Examples of how to fight tyranny, part 1

I’m going to write a series of short blog posts based on Tim Snyder’s Twenty Lessons on Fighting Tyranny from the Twentieth Century (here’s John Lithgow’s video rendition of it). The goal is to elaborate on each lesson and provide some examples. Even if you think the chances of US falling deep into authoritarianism are slim, it’s important to act early and persevere: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in this case.

Lesson #1 is “ do not obey in advance.” The idea is simple-historically, many people let themselves be intimidated by would-be authoritarians from the start and complied with what they thought their demands were even before anyone actually forced them to. We are seeing similar patterns in the US, with universities eliminating programs the administration is critical of, law firms offering Trump millions of dollars’ worth of legal services for free, and scientists avoiding the use of specific terms they worry the administration doesn’t like.

What can you do to not obey in advance? If your institution suggests policy changes because of the possibility of being targeted, push back against it (giving in gives the would-be authoritarian more power and won’t prevent targeting in the long run anyway). Keep speaking your mind on social media or at work, even if you’re nervous others might not like it. Do not stop speaking out of some nebulous fear that the administration will come after you, especially if you’re a US citizen or permanent resident. Yes, there are some scary examples out there, but your chances of actually being caught up in something newsworthy are (currently) tiny, much lower the risk of a car accident.

Equally importantly, avoid rhetoric that equates the US today with truly authoritarian regimes like Russia, Iran, or South Korea. Understanding how authoritarian regimes became what they are today is valuable to help US avoid the same fate, but hyperbole and fatalism can lead to dangerous self-fulfilling prophecies. In the US today, we have independent courts, independent media, and freedom of speech. Elections are fair (even if imperfect). Yes, these institutions are all under threat and need our help, but let’s not obey in advance by acting as though they’ve already fallen.

Originally published at https://mytwocentsandcounting.substack.com.