Signs You Live in a Dictatorship

posted by Farhad2000

1 decade 6 years 10 months ago • 932 views

There are random police checks everywhere you go that require you presenting your passport to prove your citizenship, on the road, on the street, on the metro. Everywhere.

There is police everywhere, every 2 blocks patrolling the streets, on the roads, and at every metro stop. The reasoning is that they are there to assure your saftey (against popular democratic upris... err terrorism) but at 1 police officer for every 3 citizens its definately overkill.

The highest currency denomination is 1000, while prices are in the hundreds of thousands, inflation by the government is reported at a healthy 6% while in reality it closer to 20%, higher denomination currenicies are not printed creating huge transaction costs. Prices are rising. Typical salaries for Phd holders hover at around $100, which translates into 100,000.

There are propaganda posters all over the city, saying how great out leadership is, how tomorrow is bringing a better day. All color faded giving the impression that its nothing but Dorian picture portraits.

There are only 3 state produced cars you can legally buy within the state, unless you have connections which allow you to import from abroad but even then at high import costs. Car costs are inflated way over cost of production.

There is high red tape and high corruption within the government and state services, if anything needs to be done it requires bribery or connections.

Basic infrastructure like roads, communications, heating, water and electrical power are in desperate need of repair and maintence, occasionally failing outright, most of these services do not extend beyond the reach of the capital cities.

Private firms can be wholly ceased by the government for a variety of reasons, for tax evasion, for improper conduct or simply for no other reason then its making a high profit without most of it falling into the hands of interested parties within the state.

There is an illusion of freedom of press, dissenting voices are silenced via ceasure of press offices, murder, torture and intimidation. Almost all news services are controlled and influenced by the government merely there to provide a platform for state propaganda. Dissenting reporters outside the nation are assasinated through state secret services especially in the run up to presidential elections.

Internet services are heavily censored against dissenting voices, websites are blocked, at times of election even more so to prevent people getting any hint of the reality of the situation.

The government sees no problem in shooting at peaceful protestors against the government, then lying that its was attacking islamic militants, then presenting a casulty figure far below estimates by citizens who wher there. Calls for an international investigation into the events are blocked.

The BBC World News service is blocked on radio and internet ever since it started presenting stories critical of the state.

The president sees no problem in running for a third term even though its not allowed by the consitiution he himself penned. Opponents of the president are only there to create an illusion of choice, none of them present any dissent or even ask to be voted for, all of them come from within the government itself which is merely there to rubber stamp decress of the president. The word government accountability does not exist. For the last 16 years he has been in power he has touted nothing but democracy, prosperity and the aim of developing the nation for its people. All lies.

The richest most prosperous person in the nation is the president's own daughter, owning a wide range of companies, night clubs, saloons, magazines, and contracts for various goods coming into the nation. Recently she has also taken to recording albums.

Elections are always rigged, results are preobtained and molded to fit the requirements of those in power, intimidation is rife. In some districts the results are basically created out of thin air. The president always wins by a landslide vote, with participation figures that are simply fantastic given how most of the population struggles to make a living day to day, yet on election day 80% of them turn out. International election observers are barred and or heavily restriced. There are no political alternatives to vote for.

Any state or government positon/employment is only possible through military service which acts as filter to streamline thought processes, mostly to identify and suppress dissenting voices, whose who express them are reprimanded and left out in the cold or worse imprisoned in the any number of new high tech prisons.

The nations largest money earner, cotton production is wholly controlled by the government, employing child labour, students and any able bodied man. The fields are rife with toxic agricultural fertilzer that is slowly killing the ability of the land to provide high yeilds in the future. Mechanization of this industry is impossible. The nation is the 2nd largest producer of cotton in the world, your shirt might be made in China but its this nations cotton from which it was probably made.

Assasination, torture, arbitary arrest, prolonged detention are all tools employed by the state police services.

Things were better under the USSR then under 'managed' democracy through a boot stamping on your face...forever.

VideoSift