The Cruelty of the Authoritarian

 

Authoritarian regimes crave power and influence. They enjoy the perception that they are elites soaring far above the affairs of ordinary men. They enjoy pomp and circumstance, which celebrates them and puts them in the center of the stage.

 

Hitler’s followers wore sharp uniforms, marched in unison with goose steps, and energized themselves with patriotic music. Loyalty is a key aspect of authoritarian groups, and rank commands the highest respect. When our president went to court, several congressmen showed up wearing blue suits and red ties, the uniform of their commander in chief.

 

Authoritarian regimes often find a group to scapegoat and blame for all problems. Part of their strategy is to portray the group or groups as less than human and therefore not deserving of the same treatment they might extend to friends or family. They enjoy picking on vulnerable people who can’t fight back and pose little threat.

 

The current administration has exaggerated the immigration situation and portrayed immigrants as criminals ready to overrun communities. It tries to create a fear-based crisis, then heroically rushes in to solve it. By portraying refugees as criminals, the administration feels it can treat them as they deserve. Place them in cages and treat them like animals because that fits the image the administration has created. Words, like vermin, are popular with authorities because they suggest filth that needs to be eliminated.

 

Like Hitler’s Third Reich, the current administration wants to build a country of strong, white men and women, although their leader is an out-of-shape, portly man who has seen better days. Trump likes his 

Health appointee because RFK Jr. emphasizes a healthy lifestyle. He appears more interested in diet and exercise than in illness and its prevention. Hitler eliminated many mentally ill people along with other marginalized groups. The authoritarian’s idea of the perfect man or woman is the stuff of fiction and has little basis in reality.

                          High Drama in Temecula

 

 

 

The traffic was light at 5:30 this morning as I headed north on Highway 15 toward my destination, Temecula. The Pechanga tribe has built an enormous casino complex in Temecula, along with a five-star golf course that is very challenging. I played there last week but wanted to go back and improve my game. 

 

The starter grouped four of us singles together, and we teed off around 7. I parred the first hole and felt comfortable and relaxed. We were on the tee on the second hole when a Ford SUV raced through an access road and sped down the cart path. Suddenly, the driver slammed on the brakes. Two women got out the back door along with various water bottles that spilled on the ground. One man tried to start the car again. The engine wouldn’t turn over. He took a portable generator from the back of the auto and kept trying to get the car going. He was frantic while his companion ran and leaped over a fence. If things had been different, he might have been an excellent high school hurdler. At one point, the man said, “What are you looking at?” I felt like saying, “You have a point, sorry. Cars speed onto the golf course all the time. My bad.”

 

The four of us watched from about thirty yards away. I felt like I was in a crime show on reality TV. After a little while, I heard sirens approaching us. The man finally got out of the car and ran across a fence into a field. The two women started walking along the course.

 

 

At first, I thought the four Hispanic people were undocumented workers fleeing the border patrol. Then I wondered if they had stolen a car. It was hard to tell. My thoughts were interrupted by two security cruisers from the tribal police and two more Temecula police cars with sirens and flashing lights.

                                                        

A message flashed on our golf cart's screen, telling all golfers to leave the course because of a police incident. Since we had seen the whole event and watched the wanted individuals drive away from the golf course, we knew there was no danger and kept playing.

 

The rest of the morning went smoothly as the four of us enjoyed the course, aptly named The Journey. I checked the local newspaper for a couple of weeks and found out that the men were eventually caught and sent to jail for car theft.

 

 

 

 

 

Road Golf

 

 

Driving in Italy is like playing golf; you need to choose the right club for each driving situation. High-speed roads like the autostrada favor big, fast cars such as Mercedes, Audis, and BMWs, which help you stay competitive and avoid being pushed off the road by impatient Italians who like to travel quickly with their lights blinking and horns honking. The custom is to tailgate someone, flash your lights, and then pass when the slower vehicle pulls into the right lane. Although speed limit signs are posted, they seem to have little effect on anyone. Once, two police or Carabinieri cars pulled up behind me. I was driving at the speed limit, but they were so close I sped up. At the first opportunity, they passed me and sped down the road, despite there being no apparent emergency.

 

The story above highlights one of the paradoxes of Italian life. The population speeds along in cars only to stop for a leisurely espresso or a relaxed lunch. Even in busy Rome, it’s hard to get a waiter to bring the check because the norm is to enjoy the food and company. So why do they rush on the roads? I don’t know, but it might be related to the lack of upward mobility and personal control that people feel they have in Italy. Maybe the roads serve as a place where the people can feel in charge. Sociologists could give a better answer to this than I can.

 

 

Back road, country driving ideally requires a different type of car. Just as in golf, on a narrow fairway, a player wouldn’t use a driver. Instead, a shorter, more efficient club like a six-iron would be chosen. In Italy, this translates into various choices, from Alfa Romeos to Fiats to Renaults. Speed isn’t as critical on tight mountain roads as the ability to corner, make sharp turns, and downshift. Italians seem to love this style of driving. Big trucks especially enjoy driving as if they were Ferrari or Maserati sports cars. It can be frightening to have one of these trucks slip behind you and honk for you to pass the slow car ahead. This wouldn’t be an issue on a straight road, but these truck drivers want you to pass on curves that hide blind corners! 

 

 

In the United States, people tend to drive in an orderly manner. One car waits its turn while another moves through an intersection. The next car goes, and then the next. Such is not the case in Italy. It is up to the car at an intersection to make a move. More often than not, drivers poke their cars into intersections, forcing other cars to stop. It’s the same with walking. If you wait for the cars to stop and let you pass at a crosswalk where there is no light, you may need to be packing lunch and supper! Pedestrians walk out into traffic and make the cars stop. It takes a leap of faith.

 

 

Sometimes you have to drive in Italy. If you're heading to the countryside, public transportation can often be awkward. I try to stick to back, country roads whenever I can. When cars speed up behind me, I usually pull over to let the locals pass. I bring good road maps from the states and ask the hotel staff to help me find the routes. 

 

If you decide to play road golf in   beautiful Italy, there is no sense in saying, “Fore!” The Italians will only laugh, downshift, and speed by as they drift into the next corner!