Maryana’s Reviews > Study for Obedience > Status Update

Like it! I remember a time when I could never understand why such a huge majority of Germans could follow Hitler down the hell hole, but now I do, thanks to the thirst for authoritarianism in my own country. (I'm seeing it in many other democracies, too.). Not sure if this is where Bernstein's going, but...)

Ken wrote: "Like it! I remember a time when I could never understand why such a huge majority of Germans could follow Hitler down the hell hole, but now I do, thanks to the thirst for authoritarianism in my ow..."

Perhaps it was the promise to “Make Germany Great Again”? Authoritarianism feeds on instability, mistrust and fear, so when a system like democracy is in trouble, it will present itself as a perfect solution or a quick fix. Also, it seems that in some cases an authoritarian system can disguise itself as a democracy and turn into a totalitarian regime in a flash. Many times people would rather regress into a dependency position and look for someone to guide them aka obey. It is “easy” and as Bernstein’s says, “understandably human” to follow and accept the most readily available narratives. I wonder whether education and culture might not play a big role in this.

So I think you’re onto something here, Ken, I’ve also been grappling with these questions and maybe that’s why I’m picking up books like this. Although this novel is quite slim, it is quite ambitious and the way the author touches upon some themes like obedience, roots, rootlessness, self vs the other is quite interesting. While many of us have experienced obedience (or disobedience, for that matter), the narrator’s case is extreme in a way that she has ever known how to make sense of herself or her purpose in life in relation to other people. It’s a well written piece, in addition, it made me look back on my past reads and indicated a possible way towards new discoveries.