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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Such a powerful book. Maria is so no nonsense and courageous in the face of tyranny. I find myself inspired and humbled. And feeling like I really gotta DO SOMETHING...
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
BOOK 26
HOW TO STAND UP TO A DICTATOR [maria ressa]
———•
maria ressa, nobel peace prize winner and a staunch defender of press freedom, does not just tell her own story in this book, she lays bare the blueprint of modern authoritarianism. reading her work in the context of duterte's icc arrest, while many filipinos still fiercely defend him, highlights the lasting damage of disinformation. it is chilling to witness how a leader can be legally held accountable, yet his followers remain unwavering, convinced that justice is persecution and that truth itself is a conspiracy.
one of her most striking insights is how social media, once seen as a tool for democratization, was weaponized to erode democracy instead. duterte's administration mastered this strategy, systematically discrediting mainstream journalism while amplifying propaganda through facebook, youtube, and troll farms. the result? a disturbing inversion of reality where the very institutions dedicated to investigative reporting are now seen as the manipulators, while anonymous online pages and vloggers are the supposed truth-tellers.this is not mere skepticism toward media; it is an orchestrated dismantling of public trust in verified information.
duterte's arrest by the icc should have been a moment of collective reckoning. instead, we see filipinos rejecting the charges against him, dismissing the icc as foreign interference rather than an impartial court of justice. this is the ripple effect of long-term propaganda: when people have been conditioned to distrust institutions, facts cease to matter. even with concrete evidence, even with international legal scrutiny, many will refuse to believe that wrongdoing occurred because their perception of truth has been permanently altered.
this book serves as both a warning and a call to action. she reminds us that resisting disinformation is not just about countering lies, it is about restoring faith in truth itself. it is not an easy fight. how do you convince people that they have been misled when their entire worldview is built on that deception? how do you undo years of psychological conditioning when lies have been repeated so often that they have become reality?
reading this powerful woman today feels urgent, almost prophetic. the struggle against authoritarianism does not end with a leader's downfall; its grip lingers in the minds of those who were shaped by its rhetoric. and that is precisely why the fight for truth must persist, not just in journalism, but in every conversation, every classroom, and every space where democracy is at stake. because if we surrender, the dictators don't just win; they rewrite history, and in doing so, they dictate the future.
HOW TO STAND UP TO A DICTATOR [maria ressa]
———•
maria ressa, nobel peace prize winner and a staunch defender of press freedom, does not just tell her own story in this book, she lays bare the blueprint of modern authoritarianism. reading her work in the context of duterte's icc arrest, while many filipinos still fiercely defend him, highlights the lasting damage of disinformation. it is chilling to witness how a leader can be legally held accountable, yet his followers remain unwavering, convinced that justice is persecution and that truth itself is a conspiracy.
one of her most striking insights is how social media, once seen as a tool for democratization, was weaponized to erode democracy instead. duterte's administration mastered this strategy, systematically discrediting mainstream journalism while amplifying propaganda through facebook, youtube, and troll farms. the result? a disturbing inversion of reality where the very institutions dedicated to investigative reporting are now seen as the manipulators, while anonymous online pages and vloggers are the supposed truth-tellers.this is not mere skepticism toward media; it is an orchestrated dismantling of public trust in verified information.
duterte's arrest by the icc should have been a moment of collective reckoning. instead, we see filipinos rejecting the charges against him, dismissing the icc as foreign interference rather than an impartial court of justice. this is the ripple effect of long-term propaganda: when people have been conditioned to distrust institutions, facts cease to matter. even with concrete evidence, even with international legal scrutiny, many will refuse to believe that wrongdoing occurred because their perception of truth has been permanently altered.
this book serves as both a warning and a call to action. she reminds us that resisting disinformation is not just about countering lies, it is about restoring faith in truth itself. it is not an easy fight. how do you convince people that they have been misled when their entire worldview is built on that deception? how do you undo years of psychological conditioning when lies have been repeated so often that they have become reality?
reading this powerful woman today feels urgent, almost prophetic. the struggle against authoritarianism does not end with a leader's downfall; its grip lingers in the minds of those who were shaped by its rhetoric. and that is precisely why the fight for truth must persist, not just in journalism, but in every conversation, every classroom, and every space where democracy is at stake. because if we surrender, the dictators don't just win; they rewrite history, and in doing so, they dictate the future.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I didn't realize this was a memoir when I went into reading it, the hype online indicated that it was more of a guide for these times we live in. Despite that, Maria is incredible and her story was very interesting.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
inspiring
fast-paced
"For as long as there are good people, there is hope...Those in power, they won't be in power forever. And whatever wrong they do, it will come back to them." -Coleen Pepino, as quoted by Maria Ressa in How to Stand Up for a Dictator