Category: Seeking Common Ground

Amidst the tyranny among us, let us not forget the terrible toll that SARS-COV-2 is having on the world and the United States. Click on the link for the most current data and information.

Lesson 17:  Listen For Dangerous Words

“Be alert for 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.”

Timothy Snyder, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century,” 2017.

George Orwell wrote about “Double Speak” in his 1949 novel 1984. Our most recent former president used the Orwellian tool often in his efforts to confuse and deceive the American people. I suggest that you go back and re-read Lesson 1 of this series: “Do Not Obey in Advance” to help put this reference into context.

Dr. Snyder’s words really hit me hard. Let me ask you a rhetorical question. How often did we hear the words extremist and terrorist come out of the mouth of the former president? How were the words used? When were they used? Well, I’ll tell you what I think.

During Summer 2020 demonstrations revolving around the deaths of George Floyd and Brionna Taylor, the demonstrators were labeled as extremists and terrorists. On the other hand, the raucous Million MAGA March which turned violent was not labeled as either extremist or terrorist by the former president.

Who gets to decide when it an “extremist” event or a “terrorist” event? I guess that would be the the person in charge. They get to decide what is not accepted or normal. If it doesn’t fit the tyrant’s definition of normal then it becomes extreme. Terrorism refers to an actual danger. The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol can therefore be defined as an act of terrorism. Is the looting and hooliganism that commonly comes with street demonstrations an act of terrorism? Who are the terrorists, Antifa, a loosely knit coalition of anti-Fascist ideologues or The Proud Boys whose names and faces can now be easily attached to and identified as purveyors of right wing violent extremism?

Twentieth Century dissidents that resisted communism or Fascism were labeled as extremists. Current day Russia uses laws on extremists to get back at its critics. So, labeling someone as an extremist can be used against anyone who doesn’t agree with the orthodoxy of the day.

An example of double speak can be found in 1980’s Nicaragua. Backers of the deposed former dictator, Anastasio Somoza, wanted their power and privilege back. President Reagan backed the attempt to overthrow the new leftist Sandinista government of Daniel Ortega. From the Reagan perspective, these people were “freedom fighters.” From another perspective, they were a group of human rights violating terrorists attempting to overthrow the fledgling Sandinista government.

One other very important point that Dr. Snyder makes in his lesson, is the idea of the “exception.” Nazi legal theorist Carl Schmitt stated that at the core of Fascist rule was this concept that events of the current moment call for “emergency” action. The implementation of martial law was invoked after the fire at the Reichstag in 1933. Former administration official General Michael Flynn encouraged his former boss to impose martial law in the United States when it became clear that the results of the 2020 Presidential Election would not be reversed by “peaceful” means.

I contend that the most recent former president was trying to use COVID as his excuse for emergency action. I cringe at the thought of where the country would be in it’s COVID response had Trump been re-elected in November. His failure to develop a plan for the distribution of the vaccines makes it a little easier for me to make a claim like this that seems totally outrageous. Thank God that we didn’t have to test that hypothesis.

Finally, on the subject of freedom. Snyder says, “But when they try to train us to surrender freedom in the name of safety, we should be on our guard.” How true that statement is. Someone might read that statement and equate it with the COVID-related mandates to wear masks and keep social distancing in public. The key words here are “on our guard.” The intentions of the surrender of personal freedoms in the name of public health are NOT to be confused with the intentions of a tyrant imposing martial law on a country. Being on your guard is your responsibility to the preservation of Democracy.

Snyder says, “Most authoritarian regimes, such as Russia, use laws on extremism to punish those who criticize their policies. In this way the notion of extremism comes to mean virtually everything except what it is, in fact, extreme: tyranny.”

I get pretty worked up on the subject of the use of patriotic language and patriotic symbols. The people that invaded the Capitol on January 6, 2020 are not Patriots. The people responsible for setting the stage for the Capitol invasion are not Patriots. The people that perpetuate the Big Lie of the 2020 election are not patriots.

Over the past nearly five years, I can credit the former president for one thing and one thing only. That thing is my renewed sense of patriotism and attention to the civics lessons that I first learned in high school. Never again will I take my citizenship for granted. Our flag flies proudly at our home.

My words are my bond. And my words are safe in a democracy.

