From the On Tyranny series by Timothy Snyder, lesson #10 of twenty. Check here for a lesson every Monday or you can find them on YouTube.  They are all short videos, no ads.

“To abandon facts is to abandon freedom.

If nothing is true then no one can criticize power because there is no basis upon which to do so.

If nothing is true then all is spectacle.

The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.

The problem of truth and spectacle was one of the arguments that Greek philosophers made about democracy – that this was what would always happen – wealth would be unequal. That people with lots of wealth would create spectacle. They would make voting meaningless.

..once nothing is true the political power becomes entertainment power. The ability to entertain then becomes political power. If nothing is true then whoever draws our attention is the one who has power and if nothing is true we don’t really have a way to resist because most of us don’t really have a way to create counter spectacles.”

– Timothy Snyder

From there he goes on to discuss the big lie, Russia, Hitler, why history matters, the origins and meaning of free speech, internet memes,  and more.  All in about 13 minutes. He ties it all together to make the case that in order for us to ward off tyranny,  we cannot give up on truth.

This week’s lesson will blow your mind. Please watch and share.