I was a physically uncoordinated and social awkward child. My mother assures me I would have gotten the Asperger’s diagnosis my son has had it existed at the time. As a tall, skinny, awkward kid, I drew plenty of unwanted attention from the playground bullies. All I could manage to do in response was to patiently explain how mean and unfair their treatment of me was. Aside from being entirely ineffectual, I suspect the ruffians on the playground found this mildly amusing.
I eventually developed some physical skills and grew some muscle. Swim team helped, marching band not so much. As I found myself in the company of more mature people, I also found ways to deploy my limited social aptitude to somewhat better effect. But those playground experiences are formative. That sense of powerlessness in the face of chaos and cruelty sticks with a person. Now in my sixties, as my limited physical grace and power have entered their inevitable decline, I’m encountering other reminders of my vulnerable childhood. My society as a whole seems to be regressing back to the chaos and cruelty of that elementary school playground.
Last night I had a call from a good friend who is Indian-South African. He spent a substantial part of his life fighting apartheid in South Africa. The news that the administration is welcoming Afrikaner “refugees” into the US was painful and personal for my friend. The Afrikaner claims of persecution, in a land where the 7% of the population who is white still owns 70% of the land, are unsubstantiated. Their role in the system of apartheid is well documented. Nevertheless, these bullies are back on the playground here in the US. And as an immigrant himself, my friend feels powerless to say or do anything about it.
“Just try to stay out of their way,” was the best advice my father could offer. But this isn’t the playground and it’s not about surviving recess. What’s at stake here is much larger. What’s at stake includes things like our basic rights, the right to speak our mind for instance, the rule of law, our standing as the leader of the free world, and our moral character as a society.
My anti-authoritarianism reading list has grown long over the past few years. I’ll wrap up with some noteworthy titles (please add to this list in comments). But for now, I’ll spare you the detailed philosophical analysis in favor of a more relatable way of thinking about authoritarianism. Authoritarianism is when the bullies are in charge.
Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
Anne Applebaum, Autocracy Inc.
Eric Hoffer, The True Believer
Steven Levitsky and Kaniel Ziblatt, How Democracies Die
Masha Gessen, Surviving Autocracy
Jason Stanley, How Fascism Works