Amidst the tyranny among us, let us not forget the terrible toll that SARS-COV-2 is having on the world and the United States. Click on the link for the most current data and information.

Lesson 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.”

Timothy Snyder, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century,” 2017.

Snyder wrote this while the former president was still in office. The darkness was darker then it is now and we aren’t exactly in bright sunshine yet. The former president advanced from one stage to another in the electoral process. Interestingly, as Snyder points out, Ukrainian and Russian journalists took the pulse of the American Midwest and saw that there was indeed a chance, in fact a probability, that this person could be elected president.

They had seen the fake news thing used before. The Ukrainians were the target of a Russian disinformation campaign in 2013. The Ukrainians knew how to handle this misinformation campaign. Russia failed to get their candidate elected president. When the Russians engaged in a similar disinformation campaign in the American presidential election of 2016 alleging that Hillary Clinton was ill because she had mentioned an article on “decision fatigue” in an email, the story was spread by Americans to Americans. This time, however, the Russians got their person into office. We here in the West need to start taking our lessons from the East.

We have the good fortune to have friends in Europe and Australia. My wife’s family opened their home to foreign exchange students on three occasions. We still have contact with these women and their spouses to this day. We don’t see them often, but thanks to the Internet, we are able to share our thoughts and feelings with each other and learn from each other. It is important to get different perspectives on issues that are so close to us. It is like the saying “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” We can see the trees. They can see the forest. I am very grateful for these opportunities to see the forest through the eyes of our foreign friends.

Travel has had a substantial influence on my world view. The world was opened up to me by watching the slideshows and listening to the stories of my Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Ed who travelled literally the entire world year-after-year in their retirement. Their son, my cousin, went on to join the Peace Corps. The examples of my aunt, uncle and cousin made me curious about the world. When combined with the altruism of my father (who had no desire to travel after his experiences abroad during the Second World War), I was inspired to join the Peace Corps and experience life beyond the borders of Tulare County, California, USA. I got my first passport and went on to serve my country and humanity for two years in Belize, Central American in the late ’80s as a Rural Education Volunteer.

A passport and the travel opportunities that it makes available to you will change your life and your world view. It will also give you a place to go should you want it or need it. If you don’t have a passport, I suggest that you get one.

Listen to outside voices. Change your own voice.

Amidst the tyranny among us, let us not forget the terrible toll that SARS-COV-2 is having on the world and the United States. Click on the link for the most current data and information.

Lesson 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 that supports civil society and helps others do good.”

Timothy Snyder, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century,” 2017.

Do you remember former President George H.W. Bush and his “thousand points of light?” That is what this lesson is about. It’s about strengthening our civil society through our own actions and by encouraging others to so as well.

I dislike making any reference to our most recent former president, but in order to point out how tyrants think, I’ve linked these comments that were made by this person on July 5, 2018 at a rally in Montana in regards to President Bush’s Thousand Points of Light idea. Darkness does not do well when exposed to light. Darkness as exemplified by Vladimir Putin, Vampires, Darth Vader and bullies among others, don’t respond well in the light of day. Thus, light is the enemy of darkness. George H.W. Bush and I were diametrically opposed on political philosophy and policy, but he was spot on with this idea of a thousand points of light.

Literally there are thousands and thousands times a thousand of those “points of light” that President Bush alluded to. As long as those lights shine, tyranny will never get to hide in the shadows of darkness.

Snyder encourages us “to engage in activities that are of interest to us, our friends, our families.” This includes, but is by no means whatsoever, limited to making money contributions to society building causes that you believe in. I’m in a position to be able to make modest monetary contributions to organizations that I believe are doing good in the world. Each one of these activities is a “point of light.” Giving of your hard earned resources and engaging with like minded people that you didn’t or still don’t know strengthens the invisible fabric that binds civilizations together. Donate when you can in substantive ways. I’m proud of what I donate to the organizations of my choice.

But, I’m equally, if not more, proud of the things that I do that don’t involve money. Responding to emails or letters to validate the interests and contributions of friends and family, donating Platelets at the Stanford Blood Center, singing in my church choir, writing this Blog, taking care of my own physical and mental health. Taking an active role in the life of those you know and love shows how “the capacity for trust and learning can make life seem less chaotic and mysterious, and democratic politics more plausible and attractive.”

