Authoritarianism is a leadership style that specifically holds all the power at the top and aims to keep it there, so it is not surprising that this presidency has been:
- cruel and neglectful to those that don’t have power – like children and the poor
- dismissive to those that don’t have their full rights – like immigrants and queer people
- threatened by those that are seeking more power and influence – like women and people of color
- reinforcing of those that have shortcuts to power – the wealthy, the military, and individuals with guns
Authoritarianism uses power, influence, threats, punishments, deception, and fear as its tools. It is not by accident that this administration has acted in this way, in every way. Everything they do is to preserve a White, male, cis-hetero, pro-wealth power structure. It also makes sense that he admires other authoritarian regimes, because he envies that kind of power and control. It also makes sense that White Evangelical spaces, that are partriarchal, authoritarian, heteronormative, and White, also see a “strong leader” despite his being unChristian in every basic metric of discipleship.
America as a country was founded on the principle that all persons are created equal, in rebellion against a government based on absolute power and authority of its leaders. We are not there yet and these past couple of years are a reminder of that.
No Simple Answers 