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The temperature is rising, and not just in the headlines. We’re feeling the squeeze of creeping authoritarian habits—self-censorship, apathy, and the slow erosion of institutions we once took for granted—so we decided to do something about it. Using Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny” as our guide, we break down the clearest warning signs and turn them into practical, human-scale actions that anyone can take today.

We start with anticipatory obedience and why “checking out” quietly teaches power what it can get away with. From there, we get concrete about defending institutions: courts, universities, local newspapers, unions. When politics and funding pressures force mission drift, talent leaves and public trust thins. We also talk about the fight over civic symbols, like the American flag, and how reclaiming shared meaning beats surrendering the public square to spectacle. Along the way we confront the danger of paramilitary blurring—when unofficial armed groups, law enforcement, and loyalty to a leader begin to overlap—and why that threatens lawful dissent.

Truth sits at the center of it all. We make the case for slow information: long-form reading, verified sources, and supporting investigative journalism that keeps facts anchored. Then we pivot to the smallest big moves—eye contact with a stranger, a kind question in the produce aisle, simple conversations that remind us we’re neighbors before we’re rivals. A recent moment of raw solidarity, strangers lifting a crashed helicopter to save a life, becomes our proof that community is still our default setting. We close with direct steps: call your representatives to oppose militarization of cities, support local reporting, teach kids to vet claims, and be the second mover who normalizes courage.

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