Eastern Europeans know a great deal about tyranny. Twentieth Century did not like non-governmental organizations or charities, in fact they were openly hostile towards them. Fascists want everything under their control and these types of organizations functioned outside of their control. Authoritarians of today like those in Russian and Turkey carry this same view about free associations and NGOs.

We can each do our part in defeating and resisting tyrants by being involved in life, by paying attention to our friends and families, by contributing to causes that make life better for people and by exemplifying the good that we wish to see in the world.

Amidst the tyranny among us, let us not forget the terrible toll that SARS-COV-2 is having on the world and the United States. Click on the link for the most current data and information.

Lesson 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.”

Timothy Snyder, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century,” 2017

Nothing dark about this right? This isn’t meant to drive you further into your shell, but to alert you as to what some folks are trying to do with your personal information and how they are using it to create misinformation. This is no mystery and it is a great cause of concern. Be mindful of your personal information, take the necessary precautions and move on with making life healthy and happy for you and yours.

Dr. Snyder points out in this lesson that totalitarianism doesn’t mean an “all-powerful state, but the difference between public and private life.” Our freedom lies in what we wish to keep to ourselves and that which we are ok becoming public information. You personally get to make the decision about which one is which. Make no mistake that when your personal information becomes public without your permission, you need to take steps to stop it using the tools within your power. Secure you computer’s internet security with appropriate software and speak up to your lawmakers about the security of your personal life. This is very important.

“Whether it is done by American or Russian intelligence agencies, or for that matter by any institution, the theft, discussion, or publication of personal communications destroys a basic foundation of our rights.”

Remember the email dump that occurred just before the 2016 elections? This is a case study to make this point. Private communications between people were taken from their context and made public out of context. This action was an act deliberately designed to spread misinformation. This should not have been the storyline for the news. The news should have been that this was a privacy violation and against the law. It wasn’t reported as a rights violation. It was used to distract us from the real news and where it had come from.

Hannah Arendt, to whom Snyder frequently refers to as a great political thinker, refers to our collective appetite for the secret to be dangerously political. Political in that Totalitarianism makes us as individuals “unfree.” Interpret the term from the perspective of right leaning political thinkers and Totalitarian means Liberal or Socialist. Interpret the term from left leaning political thinkers and you have Fascists and tyrants. It’s not my end game here to to determine the efficacy of one or the other. Click the link on Totalitarianism above and Google will take you wherever you want to go with the term.

My point based on Dr. Snyder’s research, is that Totalitarianism directs societies away from normal politics and toward conspiracy theories. Have you heard any of these lately? Consider our current political climate in the United States. Where is our attention? Let me answer that. Our attention is on stolen emails, stolen laptops, stolen elections and dark conspiracy theories. In the words. of Dr. Snyder, “When we take an active interest. in matters of doubtful relevance at moments that are chosen by tyrants and spooks, we participate in the demolition of our own political order.”

They do this by blurring the line between what is private and what is public. By taking private information and presenting it out of context, the information is often used to misinform and create an environment of doubt, chaos and confusion. Tyrants thrive on doubt, chaos and confusion.

Guard your privacy and be aware of what is going on in the world. Keep your head up, stay informed and encourage those you know to stay informed. It may get dark at times. There is a lot of darkness out there at this point. In my opinion, the best way to deal with darkness is to shine light on it. That light needs to be real bright right now. May your light shine very brightly.

Amidst the tyranny among us, let us not forget the terrible toll that SARS-COV-2 is having on the world and the United States. Click on the link for the most current data and information.

Lesson 13:  Practice Corporeal Politics

“Power wants your body softening in a 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.”

Timothy Snyder, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century,” 2017.

Corporeal means the temporal or physical, referring to the world of the senses. When COVID is in the rear view mirror, we will once again have more opportunities to get outside and interact with friends and family, and, as Dr. Snyder suggests, with unfamiliar people. with whom we share common concerns and feelings.

Let’s be clear that the Capitol Mob is not what Dr. Snyder is referring to when he says “put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people.” Those people gathered at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 might have thought that they were gathering to fight tyranny but in reality they were made tools of tyranny by a tyrant. That’s a discussion in other and for other posts.

