I find it immensely useful. I hope you will, too.
-- TL
Americans are
no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism,
Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from
their experience. Now is a good time to
do so. Here are 20 lessons from the 20th
Century, adapted to the circumstances of today:
1. Do Not Obey in Advance.
Much 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 start to do it
without being asked. You have already
done this, haven’t you? Stop. Anticipatory obedience teaches authorities
what is possible and accelerates unfreedom.
2. Defend an Institution.
Defend an
institution. Follow the courts or the
media, or a court or a newspaper. Do not speak of “our institutions” unless you
are making them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions do not protect themselves. They go down like dominoes unless each is defended
from the beginning.
3. Recall Professional Ethics.
When the
leaders of state set a negative example, professional commitments to just
practice become much more important. It
is hard to break a rule-of-law
state without lawyers, and it is hard to have show trials
without judges.
4. When Listening to Politicians, Distinguish
Certain Words.
Look out for
the expansive use of “terrorism” and “extremism.” Be alive to the fatal notions of “exception”
and “emergency.” Be angry about the
treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.
5. Be Calm When the Unthinkable Arrives.
When the
terrorist attack comes, remember that all authoritarians at all times either await
or plan such events in order to consolidate power. Think of the Reichstag
fire. The sudden
disaster that requires the end of the balance
of power, the end of opposition
parties, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian [play]
book. Do not fall for it.
6. 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. (Do not use the internet before bed. Charge your gadgets away from your bedroom,
and read!) What to read? Perhaps The Power of the Powerless by
Václav Havel, 1984 by
George Orwell, The
Captive Mind by
Czesław Milosz, The Rebel by Albert Camus, The Origins of Totalitarianism by
Hannah Arendt, or Nothing
is True and Everything is Possible by
Peter Pomerantsev.
7. Stand Out.
Someone has
to. It is easy, in words and deeds, to
follow along. It can feel strange to do
or say something different. But without
that unease, there is no freedom. And
the moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others
will follow.
8. 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.
9. 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 your screen is
there to harm you. Learn about sites
that investigate foreign propaganda pushes.
10. 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.
11. Make Eye Contact and Small Talk.
This is not
just polite. It is a way to stay in
touch with your surroundings, break down unnecessary social barriers, and come
to 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.
12. Take Responsibility for the Face of the
World.
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.
The parties
that took over states were once something else. They exploited a historical moment to make
political life impossible for their rivals. Vote in local and state elections
while you can.
14. Give Regularly to Good Causes, If You Can.
Pick a charity
and set up autopay. Then you will know
that you have made a free choice that is supporting civil society helping
others doing something good.
15. Establish a Private Life.
Nastier
rulers will use what they know about you to push you around. Scrub your computer of malware. 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. Authoritarianism
works as a blackmail state, looking for the hook on which to hang you. Try not to have too many hooks.
16. Learn From Others in Other Countries.
Keep up your
friendships abroad, or make new friends abroad. The present difficulties here are an element
of a general trend. And no country is
going to find a solution by itself. Make
sure you and your family have passports.
17. Watch Out for the Paramilitaries.
When the men
with guns who have always claimed to be against the system, start wearing
uniforms and marching around with torches and pictures of a Leader, the end is
nigh. When the pro-Leader paramilitary
and the official police and military intermingle, the game is over.
18. Be Reflective, If You Must be Armed.
If you carry
a weapon in public service, 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. (If you do not know what this means, contact the
United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum and ask about training in
professional ethics.)
19. Be As Ccourageous As You Can.
If none of us
is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die in unfreedom.
20. Be a Patriot.
The incoming
president is not. Set a good example of
what America means for the generations to come. They will need it.
* * *
* *
NOTE: I have added all the links to Snyder's post, for those perhaps unfamiliar with its terms or references. For more, see Autocracy:
Rules for Survival, and The Way to Stop
Trump, the latter by Georgetown law
professor David Cole; both in the same periodical. Cole concludes: "We live in a constitutional democracy,
one that is expressly designed to check the impulses of dangerous men. It will do so if and only if we insist on it."
