it isn't ironic?
you need something to rally people around so they don't figure out your country is a shithole
It is in some ways, seeing as that dictatorships benefit more from the progressive way of destruction of ones own culture. If you want to indoctrinate people in a more effective way, you just get rid of anything they could relate to in the past that would give them a sense of strength and freedom, seeing as history is full of struggle for freedom people will look for inspiration from the past. Just destroy the past and create your of fiction style version that is based on communal ties, or the state would be a better solution for a dictatorship. Basically communism on steroids, that's kinda how I see today's progressives.
Progressives use this style, and it seems way more effective than the normal style dictatorship. My country is said to be one of the least dictatorship like countries, and yet they are enforcing more of a shadowban rule and disowning of one's culture or even race. Even in U.K. for instance you get arrested for posting the wrong opinion online, and it doesn't even have to be critical of the government but just in general the progressive agenda.
"you need something to rally people around so they don't figure out your country is a shithole"
China has the most effective way around that when it comes to the Japanese.
Just keep a hatred alive for another nation and people will be more focused on that. People are a lot more retarded than you think.
There is a reason why a handful of people are able to manipulate the masses, and that's because the general I.Q of the populace is pretty low.
Every country is a shithole, it just depends on what you're willing to tolerate.
I don't think there is or will ever be a "perfect" country and if there is, it's now being subverted by ESG, globohomo etc.
Countries only become shitholes the moment a small group of people want to enforce their will on others. Sadly, its human nature to create hierarchies. Democratic countries are mostly only democratic in name and are more like shadow dictatorship. It's kinda like how The Matrix in the movie by the same name works. You just need to create the illusion of choice, while all the NPC jump for joy when they hear some words that strokes their ego's with a fake sense of empathy or altruism. In Europe farmers are disowned of their land by the new woke monarchy, because we need to make room for people that come from the ultra shithole countries that are actually the richest in the world, but because of their own incompetent government that sold their soul to the highest bidder.