u/benjm88 10h ago

Since this has been his entire life since birth there's a reasonable chance to him this is all genuine

•

u/Due-Mycologist-1154 10h ago

Because that would have just always been normal for him

•

u/Former_Mobile3101 10h ago

You're not narcissistic in the same way he is so of course you don't understand. Do anything to off set his own personal view and thats game over for you, no respawns no starting over.

•

u/Internal_Leke 10h ago

It goes both ways, it's part of what maintain the regime in place. If he tries to have real and genuine interaction with people, he might be seen as no longer fit for the role, and be betrayed.

•

u/japanb 10h ago

I went Japan once it was like black mirror, actually if you want to see it, go to Haneda Airport i think it's on the JAL domestic, go upto the post office, you will walk past this information desk CCTV room with info desk women staring at the cctv of camera's positioned on the info desks around the airport on their faces to make sure they are smiling i think lol

•

u/Moltke_ 9h ago

The answer is simple: You either fake it convincingly or you go to the gulag.

•

u/Lucky_LeftFoot 9h ago

One of many reasons heaven sounds scary af

•

u/pnlrogue1 9h ago

That's North Korea. Celebrating the Glorious Leader like that is so mandatory that you, and possibly your family, might disappear if you don't do it...

•

u/Dont_Use_Ducks 8h ago

And this is what Trump wants, you already see it during Oval Office moments. It's so weird that the US let's him get this far and still nobody holds him accountable. That is the start of something like you see in this video.

•

u/JimPalPodcast 8h ago

He doesn't know any different. He was born into this and has been told his whole life how things are and anyone who says they aren't this way are enemies. I'd call it spoiled but it's so much more extreme then just a "trust fund baby."

•

u/Lianhua88 7h ago

They do not have a choice.

This dictatorship has forced laws that obligate visible reverence for their dictator for a few generations already. Failure to do is branded a crime that's punishments can extend to multiple generations of their family.

It's why many have tried to flee, which is why a large portion of the county's boarder guard duty is about catching those trying to escape rather than stopping people coming in, and if they see the person has crossed the boarder before they can catch them they try shooting them dead.

•

u/Own-Attitude-9278 7h ago

basically, clap, cheer or die. those are the choices they have

•

u/Standard_Feedback_86 6h ago

Its not about the praise and so on itself. The dictatirs kniw its bullshit. What gives them the kick out if is...the power that they can make you do it. You can hate his guts and still you will jump around, smile and kiss the floor he walks on just because he wants you to do it. Thats what they love in these kind of bs. Not that they praise him, but that he makes them praise him.

•

u/darthdooku2585 6h ago

Trump would want that. Some people are just built differently

•

u/Apple_Infinity 2h ago

Poor Kim

•

u/muerto_dentro 2h ago

I was just thinking that. But maybe he doesn’t know. If he was raised to think this is real and everyone around him is to scared or just using that, and its left from his father, for him its normal. And there is no outside world to influence your reality.
As for these people clapping, and playing, I read one interview of a player of some game under the same conditions and he lost a point and he was under so much pressure that they are going to kill his whole family.

•

u/ProfessionalBig9610 2h ago

They were saying they don’t know how the dictator enjoys that, not how the citizens tolerate it

•

u/BBryant3rd 1h ago

So many bringing politics into this or talking about how the people have to do it. Like you said I am talking about being the person receiving all that non-genuine interaction with people.

1

u/robgod50 12h ago

Some people enjoy the attention. Trump would LOVE this level of worship

1

u/TastyVermicelli3140 12h ago

Thanks I almost made it on reddit for 2 seconds without someone making a random topic about the USA again.

1

u/robgod50 12h ago

Sorry.....I hate myself for thinking about it too.