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Ciboski: Authoritarianism Is a Political Phenomenon

Political writer Andrew Sullivan recently had an essay in New York Magazine with the headline “America Has Never Been So Ripe for Tyranny.” This is a reflection on the response to Donald Trump’s 2016 Republican presidential campaign. Donald Trump is the candidate who has aroused the latent authoritarian attitudes of Americans of different classes and not just those with low levels of education.  

Authoritarians favor a concentration of power in a leader who is expected to respond to threats that authoritarians fear, especially threats from the outside and to social change within. Authoritarians have fairly rigid views about how people ought to behave and they have in mind the methods that can be used to enforce such behavior.   

What are some specific threats and fears felt by authoritarians? The fears are about change such as the diversity brought from outsiders coming into the country. Trump’s response is to build a wall to keep out what he says are rapists, murderers, and drug operators. Some Americans also feel threatened economically. Many people who express authoritarian behavior do not like Muslims, same-sex couples, and Hispanic migrants.

Authoritarianism has always been a political phenomenon in America. We have had the polarization of the parties in Congress, making their work difficult, and the long rightward shift of the Republican party.

Observant Americans should note that authoritarians are a significant political force, and they could become even stronger in the future as they coalesce around a presidential candidate. 

We all need to be mindful of what our civil liberties are about.

Dr. Ken Ciboski is an associate professor emeritus of political science at Wichita State University.