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-   -   Lessons for Now From History (http://www.politicalchat.org/showthread.php?t=11633)

donquixote99 04-17-2017 09:12 AM
Lessons for Now From History
 
Historian Tim Snyder says we don't pay enough attention to history. Well, he would, wouldn't he, but he seems to me to have some vital points. Basically, history tells us that free countries can 'go authoritarian' with great speed. Happened this weekend in Turkey, for example.

History never repeats exactly, but what has happened before can happen again, and often does. Snyder suggests 'it can happen here,' and offers a set of twenty lessons for what to think, and, very importantly, what to do. I'm going to put up a lesson a day.

But, you can read all twenty right now, here. Or you might even buy Snyder's book.

donquixote99 04-17-2017 09:17 AM
Quote:
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've already done this, haven't you? Stop. Anticipatory obedience teaches authorities what is possible and accelerates unfreedom.
An example would include reluctance to go publicly 'on the record' with concerns or opposition to repressive or illegal administration policies.

BlueStreak 04-17-2017 09:54 AM
Trust me; No anticipatory obedience here.

Everybody in my world well knows what I think of their king.

Fuck you, Trump!

donquixote99 04-17-2017 10:01 AM
Right on, brother!

icenine 04-17-2017 10:04 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueStreak (Post 352271)
Trust me; No anticipatory obedience here.

Everybody in my world well knows what I think of their king.

Fuck you, Trump!
Yeah!!

MrPots 04-17-2017 04:12 PM
I'm in.....

donquixote99 04-18-2017 06:34 AM
Lesson Two from historian Tim Snyder:

Quote:
2. 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 don't protect themselves. They go down like dominoes unless each is defended from the beginning.
Don't let the NY Times fail.

Dondilion 04-18-2017 07:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by donquixote99 (Post 352282)
Lesson Two from historian Tim Snyder:



Don't let the NY Times fail.
.

The Times They Are A Changing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7qQ6_RV4VQ

donquixote99 04-18-2017 09:23 PM
Really Gonna Miss You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpMDU9NcKq4

donquixote99 04-19-2017 06:57 AM
Lesson Three from historian Tim Snyder:

Quote:
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.
Isolate the bad guys by being sure to walk the walk.

JCricket 04-19-2017 07:56 AM
Hey DQ
thanks for posting these. I do have to say I am feeling pretty stupid. I can read his remarks and follow maybe 50%. Then my mind goes off in a dozen directions wondering about all the different possibilities of what he "could" mean. Or more specifically, how it could apply to us.

donquixote99 04-19-2017 10:03 AM
Thinking about a dozen directions is good. These are not cut and dried simple commandments, the author calls them 'lessons.' When you explore what they might mean to you, you think new thoughts and figure out stuff. These lessons are open-ended, so one need not expect to necessarily find the 'one answer,' as with a math problem. Each reader can go where they want and need to with them.

donquixote99 04-20-2017 09:49 AM
Lesson Four from historian Tim Snyder:

Quote:
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.
Also, know a meme when you see one.

donquixote99 04-21-2017 08:44 AM
Lesson Five from Historian Tim Snyder:

Quote:
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 book. Don't fall for it.
Such events will be blamed on 'the enemy within.' Divide-and-conquer tactics.

donquixote99 04-22-2017 07:22 AM
Lesson Six from Historian Tim Snyder:

Quote:
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. (Don't 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.
Thinking in slogans is not thinking, and the debasement of language is the debasement of thought. To a huge extent, the Internet is a study in modern advanced techniques of opinion control. Beware what is served to you; find your own reading.

donquixote99 04-24-2017 06:12 AM
Lesson Seven from Historian Tim Snyder:

Quote:
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.
One of their chief weapons is inertia--reinforced by intimidation. Be brave and bold.

donquixote99 04-25-2017 08:05 AM
Lesson Eight from Historian Tim Snyder:

Quote:
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.
Truth is the beating heart of resistance. That's why it is targeted.

donquixote99 04-26-2017 11:16 AM
Lesson Nine from Historian Tim Snyder:

Quote:
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.
If you aren't careful, the next-to-last sentence changes: strike 'some,' insert 'most.'

donquixote99 04-27-2017 09:57 AM
Lesson Ten from Historian Tim Snyder:

Quote:
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.
Getting out on the street means you care. Staying home means you don't.

Stand Against Racism Rally today in Dayton. 12-2, Courthouse Square. See you there!

merrylander 04-28-2017 05:57 AM
Not only power - age does much the same.

Dondilion 04-28-2017 10:03 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by donquixote99 (Post 352542)
Lesson Eight from Historian Tim Snyder:



Truth is the beating heart of resistance. That's why it is targeted.
But who determines the truth? Politicians, Historians, Clergy, Journalists, etc?

donquixote99 04-28-2017 10:37 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dondilion (Post 352676)
But who determines the truth? Politicians, Historians, Clergy, Journalists, etc?
You are falling into the trap of thinking there are 'competing' truths, or 'alternate' facts. This enables liars to say 'oh, that's just your truth,' denying the power of truth to show them wrong.

