“Don’t Obey in Advance.”
That was Professor Timothy Snyder’s first advice for Americans trying to protect themselves from a tyrannical regime in his best-selling book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century. Unfortunately, most of our establishment media and institutions have still refused to learn the lesson and are instead hedging their bets and engaging in “both sides” coddling just in case Donald Trump wins the 2024 election.
When Professor Snyder warns about Donald Trump and MAGA’s threat of authoritarianism, people pay attention. He is one of the most recognized historians on fascism and has spent his career specializing in Central and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust.
He returns with a new book, On Freedom, in which he draws upon his lifetime of experience and research to make the case for a “positive freedom” in which citizens are motivated to be informed, aware, engaged and committed to solidarity. However, challenges remain especially as a third of our population is radicalized by right-wing media lies and lives on Earth-3, and one of the two major parties is explicitly embracing anti-democratic values and ideals.
In this important and timely Chai Talk, Professor Snyder outlines why he remains hopeful that Americans can still turn the page and move towards a freedom that can finally empower and uplift all of its citizens.
This Is How Americans Can Defeat Trump's Authoritarianism And Advance Our Freedoms