Snyder’s point here is that `to bring about the change that you wish to see in the world you must be on the streets of the world to make that change happen. Social media can be used to organize, but, as we found out on the wrong side of this point, things become real when they are out in public.

The Twentieth Century example of this lesson was in communist Poland (remember the role played by Poland in ultimately defeating the Nazis in WW2?) in 1980-81. The Solidarity labor movement was made up of a coalition of workers, professionals, parts of the Roman Catholic Church, and secular groups.

When students protested in 1968, the communist government activated workers against the protesting students. The workers went on strike in Gdansk in 1970 and that strike was brutally suppressed. The workers were now the isolated group.

Realizing that a different strategy was needed to resist the communist regime, intellectuals and professionals organized a group to aid workers who had been abused by the government. This brought together people from both sides of the political spectrum as well as people of vastly differing religious beliefs, people who before would not have met each other, into a movement with a common purpose.

Polish workers once again went on strike in 1980. But things were different this time. The lawyers and the scholars joined with the hard hats and the labor union Solidarity was born. A free labor union and government promises to observe human rights came into existence.

Solidarity lasted only sixteen months, but during this time new connections and bonds were made among its 10,000,000 members. Even after martial law ended the movement in 1981, eight years later the communists turned to Solidarity to negotiate next steps for governance of Poland. Elections were called and Solidarity won those elections. Communism was coming to an end in Poland and throughout eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The Berlin Wall came down in November 1989.

Here in the United States, tyranny has been removed from the White House and its position of power between 2016-2020. But the struggle against tyranny remains very real. We must unify and take to the streets both literally and figuratively to protect our Democracy from the forces of tyranny. Always remember that our power lies in our cooperation and in our solidarity. College educated, not college educated, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, atheist, gay, straight, trans, Dodger fan, non Dodger fan. We are together in this.

Amidst the tyranny among us, let us not forget the terrible toll that SARS-COV-2 is having on the world and the United States. Click on the link for the most current data and information.

Lesson 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.”

Timothy Snyder, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century,” 2017

Since “On Tyranny” was written in 2017, it was pre-COVID. Dr. Snyder’s lesson about reaching out and breaking social barriers is even more challenging given that we are not making this kind of social contact due to the epidemieological constraints of the Coronavirus.

Yet, the need to reach out and connect with, talk to, shake hands with, hug and kiss are the same as they were pre-COVID. As we emerge from the necessary and effective COVID restrictions, this need to connect with those that we love and cherish and especially those that we might not have the same fond feelings for, will become more important than ever.

Being largely limited to non-physical social contact has made it possible for people with bad intentions to turn our virtual internet environment into a medium for building social barriers instead of breaking down social barriers. Resisting these forces requires constant vigilance, skepticism, questioning and conversation with people you know and sometimes it might require you to reach out to people you don’t know. It is the job of each of us to break down the barriers between us and build connections rooted in common knowledge and openness to reason and Truth.

Dr. Snyder reminds us that “you might not be sure, today or tomorrow, who feels threatened in the United States. A smile, a handshake or a word of greeting–banal gestures in a normal situation–took on great significance.”

He is referring to the victims of tyrannical repression in 1920’s Italy, Nazi Germany of the 1930’s, the 1937-38 “Great Terror” in the Soviet Union and Communist eastern Europe in the 1940’s and ’50’s.

He is also referring to the United States of today. The message here is that simple gestures mean the world to the oppressed. Knowing that someone stands with them in their times of trial means everything to them. Hope remains alive and Truth is still present. And, as Snyder says, why stop at the oppressed? When the opportunity is right and physical contact is once again prudent, engage others with eye contact, small talk and a handshake. You may not know the impact that your gesture has on someone, but you can be sure that the act of affirming them is a good thing for the individual involved and the whole of society.

Amidst the tyranny among us, let us not forget the terrible toll that SARS-COV-2 is having on the world and the United States. Click on the link for the most current data and information.

Lesson 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 to others.”

Timothy Snyder, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century,” 2017.

