Powerful and vitally important article which I believe
needs to be shared again and again. - Molly
 |
| "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." (Darron Birgenheier/ Flickr) |
A history professor looks
to the past to remind us to do
what we can in the face
of the unthinkable.
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 across the fearful 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've already done this, haven't
you? Stop. Anticipatory obedience teaches authorities what is
possible and accelerates unfreedom.
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.
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
book. Don't 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. (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.
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.
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.
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 courageous 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.
Please go here for the original: http://inthesetimes.com/article/19658/20-lessons-from-the-20th-century-on-how-to-survive-in-trumps-america
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