“We Counter the Authoritarian Playbook”
We Fight Off the Authoritarians Trying to Step on Our Throats
What's Here
#1 The Call to Action
- We Act Now
- We are in the Game or Out of the Game
- We Act from Our Larger Selves – We Play Large Even if We Feel Small
- We Build on Our Strengths
#2 Acting to Counter the Authoritarian Playbook
- We Don’t Let Them Prey on Our Fears and Doubts
- We Don’t Let Them Diminish Us
- It’s a Naked Powerplay
- We Can Counter the Ten Strategies
#3 Countering the 10 Strategies
#4 Notes on Actions
- The Four Keys to Acting
Catch Your Thoughts at Any Time
#1 The Call to Action
To protect the American experiment in democracy we must act from a sense that we can make a difference. Even if we don’t know exactly how or what difference we can make when we start – we just need to step up and start. We can stand upon and model the foundation blocks of American Greatness that we have inherited in order to draw upon our best – and we can find new “bests” in the process.
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
We Act Now - We do Not Wait
The American experiment in democracy is threatened and it needs us – now. The big tough intimidating issues we face in our world require action – now. That means we need to act now.
We can start small and increase our activity as we “learn the way” and get more comfortable acting. We can start even though we feel anxious and not ready and we can build our confidence and capability as we go. But, we need to act now. The moment calls for us and we’re allowed to answer it imperfectly.
We are Either “in the Game” or “Out of the Game”
Failing to act now is simply a way of passively supporting the authoritarians who want to rule us as subjects. We either step up, or we get stepped on. There is no middle ground. We can be active or passive subjects. But we can only be active citizens.
“Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.”
As “Citizens” We Act from our “Larger Selves”
At this point in time we are challenged to be confident responsible “citizens” that act to make a difference – not weak insecure “subjects” that retreat into dependence.
Even if we feel small, we must “play large.” Being citizens vs. subjects requires acting from our larger selves because of the scope and scale of the challenges we face. Those challenges give us a chance to act be at our best – acting from a base of courage, commitment, responsibility, perseverance, and resilience – developed over a lifetime. Those qualities are there to a surprising degree if we call for them.
"America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand."
We Act Now - Building on Our Strengths
One of the most important factors in getting to sustained meaningful action is simply believing we’re capable of it. And we are competent to act. We have developed surprising strengths over the course of our lifetimes, and we can use those strength – now – and develop new strengths as we go.
We have a great deal to learn, but it’s also true that we bring a lot of strengths to the game – strengths that we have developed over time in our personal and professional lives. The best way to develop the new strengths required is to build on our current strengths – while we take meaningful action.
Some of that strength building needs to be done to prepare for effective action, but most of the development needs to happen while we are acting – while we are “in the game.” A major trap that we must avoid is getting stuck on the sidelines preparing to act. We have significant strengths. We can begin and “learn the way” as we go.
#2 Acting to Counter the Authoritarian Playbook
To protect the American experiment in democracy we must act from a sense that we can make a difference. Even if we don’t know exactly how or what difference we can make when we start – we just need to step up and start. We can stand upon and model the foundation blocks of American Greatness that we have inherited in order to draw upon our best – and we can find new “bests” in the process.
“I realize that the authoritarian playbook is in operation now and I commit to confronting and countering it. I refuse to feel small and weak and needing to have an authoritarian figure take care of me. I refuse to fall prey to the empty promises and will act with intent and perseverance – now.”
The American experiment has worked for 250 years, but it is now in danger of being destroyed from within – and in a relatively short period of time. We are called to draw upon and model true American Greatness to counter the authoritarian forces that pose this threat – as well as improve our democratic processes and institutions so that they can better meet the needs of all Americans.
We Don’t Let Them Prey on Our Fears and Doubts
The powerful authoritarian forces that prey on our fears and doubts are counting on something very specific – that our fears and doubts will keep us paralyzed and retreating while they attack and undermine our democratic values, processes and institutions. They are trying to lure us into being dependent subjects vs. active citizens.
