Worth noting that in prior authoritarian regimes, control over the flow of information was much stronger than it is today
quotingThere is a limit.
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However, governments have applied a filtering process since 2020 to weed out as many non-conformists among military, law-enforcement and critical infrastructure,as possible.
This was likely one of the reasons why the pressure on the unvaccinated was so tough in many professions: to get rid of the ethical individuals that have an inner moral compass.
Still, a society is founded on perceptions and perceptions can shift. This is where government control of media comes in.
The greatest danger to any government is a negative shift in the perception of government authority. If that perception goes bad enough you have a Ceaucescu moment when the military turns on the tyrants. This is typically preceded by excessive government violence against innocent citizens. This is why governments fear escalated demonstrations; it forces them to reveal their authoritarian hand.
If public perception didn't matter then governments wouldn't be hell-bent on controlling all the top priority narratives. Freedom wins eventually but is always preceeded by government overreach.