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A review by jay_sy
The Authoritarians by Bob Altemeyer
4.0
I found this to be an interesting but depressing read. Despite being a relatively short book, it took me a long time to finish. Bob Altemeyer’s writing style is fairly lighthearted, and the tone is conversational, but the subject matter is dark, and the joking tone doesn’t really alleviate the daunting feeling of how difficult it would be to overcome authoritarian attitudes.
The discussion on the importance of conformity among authoritarians was particularly interesting. Living in a very individualistic culture, it seems that people can forget that we are social animals, and he mentioned in the end of the book that this conformity is also a key that helps change authoritarians for the better, as long as the prevailing norms are those of acceptance and equality. But it was disheartening to read about how most authoritarians are self-blind and self righteous. Self improvement is hard enough. I can't imagine how much harder it would be if someone already thought they were a good person, with divine powers on their side. As Altemeyer mentions, guilt is an important driver in changing behaviour. Having a get-out-of-jail-free card that erases that guilt is a dangerous thing.
I also found it incredibly fascinating when he discussed how having more life experiences is a major factor in decreasing authoritarian attitudes. It aligns with other sources I've read discussing how desegregation among races has positive effects on education scores among the disadvantaged. It seems that broadening our horizons and stretching our comfort zones can have major benefits, especially when interactions with different people are positive. But I suppose it’s wishful thinking to hope that all experiences that stretch our comfort-zones are positive.
The section on social dominance was also fairly interesting. But while there is a sense that authoritarians can be swayed towards good causes, I got the impression that those that were high on the social dominance scale embody the idea of power corrupting.
Overall, it was a pretty interesting read. I can see how it would be divisive, and it would have been nice to see more elaboration on ways that we can overcome authoritarianism. Especially when modern trends suggest these attitudes are worsening. But perhaps, in this, Altemeyer is also right. Fear is a dangerous thing that ratchets up aggression. Even among non-authoritarians, it’d be nice to see a world less driven by it.
The discussion on the importance of conformity among authoritarians was particularly interesting. Living in a very individualistic culture, it seems that people can forget that we are social animals, and he mentioned in the end of the book that this conformity is also a key that helps change authoritarians for the better, as long as the prevailing norms are those of acceptance and equality. But it was disheartening to read about how most authoritarians are self-blind and self righteous. Self improvement is hard enough. I can't imagine how much harder it would be if someone already thought they were a good person, with divine powers on their side. As Altemeyer mentions, guilt is an important driver in changing behaviour. Having a get-out-of-jail-free card that erases that guilt is a dangerous thing.
I also found it incredibly fascinating when he discussed how having more life experiences is a major factor in decreasing authoritarian attitudes. It aligns with other sources I've read discussing how desegregation among races has positive effects on education scores among the disadvantaged. It seems that broadening our horizons and stretching our comfort zones can have major benefits, especially when interactions with different people are positive. But I suppose it’s wishful thinking to hope that all experiences that stretch our comfort-zones are positive.
The section on social dominance was also fairly interesting. But while there is a sense that authoritarians can be swayed towards good causes, I got the impression that those that were high on the social dominance scale embody the idea of power corrupting.
Overall, it was a pretty interesting read. I can see how it would be divisive, and it would have been nice to see more elaboration on ways that we can overcome authoritarianism. Especially when modern trends suggest these attitudes are worsening. But perhaps, in this, Altemeyer is also right. Fear is a dangerous thing that ratchets up aggression. Even among non-authoritarians, it’d be nice to see a world less driven by it.