@John-Pleroma I actually disagree, kind of. It's because I see the powers that be transitioning from soft power into hard power. It's no longer "we are legitimate because our institutions are valid and correct" and "we are legitimate because we control the institutions that decide your fate." I'm loathe to use the word "legitimacy," because it implies there's more backing behind it than raw force, but they've managed to mix moral confidence with naked appeals to force. It's kind of bizarre. It actually reminds me to quasi-fictional portrayals of autocrats in antiquity: "I am the God-Emperor," etc. People perceive naked force with some very crude aesthetic panache as "legitimate" when they've been dumbed down enough.

@ChristiJunior @Svantovit