Jo’s Reviews > On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century > Status Update

"Since th crisis is permanent, th sense of emergency is always present; planning4 th future seems impossible or disloyal. How can we even think of reform when th enemy is always at th gate?"

"In th politics of eternity, th seduction by a mythicized past prevents us from thinking about possible futures. Th habit of dwelling on victimhood dulls th impulse of self-correction. Since th nation is defined by its inherent virtue rather than by its future potential, politics becomes a discussion of good & evil rather than a discussion of possible solutions to real problems."

On the 'politics of eternity': "Like th politics of inevitability, th politics of eternity performs a masquerade of history, though a different1. It is concerned with th past, but in a self-absorbed way, free of any real concern with facts. Its mood is a longing4past moments tht never really happened during epochs that were, in fact, disastrous."

"BE CALM WHEN TH UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS. Modern tyranny is terror management. When th terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order2 consolidate power. Th sudden disaster that requires th end of checks & balances, th dissolution of opposition parties, th suspension of freedom of expression, th right2 a fair trial, and so on, is th oldest trick in th Hitlerian book. Do not fall for it.

"When politicians today invoke terrorism they are spkg, ofc, of an actual danger. But when they try to train us to surrender freedom in the name of safety, we should be on our guard. There is no necessary tradeoff between th two. Ppl who assure you that you can *only* gain security at th price of liberty usually want to deny you both.

"You might one day be offered the opportunity to display symbols of loyalty. Make sure that such symbols include your fellow citizens rather than exclude them... what might seem like a gesture of pride can be a source of exclusion."

"Life is political, not bc the world cares about how you feel, but bc the world reacts to what you do. The minor choices we make are themselves a kind of vote, making it more or less likely that free & fair elections will be held in the future. In the politics of the everyday, our words and gestures, or their absence, count very much."