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A review by newstal
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa
4.0
María Ressa has given us a gift. Taking all she’s learned from fighting the rise of autocracy in the Philippines and synthesizing it into this how-to/primer/memoir. She focuses a lot on the data behind how social media algorithms are dismantling our shared reality which is destroying democracy all over the world.
She has tried to reason with Mark Zuckerberg directly, obviously to no avail. She’s laid out a clear step-by-step plan for democratic nations, the UN, & Europe to force tech companies to stop destroying humanity for profit (ending the surveillance economy).
She also focuses on what values we need to nurture in order to counteract the forces of misinformation & dictatorship. She has some clear instructions, but for the concrete steps, I am turning to On Tyranny next. Here, Maria gives us more of a zoomed-out, philosophical & systems-focused view of what’s happening and what’s needed. Crucial information.
What I’m realizing in my research is that democracy is messy, ongoing work for ALL of us. I (and many other millennials) have taken for granted that our system is safe and self-sustaining. It is not. We make it every day. When we neglect informing ourselves properly or participating actively, we allow it to decay.
Some important quotes (there are too many to list all here):
• “Democracy is fragile. You have to fight for every bit, every law, every safeguard, every institution, every story. You must know how dangerous it is to suffer even the tiniest cut. This is why I say to us all: we must hold the line.”
• “Silence is complicity because silence is consent. “What we’re seeing is death by a thousand cuts of our democracy,” I continued. “And I appeal to you to join me. . . . I’ve always said that when I look back a decade from now, I want to make sure—” My voice broke then, so I repeated the sentence. “I want to make sure that I have done all I can. We will not duck. We will not hide. We will hold the line.”
• “So how do you stand up to a dictator? By embracing values, defined early—they’re the subtitles of the chapters you’ve read: honesty, vulnerability, empathy, moving away from emotions, embracing your fear, believing in the good. You can’t do it alone. You have to create a team, strengthen your area of influence. Then connect the bright spots and weave a mesh together. Avoid thinking in terms of 'us against them.' Stand in someone else’s shoes. And do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
If you’re heading into the next few years ready to fight for a better future, this needs to be on your reading list.
She has tried to reason with Mark Zuckerberg directly, obviously to no avail. She’s laid out a clear step-by-step plan for democratic nations, the UN, & Europe to force tech companies to stop destroying humanity for profit (ending the surveillance economy).
She also focuses on what values we need to nurture in order to counteract the forces of misinformation & dictatorship. She has some clear instructions, but for the concrete steps, I am turning to On Tyranny next. Here, Maria gives us more of a zoomed-out, philosophical & systems-focused view of what’s happening and what’s needed. Crucial information.
What I’m realizing in my research is that democracy is messy, ongoing work for ALL of us. I (and many other millennials) have taken for granted that our system is safe and self-sustaining. It is not. We make it every day. When we neglect informing ourselves properly or participating actively, we allow it to decay.
Some important quotes (there are too many to list all here):
• “Democracy is fragile. You have to fight for every bit, every law, every safeguard, every institution, every story. You must know how dangerous it is to suffer even the tiniest cut. This is why I say to us all: we must hold the line.”
• “Silence is complicity because silence is consent. “What we’re seeing is death by a thousand cuts of our democracy,” I continued. “And I appeal to you to join me. . . . I’ve always said that when I look back a decade from now, I want to make sure—” My voice broke then, so I repeated the sentence. “I want to make sure that I have done all I can. We will not duck. We will not hide. We will hold the line.”
• “So how do you stand up to a dictator? By embracing values, defined early—they’re the subtitles of the chapters you’ve read: honesty, vulnerability, empathy, moving away from emotions, embracing your fear, believing in the good. You can’t do it alone. You have to create a team, strengthen your area of influence. Then connect the bright spots and weave a mesh together. Avoid thinking in terms of 'us against them.' Stand in someone else’s shoes. And do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
If you’re heading into the next few years ready to fight for a better future, this needs to be on your reading list.