Tyranny teaches you to trust institutions and distrust your neighbors.
GM
The biggest problem with tyranny is how it degrades the human spirit. I've been listening to "A Lodging of Wayfaring Men," narrated by nostr:nprofile1qqst0mtgkp3du662ztj3l4fgts0purksu5fgek5n4vgmg9gt2hkn9lqpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsz9mhwden5te0wfjkccte9ehx7um5wghxyctwvshsz9mhwden5te0wfjkccte9ec8y6tdv9kzumn9wshs54zrlx (who does a superb job of it), and the most striking thing about the novel is just how *good* the people are. They're not unbelievably good - they're humans, and they have natural human desires, one of which is to do the right thing. I think that's entirely natural. But I know that if I was writing this novel, I wouldn't be able to create such good characters. What is it about me that prevents me from seeing the good in people? I think its the culture that produced me. We have an assumption that no one can be trusted. How has America, with its wonderful ideals, produced a culture of automatic distrust?
I think the answer is : tyranny usually appears patriotic.
☕
#gm #books #culture
Discussion
Yep. It also exploits divisions. The real genius of the modern state is how it can turn division into power. Previous versions of statecraft - monarchy and theocracy - couldn't maintain power over divided people. But now, with legitimacy derived from the will of the people, while those people are even more disempowered than ever in history, the more divisions, the better - from the oligarchs' perspective.