The likely election of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the next president of the Philippines might create nostalgia for the martial law his father declared as president. Martial law, however, holds no promise for a thriving economy.
In a “post-totalitarian” period, power does not simply originate from a singular dictator, but rather conscripts the population into its very structure.
If every new virus or variation warrants shutdowns or new vaccines, we will face an unending dystopian hellscape of state intervention in our medical decisions.
Often, when the “smash the state” position is invoked—especially among those less familiar with the state as an institution—further investigation reveals a dangerous lack of precision about what exactly the state is.