Political theorist Hannah Arendt in talking about the Vietnam War said: “Under normal circumstances the liar is defeated by reality, for which there is no substitute; no matter how large the tissue of falsehood that an experienced liar has to offer, it will never be large enough, even if it enlists the power of computers, to cover the immensity of factuality.” Unfortunately, the part about computers is no longer true in the 21st Century. Computers and social media can become a liar’s best friend and tool to spread misinformation. People are surprised these days when someone knocks on their door in the midst of a political campaign or for any reason for that matter. They are simply not used to dealing with a face-to-face real human being. That was true in 2016 and it is even more true now during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Spending more time in front of a computer screen makes us even more susceptible to being sucked in by our tribes. We need to believe and be attached to the things we believe in.

Journalism, real live investigative journalism provides us with truth., Yes, THE truth. Truth still exists. It is not hypothetical or philosophical. It simply is. If an issue, a thesis, is presented and evidence is gathered and presented to support it and the evidence to support it is greater than the evidence that does not support it, then that is THE truth on this issue/thesis.

As Tim Snyder says, “It is your ability discern facts that makes you an individual, and our collective trust in common knowledge that makes us a society. The individual who investigates is also the citizen who builds. The leader who dislikes the investigators is a potential tyrant.” The former president used the word “lies” in reference to facts that didn’t support his views. In turn, he pointed to the journalists as “liars” because they dared to challenge his version of reality. When Facebook and Twitter allowed him to spread his misinformation, the internet became his best friend. But, now that Facebook and Twitter have denied him their platforms on which to spread this misinformation, it is more difficult to reach all of the people that he needs to reach to keep his lie alive and kicking.

Journalism is hard work. At one point in college, I saw it as a possible career. I admire the people who have made it their life’s work. It is difficult work made even more difficult, and sometimes life threatening, when you dare speak up against an authoritarian or someone trying to become one. Social media and the internet are basically free. Anyone can use it to publish anything that they want to publish whether or not it is true. If you want to maintain your individuality, your unique individual voice, you need to read it. Read it in lengthy, well researched, fact checked, evidence based articles written by journalists. The internet is “free” but it is not by any means always “true.” We need to pay for true, we need to support true. We need. to subsidize true. I read a newspaper that we pick up off the driveway each morning. It’s expensive. But, the money that we pay for that newspaper helps to support free and independent investigative journalism. It pays for truth. You can subscribe to online publications as well. The truth is not free. You pay to put gas in your car, for the water that you drink, for the entertainment that you receive. Is it too much to ask to pay for the truth?

Sharing your thoughts and ideas in public brings with it a commitment to the people who will be reading those thoughts and ideas. We, I, have a responsibility to be honest in what we publish. Words matter. Whether those words are words of opinion or words of news. They matter. They become our thoughts and our actions. Be mindful of them at all times. Words are who we are as individuals and individuals together are a society.

It’s time for some tough love. Don’t trust the internet for your truth. In fact, don’t trust any single television network for your truth. There is lots of untruth out there. If you value truth, budget for it. Subscribe to that newspaper that employs investigative journalists and has a large news department whether that “paper” comes to your porch or driveway or on your computer screen. If you value the truth, make the sacrifices to pay for it. If democracy matters to you this is what we all need to do. This will also help us to build a healthier internet community. You’ve heard the saying Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO). How about we replace that with Good In, Good Out (GIGO).

PS: Does anyone know of a website or websites that specifically investigate propaganda campaigns?

Amidst the tyranny among us, let us not forget the terrible toll that SARS-COV-2 is having on the world and the United States. Click on the link for the most current data and information.

Lesson 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 on which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.”

Timothy Snyder, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century,” 2017

Dr. Snyder mentions Victor Klemperer on numerous occasions in his book as an observer of totalitarianism. (An aside: Do you remember the sitcom Hogan’s Heroes from the late ’60’s? The commandant of the POW camp where Hogan was being held was played by Werner Klemperer, Victor Klemperer’s son). Klemperer cites four indicators or “modes” that are indicators of the decline or death of truth.

The first is “open hostility to verifiable reality.” When this book was written, Snyder had witnessed the 2016 Presidential campaign of Donald Trump. Invented truths and lies became commonplace during the campaign. Snyder noted that at one point in the campaign, an attempt was made to document his statements. Of the statements made during this period, it was found that 78% of his claims were false.