We Don’t Let Them Diminish Us and Make Us Feel Small and Weak
These authoritarian forces are relying on their ability to make Americans feel small, weak, threatened, and unable to care for ourselves or each other – being diminished, giving up, and becoming dependent “subjects”, needing to be “rescued.” They do not want us acting from our “larger selves” as citizens. They want us acting from our weak “smaller selves” as subjects.
This is a Naked Powerplay to Destroy Our Democracy and Make Us Cower and Bow Down as “Subjects”
There is nothing subtle about it. It has been thrown right in our face. (moved) This powerplay has been seen before around the world by authoritarian forces on both the left and the right. The American experiment in democracy is surprisingly vulnerable to this classic playbook of authoritarian despots – and it is powerfully in play now.
“The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.”
#3 We Can Counter the Ten Strategies in the Authoritarian Playbook
One of the most powerful things we can do to counter the Authoritarian Playbook is to look directly at – and name – the ten strategies that are core to undermining America as well as identifying – and acting on – some of the actions we can take to counter each authoritarian strategy.
The first two strategies in the authoritarian playbook are designed to lure us away from our larger selves by diminishing us and playing on our fears and anxieties. The next eight strategies target our democratic processes and institutions – the foundation at the heart of a healthy democracy.
These authoritarian strategies are all in play all of the time. Taken together they can destroy a democracy, but they can be countered and that is our fundamental challenge – acting from our larger selves to be courageous citizens vs. diminished cowardly subjects. The Authoritarians don’t win if we don’t let them. They win if we stay on the sideline. We win if we act – now.
Notes on the Actions
Note on the Actions.
There are some common citizen actions that apply to many of the authoritarian strategies, like peaceful protest, calling out the authoritarian actions, and supporting the leaders and organizations who are fighting the authoritarian actions. Then there are some actions that are more specific to a particular authoritarian strategy.
Some actions will be individual, some in groups, and some through organizations. Many will seem new or “not like me” and require leaving one’s comfort zone and “finding the way.”
For All the Actions. We understand that we will either be citizens or subjects. We understand that the American democracy is at a crossroads and our action matter. We stand with confidence on the two foundation blocks we have inherited (our founding and our 250-year “no quit” trajectory. We act now based on strengths we have developed over our personal and professional lives. We act from our “larger selves.” We don’t let them make us feel small.
“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you are not.”
Authoritarian Strategy #1
Authoritarians reinforce our smaller selves, our fears and insecurities, our “victimhood” – and they split us
Authoritarian figures and movements undermine true American Greatness and our democracy by splitting people and directing them to identify with and act from their “smaller selves” – their fears, anxieties, lack of influence, lack of confidence. They create or exaggerate threats, scapegoat minorities or marginalized groups, and promise order and security in exchange for freedom. They prey on people when they feel small and weak – reinforcing the belief that they cannot manage their lives effectively and “need to be taken care of” by the authoritarians (the “rescuers”).
We Can Counter This Strategy
- We choose to act from our larger selves and model American Greatness to take on the big tough issues we face – as citizens, not subjects – courage, commitment, perseverance, resilience, togetherness and solidarity.
- We focus on the strength of our two foundation blocks – our extraordinary founding and our 250-year trajectory of perseverance
- We directly counter polarization, anxiety, fear, the demonization of “others” – the things that authoritarians distort and magnify to split and diminish us
Authoritarian Strategy #2
Authoritarians position us as weak “victims” and themselves as “saviors”
They see people as subjects and position themselves as the natural rulers, diminishing people to drain their power, dramatically overstating or outright fabricating their own competence and strength. Anyone that resists gets labeled as a traitor, an enemy, or simply evil and unworthy.
Authoritarian figures and movements rely on the fact that it is easy for people to “give up” on democracy and the challenges of being citizens – and become dependent upon and identify with the authoritarian figures.
