Dictator vs. Democracy: New Yorkers Give Their Wildest Political Takes | WTF America

On Election Day in 2024, we are determined to not be caught by surprise. A huge part of that simple yet lofty goal is going to be talking to actual human people - gasp we know. Grace Weinstein hit up Washington Square Park to ask anybody and everybody to throw out their hottest political takes. This video has everything: Clones, the Illuminati, “migrants getting rights,” Kate Middleton’s body double, Iranian theocracy, and authoritarian curiosity.
These brave souls rewarded us with chaotic insights about conspiracy theories, authoritarianism, immigration, and much more. After doing some analysis in the lab (rewatching the TikTok compilation we made 100 times), Grace sits down with The Recount’s Senior Politics Producer Steve Morris to deep dive into four lessons we can take away to tell us about where people stand on the issues leading up to November.
0:00 Intro
1:04 Clip 1: Illuminati Clones
1:28 What Fuels Conspiracy Culture
5:18 Our Fav Conspiracies
6:15 Clip 2: Return of the Dictator
7:05 Smoking Authoritarian Cope
12:06 Does This Democracy Work?
13:54 Clip 3: Insulting Immigration
14:30 Anti-Immigration Rhetoric
17:34 There’s Literal Room For Growth
18:47 Clip 4: Sure As S*** Is
19:26 Using Our Imagination
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[@aidanm.1683]

Alright I need to clarify something... I am not saying America should become a dictatorship! I was trying to say that a strong dictator in a chaotic and weak country can lead the country to better times despite their flaws. Shah Pahlavi had numerous human rights disputes but he was bringing huge economic growth to the country and also providing religious freedom and freedom to women, and developing the infrastructure when the alternative (the theocracy that governs Iran now, which I admit is still a dictatorship but not so obvious as Pahlavi) took away woman's rights, stalled the country's growth, and brought a lot more corruption than the corruption of Pahlavi.
If America ever falls under a dictatorship, that is the end of America as we know it... The point I'm getting across is that in times of crisis, an authoritarian approach is much more efficient than a divided congress, which can be best! To apply that, America, I would simply say in times of immense crisis that require immediate action, a stronger government that may prioritize efficiency over immediate democracy may be better for our country!
I dont want to imply old logic is what's best for our new world, but look at the romans. In times of revolution, the most trusted man was given dictatorship for a set period of time. A more authoritarian approach in certain scenarios may be what's best for our country, that's all.

[@KB-zq9ny]

I'm a bit of a conspiracy theorist; this is true, and to me, the rich elites--I'm talking about the one percent earners in the country--control public and political policy. I mean, we know about lobbies, so this makes sense, and it's troubling that rich people could drastically influence our political landscape.

[@H20world]

Everyone at TheRecount is amazing. Thank you so much for these discussions and keep them coming!

[@andimaginger]

This needs more views

[@mattrinker2298]

Loved the Hot Takes... def keep them coming