It’s really difficult. Not because you will turn evil of your own free will, but because you will have to do terrible things to maintain stability and to keep yourself from being usurped by spies. If you became dictator of any country, you would immediately start to get attacked from many sides by both spies and also revolutionaries who think of themselves as the good guy. In order to do anything it takes time. This is the only way to win the people over. Becoming a dictator is no doubt going to lead to massive economic decline in the near term unless you become a right wing dictator who has favor with the business and merchant classes. If you try to actually become a benevolent dictator and actually free the people, most of the people you would think were your allies would also blame you for everything that is wrong and turn against you, the business class would fund propaganda against you. The internationalists would fund your opposition to gain back their foreign claims to your industry and minerals.
People will feel as if they have every right to criticize you in every way, if you don’t oppress them, but if you do, you will rightfully be called a tyrant. If you find your own propaganda you will be called a tyrant, but the people you think would be your allies, will not understand that there is propaganda on the other side.
It’s very difficult indeed. Within a few years of taking power you would immediately have to deal with a torrent of spies, foreign media, coups, and whatever else. This is why only right wing governments only ever last more then a few years in history.
Vladimir Lenin is a great example of this, he genuinely saw himself as being benevolent. He was a real communist. He wanted to help the people. Yet he quickly realized once he obtained power that he did not have the support of the majority of the country. He pleaded and appealed to them, he tried to “educate” them on what was needed to achieve communism, mainly just time and their trust. Yet even his first election if he were to have one, he would lose, because already he had become associated with the status quo. The mainstream oppressors of the common people. So he became a tyrant, as all dictators do. Communism gets traded for national socialism and fascism with red paint by the time Lenin is dead. All in an effort to just keep power for a little bit so he could see his communist vision come true. Unfortunately as soon as the bosliviks started to oppress the people they lost the little bit of credibility they had. Just another tyrant, another right wing power obsessed state.
no but I could become a janitor that cleans up the workplace that nobody ever pays attention to
No
I could BE a benevolent dictator, I could never BECOME a benevolent dictator. The process of getting there would exclude me, because I would reject the power structure needed to form the dictatorship in the first place.
I wouldn’t be fucking kids and sending goon squads after minorities and into cities to harass my political opponents if that is what you are asking.
The ‘not evil’ bar is currently riding on the same high speed train the Republicans put their goalposts on.
I might still be young enough to pull that off for a few more years yet.
The way I would implement that is to day one set a date for elections of a congress and my own retirement. I’m imagining a Mars Attacks scenario in which the ak ak ak aliens blow up congress and the government of the United States consists of the President’s teenage daughter and a mariachi band. If through some set of goofy circumstances no meaningful government exists above me and I am in full command, we’re gonna do shit my way for, say, four years, and then we’re calling a congress. At which time I retire to a small estate somewhere in the Carolinas with only ceremonial powers, like I reserve the right to throw out first pitches of baseball games.
how dare you question my benevolence. to the pits with you.
No
No, I don’t think I could.
The problem with dictators is that you put every action under the context of a single person’s perspective. Even if you go in with the best and most altruistic intention, no single person is able to tackle every issue from every angle, and you will inevitably end up committing an injustice by a simple lack of awareness.
Not to mention that many issues are of relative morality to different groups, so to one group you can be a savior but to another you will always be a despot. Whichever interpretation ends up as the definitive one depends on how willing the offended parties are to overthrow you.
A democratic system is not perfect and (depending on perspective) may not be as effectual at bringing out positive change as an altruistic dictator, but the concept of distributed responsibility/distributed blame reduces the likelihood of a coup/revolution (emphasis on reduces, not eliminates) as long as the political apparatus is seen to incorporate or acknowledge everyone’s perspectives in the decision making process.
I don’t think I could become dictator at all, no.
Seriously, though, power corrupts. I’m not immune. Nor am I immune to being manipulated by those more evil than I, which is another big problem with concentrating power.
Well I wouldn’t view it as evil but extreme measures tend to be viewed as evil by someone
Its possible but unlikely and gets even more problematic with after dictator times. Best chance would be setting up a system and then using the dictator powers to tweak or fix things till you die.
“I think I am perhaps the only one honourable enough who can” thinks almost everyone.
Nope. Once you make me dictator, I force a bunch of experts to work out a system of government that will make sure there will be no more dictators after me, and that said government will be obligated to work for the betterment of the populace as a whole without massive disparity. At the same time, I’d hire another bunch of experts to figure out what the first bunch got wrong.
While those two groups are working, I shall decree that in one month we will start executing billionaires starting with the richest and working our way down – but anyone who donates all their ‘excess’ money to the new government or charities and research that I personally approve of before the deadline gets to live. I’m counting all off-shore money, and any attempt to flee the country shall be met with lethal force.
Even if purest it is heart almost impossible. Main issue is the same with any govt type, corruption. Its easy to be benevolent when everyone on your side. They are plenty of animes/games like this.
When humans are looking out for themselves any progress you want is water down significantly and now “cruelties” need to be enacted to make these types fall in line. Now it becomes do you hit surgically or with a hammer depends on number of factors. Like do you specifically know who or just the departments. Delays are problems because meanwhile these types are probably riling up the masses for their own ends or simply result of selfish actions. Massive pain in butt. Without something like a death note or really amazing internal spy network it be impossible to avoid collateral damage. Even then we are now down the 1984 rabbit hole. All because I couldn’t trust the people I wanted to govern or fulfill my will. Massive Tragedy when I just wanted to give ppl the stars.
Maybe AI govt workers to handle processing with loyalty chips could work. Until some jerk hacks them cause w/e. This why we cant have nice things.