The endgame is dependency. They portray themselves as saviors who will rescue the “victims.” The “victims” then become dependent subjects, not independent citizens. They become actual victims (deleted words), and the “saviors” simply enrich themselves.
We Can Counter This Strategy
- We act to highlight and model our history of perseverance and “no quit” in the face of daunting challenges – along with our history of progress
- We challenge any sense of “victimhood” and focus on acting as citizens with influence vs being impotent subjects that need authoritarian saviors (this one is just split out from #1)
- We call out what the authoritarian is doing and the need for a “savior”
- We directly challenge their diminishing of people and reinforce the capability and power that people have
- We simply challenge the self-aggrandizement and “puffery” of the authoritarian
- We challenge the silencing of dissent and legitimize the role of dissent (the last phrase is simply deleted here)
Authoritarian Strategy #3
Authoritarians undermine truth and independent media to paralyze dissent and accountability and split people
Authoritarians spread misinformation and lies in order to confuse and freeze people, control the public narrative, attack journalists, and establish state control over the media. This is compounded by foreign disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks on American organizations. The intent is to control what people see, hear, and believe.
We Can Counter This Strategy
- We support independent responsible media financially and politically
- We educate ourselves
- We challenge the misinformation and lies with “the truth” – sometimes being hard and direct and sometimes being persistent and more gently to shift the narrative and avoid getting sucked into never-ending finger pointing
Authoritarian Strategy #4
Authoritarians destroy or co-opt democratic institutions and processes
They weaken checks and balances allowing executive overreach, undermine and gridlock legislatures and the courts, neutralize watchdog institutions, gerrymander election districts, suppress the vote, undermine the legitimacy of elections, and sabotage the election processes.
“The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the government.”
We Can Counter This Strategy
- We counter voter suppression in its many forms
- We actively protest attacks on democratic institutions and processes
- We participate in the political processes that shape our lives – locally and nationally
Authoritarian Strategy #5
Authoritarians crush or co-opt opposition
They outlaw or suppress opposition parties and groups, use rewards and threats to neutralize or recruit key individuals, businesses, and organizations, and co-opt legal institutions and processes to cripple or destroy anyone standing in their way.
We Can Counter This Strategy
- We join and support threatened groups and organizations – or organizations that take this issue on
- We call out what is being done and peacefully protest to prevent it from being done unopposed or in the shadows
Authoritarian Strategy #6
Authoritarians control economic access and patronage
They punish or subsidize companies or industries based on loyalty, and create economic dependence of people through access to jobs, capital, and opportunities – and they use corruption as a way to control and reward “insiders” who play along
“Among a people generally corrupt, liberty cannot long exist.”
We Can Counter This Strategy
- We counter voter suppression in its many forms
- We actively protest attacks on democratic institutions and processes
- We support companies that refuse to be co-opted and we don’t patronize those that do cave in and undermine our democracy
Authoritarian Strategy #7
Authoritarians normalize violence and co-opt the police and the military
They use the police and military to intimidate or suppress opposing voices, establish “secret police” systems of surveillance to monitor and control citizens, and normalize violence to keep people from speaking or acting.
We Can Counter This Strategy
- We can call it out and peacefully protest
- We support the individuals, groups, and organizations that have the courage to stand against it
Authoritarian Strategy #8
Authoritarians undermine civil liberties to control “subjects”
They limit the foundations of democratic life – they strangle the freedom of speech and then the right to assemble, they suppress the vote, limit religious freedom, censure the media, and criminalize dissent. They limit, suppress and criminalize.
