Reply To: On Tyranny Lesson 4: Take responsibility for the face of the world
I agree with you Tara. Red hats and the MAGA slogan are the new symbols of the current administration’s ideology. The Roman salute is also known as the Fascist salute, with the Nazi version distinguished by a stiff right arm at a 45 degree angle, palm faced down and fingers touching. From the images I saw of EM and others at CPAC 2025, the Nazi version seems to be the variant now being used.
I believe the point of Havel’s essay was to be truthful and not play the game, where displaying the “Workers of the world, unite!” sign in the greengrocer’s store window signals obedience to the regime and passively allows him to exist without harassment. It’s interesting to me that the signals used have a seemingly empowering message that allows one to argue “What’s wrong with the workers of the world uniting?”, or “What’s wrong with making America great again? Don’t you want America to be great?”, but in reality, they’re used to signal that the people showing the symbols want to play the game of obedience, fear and power.
There may be more than one type of tyrannical political power. What we currently see in the US is in development with the administration using as much force as they can muster to frighten their population. Threatening Habitat For Humanity and other reputable charities with fraud and jail, disappearing citizens without cause, labeling protesters at Tesla dealerships as domestic terrorists – these are just some of the most recent outrageous attempts to terrify US citizens. We also see active protests and a strong resistance. We also know that many who are not resisting outwardly, inwardly hope for a strong resistance to end the tyranny and may join in with the resistance when they find the courage or the calling.
This contrasts the tyranny that Havel’s essay was referencing, where fellow citizens enforce the rules and are just as powerful as the ruling regime. In this form of tyranny, there is very little room for dissent. In this scenario, it’s difficult to know who one’s true friends are and all neighbours are potential enforcers for the regime. This is a much more terrifying form of tyrannical power. Havel argues that by being truthful, by not displaying the signal of obedience when one does not believe in what it represents, and by not conforming to society’s expectations, the game cannot exist. The essay was a call for his fellow citizens to stop playing the game.
What’s quite interesting to me about Havel’s essay is that it turned into a manifesto for dissents in multiple countries, not just his own. Again, we come back to phrases we’ve seen repeatedly: “Every action matters”, “There is no action too small”. One essay from Havel spurred resistance, inspiration and action from millions. Havel became a significant member of the resistance that eventually contributed to his nation being freed from tyranny.
When we look at our current situation, we know that good, decent US citizens, in addition to almost the entire population of Canada, far outnumber the current US administration and its supporters. If small, consistent actions are taken by millions of us at the same time, at this very moment in time, individuals cannot be suppressed. We cannot be stopped. The more resistance we see, the more courage we can have to stand up alongside our friends and neighbours. The resistance grows larger and together we are stronger.
