In 1994, Sam Francis originally coined a term: “anarcho-tyranny.” He described this phenomenon as “the combination of oppressive government power against the innocent and the law-abiding and, simultaneously, a grotesque paralysis of the ability or the will to use that power to carry out basic public duties such as protection or public safety.”
Commonly discussed in radical political circles is the Overton window (also called the window of discourse), which is typically defined as the range of subjects and arguments—public ideas—politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. The Overton window varies over time (either by shifting, shrinking, and/or expanding), thereby demonstrating the gradual evolution of societal norms and values.
In Austrian economics, judgment refers to decision making under uncertainty. Given that we live in a world of uncertainty, all of us use judgment when choosing what actions to perform. In our use of judgment, we form opinions about what goals we wish to achieve and the means by which to attain those goals. Merely wishing to achieve a goal does not guarantee that one will necessarily do so.
More than 30 years ago, I was listening to an NPR interview with Paul Ehrlich, the late Stanford University biologist who became the nation’s top environmental guru. His comments were opposite of the truth but well-received by his interviewer. Despite the fact that he often made unwise and outrageous claims that governing elites turned into brutal, coercive policies that made life worse for some of the poorest people on the globe, elites treated Ehrlich as a hero. Knowledgeable people knew better.
At this point, it seems the term “MAGA” is fully synonymous with “Trump supporter.” All critics of Trump have apparently already left the MAGA camp.
