In 2017, historian Timothy Snyder wrote the concise book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, which went on to become a New York Times bestseller. A historian of fascism (then at Yale, now at U. Toronto), Snyder wanted to offer Americans a useful guide for resisting the country’s drift towards authoritarianism. It was handy then and even handier now–especially as the feds bear down on different institutions undergirding American civil society. Law firms, universities, corporations, media outlets–they’re all getting squeezed, and many have already violated the first of Snyder’s 20 lessons: “Do not obey in advance.” Above, you can hear actor John Lithgow read a condensed version of Snyder’s lessons. You can order a copy of his book online, or explore here a related video series that Snyder produced a few years back. Find a cheat sheet below.
1. Do not obey in advance
2. Defend institutions
3. Beware the one-party state
4. Take responsibility for the face of the world
5. Remember professional ethics
6. Be wary of paramilitaries
7. Be reflective if you must be armed
8. Stand out
9. Be kind to our language
10. Believe in truth
11. Investigate
12. Make eye contact and small talk
13. Practice corporeal politics
14. Establish a private life
15. Contribute to good causes
16. Learn from peers in other countries
17. Listen for dangerous words
18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives
19. Be a patriot
20. Be as courageous as you can
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Someone has broken into your house and is still there a month later; they decided to stay; and you’re looking around the corner timidly wondering whether mediocre selection of tea might make them go away.
It’s a tad late to disobey, especially when you don’t really mean anything by that. You might have to risk your life to make things better.
The life of everyone month supporting Trump is at risk, and even lives of some the rest.
“One-party state.”
You mean like California?
Whatever your political views, it’s clear that California don’t appear to be disappearing people to foreign prisons indefinitely or detaining anyone without the most basic due process.
Only the tyrants will obfuscate responsibility. Blame California when they try to run from the reality they created
Jim — outside of the large cities, California is extremely red. It just happens that a lot of people live in big cities, because, you know, they’re big cities.
But why would you care about the truth? Your leaders just want you to mindlessly spout canned phrases and submit like a good dog — so that’s what you’ll do.