“… it’s usually a conversation ender.”
Thank you. For me as well. 99.9% of the time the person who makes those comparisons is exactly as far into the weeds as you say.
I think you’re completely right to be “on guard” for those first steps. That’s when something can be done about it — by the time it’s obvious to everyone it’s often too late.
The danger here is to see these signs when they’re exhibited by someone you disapprove of / oppose, but to blindly overlook them when they’re exhibited by “your peeps.” I’ve seen dangerous signs coming from both ends of the political spectrum.
Case in point — in almost every fascist regime that has ever arisen, one of the early moves made by that regime is to disarm the population. Don’t trust me — go read up on it yourself. Some of the gun control legislation that we’ve seen in the last few decades looks very similar to the moves Hitler made to disarm the German population.
In 2015, the Washington Post estimated the “count of guns” in America at 357 million. During that year, the CDC estimated that approximately 36,000 people died in the nation from gunshot wounds. Yes, that’s a high number. But it represents 0.01% of the gun count. The fraction of the guns that were actually used for those crimes would be even lower, once you factored in multiple victims where appropriate.
History shows us that fascist regimes feel it’s important to disarm their populations before taking their most aggressive steps toward control. We have 357 million weapons guarding against that here in the U.S. One hundredth of one percent of those tend to be used for ill purposes. Surely we can find a way to bring that violent crime number down without handing the fascist elements a disarmed population on a silver platter, right?
You are right to worry that, “Yes, it could happen here too.” I think all of us should keep our mind open to that possibility and stand against it. By the time it becomes undeniable that it is happening it will likely be too late. But try to watch for all of the danger signs — not just the ones that fit into your personal political ideology.