Latest news with #OnTyranny
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ali Velshi: How Americans can defend our democracy against Trump
This is an adapted excerpt from the May 24 episode of 'Velshi.' In the wake of Donald Trump's second term, more and more Americans are asking a critical question: 'What can I do to defend democracy in America?' That question marks a shift away from the comforting illusion that courts, politicians or institutions will save America's democracy on their own. They won't. Institutions have failed us repeatedly, as we have learned that what we thought were guardrails are merely suggestions, reliant on goodwill, decency and the honor system. Real political change in America doesn't come from the top; it never has. It comes from the bottom, from ordinary people resisting in big and small ways. That's the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. The political scientist Gene Sharp, nicknamed the 'dictator slayer,' wrote something of a playbook for resisting authoritarian regimes. He didn't invent these strategies, but he observed them. For decades, Sharp studied how ordinary people challenged brutal regimes around the world, and what he found was simple, yet powerful: All rulers — even the most oppressive — rely on the cooperation of the people. Through fear, apathy or consent, they maintain power. But when people refuse to cooperate, when they disobey, that's when authoritarian systems begin to crack. That's why historian Timothy Snyder begins his book titled 'On Tyranny' with this warning: 'Do not obey in advance.' Because it's in those first, often invisible, acts of surrender that authoritarianism takes root. As we face creeping authoritarianism here at home, Snyder's advice stands as a call to action for Americans confronting Trump. History shows that the courage to stand up to authority and hold power to account has helped sustain our democracy and other democracies around the world. The historian Drew Gilpin Faust, a former president of Harvard University, captured that spirit in a powerful essay for The New York Times about the Union soldiers of the Civil War. She wrote: I have read dozens of these men's letters and diaries, windows into why they fought, into what and whom they loved and what they hoped for at the end of a war they knew they might not survive. Together they did save the Union … These men made our lives possible. They were impelled to risk all by a sense of obligation to the future. We possess a reciprocal obligation to the past. We must not squander what they bequeathed to us. We owe it to them, and every generation that came after them: women who won the right to vote, students who walked into newly desegregated schools under armed guard, trade unionists who faced violence for fighting for the rights of workers, those who fought for voting rights, reproductive freedom and LGBTQ+ dignity. They didn't wait for permission. They disobeyed in advance. They withdrew their cooperation from injustice. Oftentimes, they blatantly and openly broke the law, as TV cameras rolled. Which brings us back to Sharp's basic premise, a very Gandhian premise. He believed that noncooperation, the deliberate refusal to obey or comply, is one of the most powerful ways to disrupt oppressive systems. Because when enough people stop participating in the machinery of control, that very system begins to break down. So, if you're wondering what you can do, here are some ideas that draw from proven strategies of resistance — adapted for today's world. In Missouri, a government-run tip line targeting the trans community was flooded with thousands of fake reports, including the entire movie script of 'The Bee Movie' submitted over and over again. The result? Total system collapse. Utah and Texas faced similar backlashes, with Utah shutting down its own surveillance hotline under the weight of memes and mass trolling. This, of course, is what undergirded the Civil Rights Movement in America, but here's a more recent example: In Idaho, a middle school teacher refused to remove a sign that read 'Everyone Is Welcome Here.' It didn't mention politics, race or gender, but was still deemed too controversial. After a monthslong battle, she resigned two weeks ago in protest. This can include using the opposition's own tools against them. In 2024, Oklahoma's Republican-controlled Legislature passed a law allowing parents to opt their children out of 'harmful' educational material. Now, a group of parents has turned that law on its head. In response to Superintendent of Public Education Ryan Walters' new curriculum, which includes conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and Christian nationalist ideology, a parent group called We're Oklahoma Education, or WOKE, is fighting back. They've created an opt-out form allowing families to withdraw their children from lessons on 'Judeo-Christian concepts of ethics and government' and 'discrepancies in 2020 election results.' Their approach is not only bold but legally savvy since the group is using the very law that conservatives passed, which was designed to shield students from so-called progressive content. The opt-out letter warns schools that failure to comply could result in legal action. This one, of course, is close to my heart. When Target pulled Pride merchandise and scaled back diversity, equity and inclusion commitments, thousands of Americans launched a boycott campaign on TikTok, Facebook and other platforms. The result? Target's quarterly profits dropped and the company admitted that backlash from both sides had harmed its bottom line. In Worcester, Massachusetts, viral footage of an aggressive U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid showed federal agents detaining a woman as her daughters clung to the car, one of them holding a baby. Bystanders, including a city councilor and a school board candidate, intervened. The video sparked immediate outrage and protests across the state. In response, Worcester officials released bodycam footage and then took action: The city issued an executive order barring city employees from cooperating with ICE or inquiring about immigration status. This is the final, and perhaps my favorite, form of disruption. Civil rights activist Bruce Hartford noted that humor and audacity go hand in hand: 'You can weaken, unbalance, and ultimately overthrow the king quicker by laughing at him than by futilely screaming fury at him.' Groups like the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and The Satanic Temple have used satire to expose religious favoritism in public institutions. The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, whose adherents refer to themselves as 'Pastafarians,' mocked efforts to teach intelligent design in public schools by proposing a noodle-based deity, highlighting the dangers of blurring church and state. The Satanic Temple, which is not to be confused with the Church of Satan and does not promote devil worship, took similar action, demanding equal representation when governments promoted religious symbols like Ten Commandments monuments or sanctioned prayer in public schools. Their logic forced officials to either accommodate all religions or retract their policies altogether. So if you're asking yourself what one person can do, these are ideas to hopefully get you thinking. And remember this final piece of advice from Snyder: 'Be as courageous as you can. If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die under tyranny.' This article was originally published on
