I would be completely stressed out, like people would wanna kill me and stuff for being a dictator, so I'd just renounce, run away and get a new identity (not sure how one "gets" a new identity though). Also, managing a country by myself? Too hard, what orders am I even meant to give?

One week after I take power the megaprojects start getting built. Benevolence will be factored into budgetary concerns.

Yes, vote for me.

Me, yes. 😊

How many Philosopher Kings do we have here?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher_king

I doubt I would be a benevolent dictator. I am a good person mostly through sheer force of will, not by nature. I abhor cruelty — yet I'd gleefully inflict misery upon those who practice it.

I suspect over time that would erode the thin façade of beneficence within which my rage lies cocooned.

I'll be super chill to hang out with in my palace, while my Grand Vizier takes care of day to day business.

Sure, for the low price of a lifetime pension I'll benevolently dismantle the oligarchy; ban guns; make cars luxury items; massively expand mass transit; and bring in universal health and education!

Just ignore the claims that I've actually jailed or killed my opposition; held the families of so called "freedom fighters" so they'll turn themselves and their buddies in; made travel outside your area and healthcare impossible without government approval; and completely changed the history everyone learns.

Okay that's obviously pretty extreme. Just a reminder that if you're not careful even well intentioned dictatorships can be very oppressive. And every dictatorship is on a timer to a coup or revolution. And resetting that timer is not pretty. The only way off the treadmill is to have elections again.

Yea! I can't get corrupted or turn evil if I already start out corrupt and evil!

I'd be a watchdog, not a dictator. I think that's the better use of that power. And if I had an idea then I'd take it to the same process as the rest of the laws and have a vote on it.

Nobody can.

Its possible but unlikely and gets even more problematic with after dictator times. Best chance would be setting up a system and then using the dictator powers to tweak or fix things till you die.

The trick is to set a reasonable limit for political assassinations and idiotic massive construction projects ahead of time, and then keep to those limits.

No, but I'll give it the old college try. I've always imagined that the only way to be a benevolent dictator is to do the dictator thing only to install a better form of government to replace you and hope it sticks when you step away. Something more technocratic and with better checks and balances.

only if you are somehow affiliated with the military (so they don't off you) and if you are independently wealthy. It's the trap of falling into supporting oppression (military state) or oligarchy (bruce wayne doesn't need to take bribes lol) that wrecks most dictatorships...

oh and lust for complete and unity power against the will of the masses, that's a problem too.

Yes!

no, nobody can... nobody

Yes.

Fascism is the alternative people turn to when they can't cope with their own inadequacies.

I don't have that problem.

I guess. I mean the end game of benevolent dictator is no longer being the dictator. Sort of like Atatürk

Maybe, but only if I become a dictator to remove and spread my power to smaller government organizations. Basically instead of having one source of power, I dilute the government into multiple governments that also police each other and not one of them have power to govern over all others. Additionally, police and military would be the only "governments" that have slightly less governing power than the rest because while we still need police and military I don't want them to use their weapons to muscle their way over the other governments.

Note: I am not saying it's perfect or covers all cases, but I believe that having a central point of power is the biggest issue with a dictator becoming corrupt and this applies even to non-dictators (hint-hint). Maybe I am wrong and I invite polite discourse on the subject.

Yes.

Yeah pretty sure all evil deeds start with good intentions. So, no. I would very likely mess up my own head by thinking I’m doing the right thing, and if I’m secure in my position as the leader, I’d have a big load of yes men hovering around enforcing and enabling my every thought and idea, be it good or not. Most likely it’ll tend towards the “not good” side over time, and at some point everything just gets distorted and convoluted and by that point, there’ll be no return. And if I’m not secure in my position, then I’ll be dead and replaced before I can spell out my first decree as the ruler. If I’m to be good, I’ll not be ready for the bad coming my way. If I’m ready for the bad shit, I have to be ready to dispense my own bad shit. And that, then, wraps into my first point.

There’s no way that would work if I was truly benevolent. I don’t believe it’s sustainable or even possible to lead as a dictator that is good or benevolent.

Edit: that’s in practical terms. Let’s not even begin with the ideals — can one really ever be both benevolent or just generally good, and a dictator? I believe not. Sharing the burden and the authority would almost always be the more moral choice, not to mention more plausible in terms of lasting.

One can not be a dictator and benevolent

Yes. I don't require people's adulation because I'm already proud enough (veering more into arrogance and never into the insecurity that's at the core of every billionaire villain we know), I don't love money because I simply don't like things like that (and would find it shameful if I did, I'm very Diogenes-coded), and I wouldn't overstep my moral limits because 1) I'm a deeply religious man who believes in the Day of Judgment (and I'm not stupid/weak enough to lie to myself to excuse my actions) and 2) I have a lot of experience suffering fools to the point I just pity them and wish them the best even when they insult/dislike/hate me so I wouldn't just emotionally lash out or whatever (that would just make me the more foolish one then and my clarity and pride will not allow that, you can see my comment history if you need confirmation, lol).

It's extremely rare to be in my position, and while there are a myriad of things I could not be because I'm just too incompetent for it, being a benevolent dictator is probably one thing I could be a natural at. I already naturally default to a very paternalistic, therapeutic role in both my friend groups and my family (regardless of age, with even my divorced aunties in their 60s calling me for advice and reassurance!). 👍

No

I would probably try to make a form of voting system to get myself out of the role as fast as i can

But not before giving trans people rights