Glenn Smith: Authoritarianism and the Fight for Democracy

Plutopia News Network

Glenn Smith is an author, activist and political consultant. He is not a fan of the conservative fanboys pushing the so-called “Great Replacement Theory.” Glenn also finds little to admire when they worship strongman dictators.

In this episode of the Plutopia podcast, Glenn critiques the insecurity among white men driving far-right movements, highlighting how fear of losing status or resources pushes them toward authoritarianism. He emphasizes the dangers of populism and the misconception that dictators will only harm others, pointing out that history shows otherwise. He also touches on the current political climate, discussing efforts to undermine democracy, the role of activism, and the importance of legal battles in defending democratic principles.

Glenn Smith:

How did so many European white men get so insecure? I mean honestly, in all of this country’s – from deep insecurity that somebody’s gonna take something they have away from them, they can’t compete with people in certain ways. I don’t really don’t know what it is, but it drives this need to dominate so they don’t have to fret about losing to somebody else every day of their lives. It’s a sad thing to see. They pretend that they do this out of strength, but really it’s out of a very unflattering weakness I think in the men who really begin to believe and to act in those ways. People seem to think that if they get a dictator it’s only going to be a dictator over those people they don’t like. They’re going to stay free, of course, but this dictator is only going to mess with people they already don’t like and it never, in history, has worked out that way. Ever. The people who think they’re getting the kind of dictator leader they want always wind up being just as victimized as anyone else under such leadership. You’d think people could like you learn it in high school, learn it in junior higher middle school, not fall for it over and over, but they sure do.