Timothy Snyder is kind of a working person's intellectual. He uses simple words for complex issues so we can better understand them.
He's not impressed that he's a professor at Yale. He realizes all too well that as a democracy, we have much work to do and we need to keep doing it. He sees the inherent danger in letting our collective guards down and allowing the forces of authoritarianism to rise.
It's for that reason, I think, that he has written a short but cogent guide to participating in democracy called On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. He describes 20 ways in which democracy is or has been undermined by those seeking power for its own sake, and suggests 20 ways in which we can combat it.
I consider it a public service to print those 20 ways here. We've already needed them and we'll continue to need them in the challenging days ahead. You may not think we're anywhere near the points he's making, but trust me--we are one election away. We know what things look like at present, but November 2024 is still nearly a year and a half off. It could all fall into the feared rut yet. But it's still up to us. That hasn't gone away, and it won't.
1. Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.
2. Defend institutions. It is institutions that help us to preserve decency. They need our help as well. Do not speak of "our institutions" unless you make them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions do not protect themselves. They fall one after the other unless each is defended from the beginning. So choose an institution you care about--a court, a newspaper, a law, a labor union--and take its side.
3. Beware the one-party state. The parties that remade states and suppressed rivals were not omnipotent from the start. They exploited a historic moment to make political life impossible for their opponents. So support the multi-party system and defend the rules of democratic elections. Vote in local and state elections while you can. Consider running for office.
4. Take responsibility for the face of the world. The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate. Do not look away, and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.
5. Remember professional ethics. When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become more important. It is hard to subvert a rule-of-law state without lawyers, or to hold show trials without judges. Authoritarians need obedient civil servants, and concentration camp directors seek businessmen interested in cheap labor.
6. Be wary of paramilitaries. When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching with torches and pictures of a leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.
7. Be reflective if you must be armed. If you carry a weapon in public service, may God bless you and keep you but know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things. Be ready to say no.
8. Stand out. Someone has to. It is easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom. Remember Rosa Parks. The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.
9. Be kind to our language. Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books.
10. Believe in truth. To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.
11. Investigate. Figure things out for yourself. Spend more time with long articles. Subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print media. Realize that some of what is on the internet is there to harm you. Learn about sites that investigate propaganda campaigns (some of which come from abroad). Take responsibility for what you communicate with others.
12. Make eye contact and small talk. This is not just polite. It is part of being a citizen and a responsible member of society. It is also a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down social barriers, and understand whom you should and should not trust. If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life.
13. Practice corporeal politics. Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.
14. Establish a private life. Nastier rulers will use what they know about you to push you around. Scrub your computer of malware on a regular basis. Remember that email is skywriting. Consider using alternative forms of the internet, or simply using it less. Have personal exchanges in person. For the same reason, resolve any legal trouble. Tyrants seek the hook on which to hang you. Try not to have hooks.
15. Contribute to good causes. Be active in organizations, political or not, that express your own view of life, Pick a charity or two and set up autopay. Then you will have made a free choice to support civil society and help others to do good.
16. Learn from peers in other countries. Keep up your friendships abroad, or make new friends in other countries. The present difficulties in the United States are an element of a larger trend. And no country is going to find a solution by itself. Make sure you and your family have passports.
17. Listen for dangerous words. Be alert to the use of the words extremism and terrorism. Be alive to the fatal notions of emergency and exception. Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.
18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order to consolidate power. The sudden disaster that requires the end of checks and balances, the dissolutions of opposition parties, the suspension of freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. Do not fall for it.
19. Be a patriot. Set a good example of what America means for generations to come. They will need it.
20. Be as courageous as you can. If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die under tyranny.
All of the above were his words, at the onset of each chapter which goes into deeper explanation of their meaning. When he tells you to read books, for instance, he suggests which ones, so don't let this be a substitute for getting hold of this brief book and reading it. The impact of each of these issues inevitably falls into historical explanation of how the Nazis made good use of the simple fact that not nearly enough of law-abiding, decent German people didn't utilize the democratic processes that were at their disposal--that are at our disposal, too.
Some of this seems abstract, as if it couldn't be happening to us. But it is or could easily be. And some of the suggestions about what to do about it--note #13--seem incredibly simplistic. But ask yourself: When was the last time you joined a mass protest? When was the last time you wore a t-shirt or put a bumper sticker on your car to protest an injustice in our society? Yes, you're just one voice. One voice among many.
Exercise your freedoms, says Snyder, or they can easily be taken away. If expressing yourself begins a conversation, all the better. If you agree with the sentiment on a t-shirt, say so to the wearer's face. You might inspire someone to keep going.
Do you want twisted people in power, or do you want people with good judgment to take on the challenges of our modern society? It's still up to us. But mere voting won't do it. Participatory democracy activates the things Timothy Snyder has listed. It's not too late. You can get started any time you want.
Be well. Be careful. With some luck, I'll see you down the road.
Mister Mark
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