Reflections on Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny” Lesson 16
This series is exploring Timothy Snyder’s 2017 book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century from the viewpoint of the Way of Jesus. You can catch up on the series from this page.
What happens now?
When I visited Budapest about ten years ago, I was struck by how openly the sins of the past were on display.
The Shoes on the Danube Bank, on the Pest side of the Danube in Budapest, Hungary are a reminder to all of the horrors wrought by Nazi aligned Hungarians who marched thousands of people, mostly Jews, to the river. They were ordered to remove their shoes, then executed.
Shoes were valuable. People were not.
The shoes reveal the truth.
Lesson 16 is “Learn from Peers in Other Countries.” Although our battle against authoritarianism is not over, as we seek a path forward, we must not make the same mistake that brought us to this point. We need to stop covering up the sins of our past.
In the years that followed World War II, many European nations were forced to address their complicity with the abuses afflicted by the Nazis. There was truthtelling and accountability, which led to systemic reforms so that the promises of “never again” were not made in vain.
In 1995, South Africa established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the human rights violations committed between 1960 and 1994. As part of this Commission, Bishop Desmond Tutu developed a process for reconciliation and restorative justice. Canada adopted a similar program in its approach to healing the harm done to Indigenous people.
Restorative justice begins when the harmed are given voice and the perpetrators respond by confessing their sins. Systems are reformed and promises of “never again” are made.
This is systemic repentance.
Many of us were taught a transactional version of repentance, one that asks that we offer up a generic prayer acknowledging our sinful state and promises to be a better person. It is salvation - forgiveness and absolution - without confession, transformation and reconciliation. That version did not develop by accident, it grew up to protect slavery and it exists today in spaces where abuse is covered up and victims are shamed into “forgiving and forgetting.”
True Repentance looks more like Zacchaeus, who confessed his specific sins - the harms he caused - made restitution, and modified his behavior so that he would not harm others in the future.
When I reflect back on the rhetoric of the last ten years, the root of our polarization is unrepentance.
The woke agenda was one of calling on systems and individuals to repent - to confess sins, make reforms, and promise “never again” - and what rose in opposition was a coalition of those who were incapable of repentance and refused to be held accountable.
Donald Trump is the incarnation of their cause.
Over the past ten years, the coalition of the unrepentant have consistently Denied the harm, Attacked the victims, and Reversed the Victim and Offender (they became the victims). This is called DARVO. It is how the wicked divide communities and create polarization as the bystanders believe the lies told by the perpetrators and ignore the cries of the wounded.
I think what is missed in all post-election analysis is that people woke up to the harm. They didn’t all wake up to the same harm, but they have seen it and felt it. They saw through the lies and know who the Victims and Offenders are and they just want it to stop.
Most of us are not in positions to bring about the reconciliation that needs to happen, so what can we do?
We have to take our citizenship seriously. We cannot wait for politicians to fix things and hope for trickle down justice. The brokenness is all around us. We can advocate in our local communities, our families, churches, schools, and businesses.
Learn to recognize DARVO when you see it. Those who use this technique are skilled manipulators. They often lack empathy so they can lie without any tells. Listen to your gut and pursue the truth.
Listen to the victims and amplify the truth. So many people have been harmed by this administration, and by the coalition of the unrepentant, that it can be overwhelming. Choose a cause or a person that you can advocate for and get involved. Give money, read and share their stories, and show up when you’re needed.
When I looked for a t-shirt to wear to protests and rallies, I chose one with a quote from Bishop Tutu, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
Be the bronze shoes that reveal truth.
If you liked this piece, be sure to follow me on Substack to get content delivered to your inbox.