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Get out sooner rather than later': Yale professors flee U.S. over fascism concerns
Yale professors Marci Shore, Timothy Snyder and Jason Stanley have made their careers studying authoritarianism across the globe. Now, they're sharing their concerns about the rise of fascism in the U.S, where they say the situation has become so dire that they have decided to leave the country and their posts at the prestigious university to teach in Canada, warning that America is facing a 'democratic emergency.' 'We're like people on the Titanic, saying 'Our ship can't sink. We've got the best ship. We've got the strongest ship,'' Shore said in a new video essay for The New York Times. 'And what you know as a historian is that there is no such thing as a ship that can't sink.' In the video, Shore also referred to Nazi Germany and said the 'lesson of 1933 is you get out sooner rather than later.' The high-profile professors' exits come as President Donald Trump continues his crackdown on higher education. In March, the Department of Education opened investigations into dozens of universities across the country over the schools' diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has also cut funding for several elite colleges over allegations of antisemitism following a wave of pro-Palestinian protests last year. Earlier this week, the administration announced it would cut another $450 million in grants to Harvard University. That's on top of $2.2 billion that was previously frozen. Since taking office, the president has used the power of the federal government to target political enemies and those who publicly disagree with his administration. Trump's attacks on universities are an extension of his campaign of retribution. Stanley cited concerns over possible persecution if he stayed, saying he was going to the University of Toronto "because I want to do my work without the fear that I will be punished for my words.' Stanley said that in times of fascism, it's 'essential to set up centers of resistance in places of relative safety.' Although he shares his colleagues' concerns, Snyder said he's not leaving the university explicitly because of Trump, citing personal reasons, including his marriage to Shore. In a piece for the Yale Daily News explaining his exit from the university, Snyder noted 'conversations about freedom and unfreedom' have become harder to have in the U.S. The author of 'On Tyranny' also offered a warning to Americans who believe fascism is only a problem abroad: 'Talking about American exceptionalism is basically a way to get people to fall into line.' 'If you think that there's this thing out there called 'America' and it's exceptional ... that you don't have to do anything, whatever is happening, it must be freedom,' Snyder said. 'And so then what your definition of freedom is gets narrowed ... and soon you're using the word 'freedom' but what you're talking about is authoritarianism.' This article was originally published on
New Statesman
23-04-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Melinda Gates Q&A: 'A man with a gun is not as powerful as a girl with a book'
Illustration by Kristian Hammerstad Melinda French Gates was born in 1964 in Dallas, Texas. She co-founded and co-chaired the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable organisation focused on improving healthcare and reducing poverty around the world. What's your earliest memory? Being a little girl, sick in bed in the middle of the night, and my mother staying up with me, rubbing my back, being so kind to me. What book last changed your thinking? Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny: yet another reminder that we cannot take democracy for granted. Who are your heroes? One of my heroes as a child was my friend Ellen's mother, Barbara Schneider. In a time and place that expected a lot of conformity, I was struck by Barbara's ability to be no one but herself. Now, topping my list of heroes is the incomparable Malala Yousafzai, who taught the world that a man with a gun is nowhere near as powerful as a girl with a book. What's currently bugging you? The US Supreme Court has decided that my daughters and granddaughters will have fewer rights than I had. 'Bugging' isn't a strong enough word for it. I'm enraged. It's been a powerful call to action. In which time and place, other than your own, would you like to live? I think I'll have to stick with right now. When you look at the long arc of history, there has never been a better time to be born a woman. There is so much left to do to reach true equality but at least I am alive in an era when women are finally gaining representation in the power systems that can change things. Which political figure do you look up to? Jimmy Carter, who I got to know through his work in global health. President Carter was particularly obsessed with eradicating Guinea-worm disease. He used to joke that he wanted to outlive the last Guinea worm, and he actually came remarkably close. That was him: charming, funny, generous, and deeply concerned about anyone he feared the world was leaving behind. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe What's the best piece of advice you've ever received? Easy. It came from my mother. She told me: 'Set your own agenda, or someone else will set it for you.' This was good advice for me as a young woman trying to figure out my direction in life, and it's been good advice for me as an adult deciding how I want to use my voice and resources on behalf of other women. I think about it all the time. What single thing would make your life better? Learning to fight against perfectionism earlier in my life. I got there eventually, but I wish I'd figured it out a little earlier. When were you happiest? In the delivery room. The moment they handed me my oldest daughter, Jenn – it just upended my world. It was like I was hit by a truck. I was so completely in love. And then to get to relive that moment twice over. In another life, what job might you have chosen? In early motherhood, I spent a lot of time pumping milk imagining inventing and patenting a better pump. My daughter assures me the technology has improved since then, but I wish I could have moved fast enough to design my generation some better options. In another life, Melinda French Gates: Breast-Pump Pioneer. Are we all doomed? Optimism isn't a passive expectation that things will get better on their own – it's a belief that we can make them better. So no, I don't think so at all. There are too many people working too hard to tear down barriers and keep progress moving forward. The best part of my job is having a front-row seat to that work. Melinda French Gates's 'The Next Day' is published by Bluebird [See also: The music of resistance] Related
