On Tyranny

This is one of those special books I come across so very rarely; the type of book that's deceiving short but incredibly rich, succinct, and asks for a second reading in the not too distant future. Snyder fuses history (mostly 19th and 20th century), and current world/cultural affairs into an insightful 128 pages, and presents the reader with 20 ‘lessons' that history can teach us about tyranny; everything from not blindly obeying powers at will in advanced, to ‘being kind to our language' (avoid shallow reading, educate yourself, read books), to listening out for dangerous words, and being on guard for one-party states.

I especially loved his thoughts and critique on common sensationalist media (none of which can be claimed as ‘new' arguments - but I like hearing different thoughts on such matters) and his call to go deeper by making up your own mind, putting the internet off to the side, picking up books and long form, well trusted editorials and journalism pieces, and contributing to the discussion in your own language:

“Politicians in our times feed their clichés to television, where even those who wish to disagree repeat them. Television purports to challenge political language by conveying images, but the succession from one frame to another can hinder a sense of resolution. Everything happens fast, but nothing actually happens. Each story on televised news is ”breaking” until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon wave but never see the ocean.”

“If young people do not begin to make history, politicians of eternity and inevitability will destroy it. And to make history, they need to know some. This is not the end, but a beginning.”