[im] Timothy Snyder: Twenty Lessons from the 20th Century

[Eperjesi Agnes]

http://444.hu/2016/11/22/egy-tortenesz-20-tanacsa-a-trump-rendszerben-eloknek-de-magyarkent-sem-hulyeseg-elolvasni

2016-11-28 10:18 GMT+01:00 Patrice Riemens <patrice at xs4all.nl>:

> Twenty Lessons from the 20th Century
>
> by Timothy Snyder, Housum Professor of History Yale University
>
>     "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
> twenty lessons from the twentieth 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 Czes½aw 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. Bookmark PropOrNot or other 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."
>
>     Timothy Snyder
>     Housum Professor of History
>     Yale University
>     Author: "Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning"
>
> (original to:
> http://lapelosa.tumblr.com/post/153343741892/twenty-lessons-
> from-the-20th-century)
>
>


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