New Indian Express
23-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Book publishers see surging interest in the US Constitution, print new editions
NEW YORK: When Random House Publisher Andrew Ward met recently with staff editors to discuss potential book projects, conversation inevitably turned to current events and the Trump administration. 'It seemed obvious that we needed to look back to the country's core documents,' Ward said. 'And that we wanted to get them out quickly.' On Wednesday, Random House announced that it would publish a hardcover book in July combining the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, followed in November by a hardcover edition of the Federalist Papers. Both books include introductions by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham, who has written biographies of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson among others. The Random House volumes, released through its Modern Library imprint, will join a prolific market that has surged in recent months. According to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print retail market, editions of the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers and the U.S. Constitution are selling at their fastest pace since Circana began compiling numbers in 2004. Around 162,000 combined copies have sold through mid-April, compared to 58,000 during the same time period the year before and around 33,000 in 2023. Sales were around 92,000 in the early months of Trump's first term, in 2017, more than double the pace of 2016. Brenna Connor, a book industry analyst for Circana, said the jump 'is likely in response to the recent change of administration' and cited increased interest in other books about democracy and government, among them Timothy Snyder's 'On Tyranny' and the Michael Lewis-edited 'Who Is Government?' a collection of essays about civil servants by Dave Eggers, Geraldine Brooks, Sarah Vowell and others. 'This pursual of political understanding is playing out in a few different areas,' Connor added. Meacham, during a recent phone interview with The Associated Press, said that the founders had sought to make sense of a revolutionary era — whether breaking with England or debating how to form a federal government with enough power to rule effectively, without giving it the kind of monarchical authority that enraged the colonies. Reading the Declaration and other texts, he believes, can give today's public a similar sense of mission and guiding principles. 'It is a tumultuous moment ... to put it kindly,' Meacham said. 'One way to address the chaos of the present time, what Saint Paul would call the 'tribulations' of the present time, is to re-engage with the essential texts that are about creating a system that is still worth defending." The Modern Library books will have many competitors. The 18th century documents all are in the public domain, can be read for free online and anyone can publish them. According to Circana, popular editions have been released by Skyhorse, Penguin, Barnes & Noble and others. 'We generally see increased sales of editions of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution every election cycle, but particularly this year," said Shannon DeVito, Barnes & Noble's senior director of book strategy. 'This could be because next year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence," she said, "or the fast and furious current political conversations and policy changes.'
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Americans are showing huge interest in US Constitution. Does credit go to President Donald Trump?
Around 162,000 combined copies have sold through mid-April, compared to 58,000 during the same time period the year before and around 33,000 in 2023. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs When Random House Publisher Andrew Ward met recently with staff editors to discuss potential book projects, conversation inevitably turned to current events and the Trump Wednesday, Random House announced that it would publish a hardcover book in July combining the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, followed in November by a hardcover edition of the Federalist Papers. Both books include introductions by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham, who has written biographies of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson among Random House volumes, released through its Modern Library imprint, will join a prolific market that has surged in recent months. According to Circana, which tracks around 85 per cent of the print retail market, editions of the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers and the U.S. Constitution are selling at their fastest pace since Circana began compiling numbers in 2004, AP 162,000 combined copies have sold through mid-April, compared to 58,000 during the same time period the year before and around 33,000 in 2023. Sales were around 92,000 in the early months of Trump's first term, in 2017, more than double the pace of Connor, a book industry analyst for Circana, said the jump 'is likely in response to the recent change of administration' and cited increased interest in other books about democracy and government, among them Timothy Snyder's 'On Tyranny' and the Michael Lewis-edited 'Who Is Government?' a collection of essays about civil servants by Dave Eggers, Geraldine Brooks, Sarah Vowell and Modern Library books will have many competitors. The 18th century documents all are in the public domain, can be read for free online and anyone can publish them. According to Circana, popular editions have been released by Skyhorse, Penguin, Barnes & Noble and others.A1. Around 162,000 combined copies have sold through mid-April, compared to 58,000 during the same time period the year before and around 33,000 in 2023. Sales were around 92,000 in the early months of Trump's first term, in 2017, more than double the pace of 2016.A2. President of USA is Donald Trump