A more recent example is the claim that the 2020 Presidential Election was “rigged” before the election happened. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence that the presidential election was not rigged and after case after case alleging election fraud were ruled against, the former president continued to spread the fake news that he had been cheated in a massive election fraud.

We now have just completed four years of this “open hostility to verifiable reality,” the last example being the “rigged” election story.

Klemperer’s second indicator of the decline of Truth is the use of “shamanistic incantations” where nicknames and depictions of people are repeated ad nauseam in front of crowds and then re-broadcast to media audiences. Hitler used the new video technology to spread his message, now the medium is Social Media. This is a fascist technique used to bond the dictator to his audience. You may remember some of these: “Lyin’ Ted,” “Crooked Hillary,” “Build that Wall,” “Drain the Swamp” and “Lock her up.”

The third indicator of the dying of truth is “magical thinking.” Take Snyder’s example of the former president’s campaign claims that he was going to “cut taxes for everyone, eliminate the national debt and increase spending on social policy and national defense.” A reasoned look at that statement would tell you that these things just don’t fit together. They are “magical” or fictional. You choose the word. After WW2, Klemperer talked to a former Nazi who told him “understanding is useless, you have to have faith. I believe in the Fuhrer.”

The fourth and final indicator is “misplaced faith.” This is the “I alone have the answer,” “I alone can solve this” attitude. Don’t believe anyone else, if you want the truth, come to me. I will give it to you. The so called “Fake News” technique that works so well for autocrats.

Remember Dr. Snyder’s quote: “The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.” Some of the biggest wallet’s belong to Rupert Murdoch at Fox, Christopher Ruddy at Newsmax and Robert Herring at One America News.

Cover your eyes. Keep looking for the truth.

Amidst the tyranny among us, let us not forget the terrible toll that SARS-COV-2 is having on the world and the United States. Click on the link for the most current data and information.

Lesson 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 that you think everyone is saying. Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books.”

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder, 2017.

(Note: Don’t leave the internet until you’ve read my Blog)

Dr. Snyder’s point in this lesson is to read. Read good novels to keep broadening your vocabulary and think about “ambiguous situations.” Novels that help you to “judge the intentions of others.”

Digital media moves too fast and doesn’t allow the viewer (us) time to think about what we just saw before the next story pops up. Watch too much of it and you’ll find it harder to explain ambiguous concepts because it is taking you away from the reading that builds the vocabulary that makes it possible to express those ambiguous thoughts.

Some of you will recognize two classic novels on authoritarianism from the last century. Two novels meant to direct you back to books: Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 published in 1953 and George Orwell’s 1984 which first came out in 1949. The intention of both authors was to alert us to the suppression of books, the diminishment of vocabulary that is needed to express current concepts and ideas and the overage of screen time.

I’m pushing my luck on copy write here, but I will go ahead and list books mentioned by Dr. Snyder:

• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
• It Can’t Happen Here, Sinclair Lewis
• The Plot Against America, Philip Roth
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling (central theme is tyranny an resistance)
• Politics and the English Language, George Orwell (1946)
• The Language of the Third Reich , Victor Klemperer (1947)
• The Origins of Totalitarianism , Hannah Arendt (1951)
• The Rebel by Albert Camus (1951)
• The Captive Mind , Czeslaw Milosz (1953)
• The Power of the Powerless, Vaclav Havel (1978)
• How to Be a Conservative-Liberal-Socialist, Leszek Kolakowski (1978)
• The Uses of Adversity, Timothy Garton Ash (1989)
• The Burden of Responsibility, Tony Judt (1998)
• Ordinary Men, Christopher Browning (1992)
• Nothing is True and Everything is Possible, Peter Pomerantsev (2014)
• The Bible is the guiding textual foundation for Christians. In it’s New Testament, Jesus preached on wealth (“it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God; on modesty (“whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased and he that humble himself shall be exalted”) and on true an false (“And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”)

So, in short, it helps one to remain free from the clutches of a tyrant and tyranny when one reads books that go beyond the black and white and delve into the complexities of being human.

Incidentally, I have read the Bible, Fahrenheit 451, 1984 and about a third of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I have lots of work to do.

Happy Reading and, speaking of words, remember the name Amanda Gorman. A little more about Amanda Gorman.