There is only one truth, and it is true by itself, no one 'determines' it. The persons you name may tell the truth, or they may not. It's important to expect that they will, and hold them to account if they do not.

donquixote99 04-28-2017 10:44 AM
Lesson Eleven from Historian Tim Snyder:

Quote:
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.
Don't assume--get to know people. All sorts of people. Ignorance is never strength.

And, I think part of what Snyder is saying here is good relations with those around you is a defense against being a 'other' who can become a target for gossip and denunciation if the times become 'McCarthy-like.'

MrPots 04-28-2017 12:21 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by donquixote99 (Post 352678)
You are falling into the trap of thinking there are 'competing' truths, or 'alternate' facts. This enables liars to say 'oh, that's just your truth,' denying the power of truth to show them wrong.

There is only one truth, and it is true by itself, no one 'determines' it. The persons you name may tell the truth, or they may not. It's important to expect that they will, and hold them to account if they do not.
Well stated

donquixote99 04-29-2017 06:13 PM
Lesson Twelve from Historian Tim Snyder

Quote:
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.
Don't let the haters feel like they have claimed the territory.

donquixote99 04-30-2017 07:53 AM
Lesson Thirteen from Historian Tim Snyder

Quote:
13. Hinder the one-party state. 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.
And participate in campaigns. And consider running for office.

MrPots 04-30-2017 03:39 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by donquixote99 (Post 352743)
Lesson Thirteen from Historian Tim Snyder



And participate in campaigns. And consider running for office.
Problem with that is everyone but republicans are expected to be pure as the driven snow and fully vetted. Republicans can be liars, crooks and con men and they will always be handily elected. Mainly because of the ignorance of the average republican voter and gerrymandering.

It's really hard to fight stupid.

donquixote99 04-30-2017 05:14 PM
If it were easy, we'd have a lot fewer problems.

donquixote99 05-01-2017 08:26 AM
Lesson Fourteen from Historian Tim Snyder

Quote:
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.
This goes with the ones about keeping countervailing institutions alive.

Pio1980 05-01-2017 10:01 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by donquixote99 (Post 352795)
Lesson Fourteen from Historian Tim Snyder



This goes with the ones about keeping countervailing institutions alive.
I'm a sustaining member at NPR, a counter to "alternative" facts.

donquixote99 05-01-2017 10:39 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pio1980 (Post 352799)
I'm a sustaining member at NPR, a counter to "alternative" facts.
Yes they are, despite some efforts to undermine them. They very much need real grassroots funding.

donquixote99 05-03-2017 07:40 AM
Lesson 15 From Historian Tim Snyder

Quote:
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.
"Email is skywriting" is the big lesson here, if you didn't know it already.

donquixote99 05-04-2017 07:57 AM
Lesson 16 From Historian Tim Snyder

Quote:
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.

donquixote99 05-06-2017 09:06 AM
Lesson 17 From Historian Tim Snyder

Quote:
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.
We certainly hear enough of this impulse from certain Trump supporters....

donquixote99 05-09-2017 05:58 PM
Lesson 18 From Historian Tim Snyder

Quote:
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.)
The word is 'honor.' Only you can keep it, or lose it.

donquixote99 05-10-2017 10:43 AM
Lesson 19 From Historian Tim Snyder

Quote:
19. Be as courageous as you can. If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die in unfreedom.
Historically, authoritarians resort to political violence. At least Trump does not have an overt, organized paramilitary at this time. If the Army does not intervene, successful resistance may be possible.

merrylander 05-10-2017 12:28 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by donquixote99 (Post 352945)
Don't need a passport because if I leave here I am not coming back.:)

donquixote99 05-12-2017 08:35 AM
Lesson 20 From Historian Tim Snyder

Quote:
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.
The right thinks they own the word 'patriot.' For the most part these days, they sully it.

This concludes the 20 lessons as initially published on the web. Tim Snyder afterwards expanded them into a small book, which is well worth the reading. He takes the opportunity to change the lessons around a little, and adds essays, some quite substantial, with each one. Available on Amazon.

I now think that Trump lacks the 'vision' and competence to take us to a full blown tyranny. But the danger is nonetheless real, and by no means over yet.

bobabode 05-16-2017 12:29 AM
Saw the good doctor on the Daily Show tonight.

donquixote99 05-16-2017 08:52 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobabode (Post 353728)
Saw the good doctor on the Daily Show tonight.
Found it, thanks! Will watch now.

ON edit--scratch that link--turkey posted it sideways (pic rotated 90 degree--no kidding), and calls it 'fake news site.'


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