We Can Counter This Strategy
- We call it out wherever we see it and stand peacefully, but visibly in opposition
- We support the individuals, groups, and organizations on the front lines of defending these core freedoms
Authoritarian Strategy #9
Authoritarians play “bait and switch”
They play people for suckers. They promise to “save” people when in reality their goal is to “disempower, diminish, and control” people. That has been the obvious pattern over and over again for centuries, yet people still fall for it. When people feel small, they want someone to take care of them, and they get played as suckers. It’s understandable, but it’s a trap. Always
We Can Counter This Strategy
- We stand up for ourselves and call them out on their attempts to treat us as “suckers.” We can literally contrast the empty promises they make with the blatant behaviors that demonstrate their belief that they are better than we are
- We identify the vulnerabilities they are exploiting and connect with others to deal with those vulnerabilities – taking responsibility for ourselves and acting from our “larger selves.”
Authoritarian Strategy #10
Authoritarians treat us like the frogs in the boiling water
These authoritarian strategies rarely arrive all at once in a dramatic moment we can easily see and resist. The tend to escalate gradually, each step small enough to tolerate, until the cumulative impact is devastating and the moment to act has passed.
It’s like the old story about the frog boiling to death in boiling water. If the water heats up slowly the frog doesn’t notice and try to escape until it’s too late.
We Can Counter This Strategy
- We act now – while the water is warming up, recognizing what’s going on, standing up for ourselves, and saying ”no.”
- We acknowledge that the authoritarian playbook is in play, name the strategies, and act to stop them while we still can – before it’s too late.
Part Three Another Way to Look at Our Possible Actions
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- We Can Make Connections. We have connections to others – individuals, family, groups, organizations and networks. Those connections may be face-to-face, digital, etc. They may be connections to funding, political influence both individuals or groups. They may be connections to journalists, individuals or groups with information or data, or specific groups in a community, such as police or faith communities. Whether they are powerful or not so powerful, they are still connections and can still be used.
- We Can Donate Money. Money matters because it makes things happen. We can’t fund everything, but we can choose where we want our money to go. We can do some research to ensure that our money will be likely to result in desired outcomes and follow up to ensure performance. WE can donate individually or recruit others to donate with us.
- We Can Volunteer. We have professional and personal capabilities. Volunteering where our capabilities match need can be a major contribution. There is an extraordinary range of capabilities that can make a difference – from fundraising and senior administrative or clerical support, to providing childcare, transportation, publicity, and getting out the vote. There is a broad range of need and a broad range of capabilities. Finding the fit is the key and that may take some effort.
- We Can Be a Role Model. Our actions speak and people are watching and listening. Consciously modeling the qualities of an effective citizen can be surprisingly powerful. Our actions say, “this is what I value and what I believe in and what I will champion.” It also says, “we are significant as citizens, and I invite you to join me.” By role modeling we are also demonstrating to others that the behavior we choose to model is possible for others
- We Can Encourage Others to Act. We can encourage others to understand and model the qualities of our founders – the qualities underlying American Greatness – promoting courage over fear, hope over anger, solidarity over polarization, and perseverance and resilience in the face of daunting challenges.
- We Can Set Policy. This obviously applies to people in roles that can set policy, but policy can be set in many settings – from a home and neighborhood to organizations, companies, and communities. Policy can be set with others. And we can influence policy even if we don’t have full authority to set it.
- We Can Be Part of the Advocacy Process. This is surprisingly important. Advocacy is often key in making the desired systemic changes, yet most of us don’t see ourselves as “advocates.” We can all be advocates in small settings and we can be part of the advocacy process in big complex settings.
An effective advocacy process requires a surprising number of people with complementary skills and experience. We don’t need to be a high profile “advocate” in those settings. We can make a difference by playing a role(s) that fits our capabilities and experience and the needs of the advocacy process.
- We Can Protest Peacefully (be present). The authoritarian forces are executing the authoritarian playbook to undermine our democratic processes and institutions – as well as sabotage efforts to take on the big tough issues we face in our world.
One of the most effective ways to counter those efforts is to literally call them out and protest. That can happen in meetings, in print, digitally, and in the street. Many/most of us are not comfortable protesting, so this is an area that usually requires a committed effort to get outside our comfort zones (and expand them).