Do Not Obey in Advance: The Hidden Power of Anticipatory Obedience
There’s a quiet force shaping American politics today—not a law, not an executive order, but something subtler and, in many ways, more dangerous: obedience in advance. It’s the kind of compliance that happens before anyone in power even has to ask. And it’s the secret ingredient that lets authoritarianism thrive.
The Regime’s Playbook: Obedience as a Weapon
Let’s call it what it is: the Trump Regime, with a third of the country and a chunk of Congress in its corner, isn’t just after your vote. They want your compliance, your silence, your willingness to fall in line before they even issue the command. This isn’t just about politics—it’s about domination. The real trick isn’t getting you to obey; it’s getting you to anticipate what they want and do it for them.
As Timothy Snyder warns in the first lesson of On Tyranny: “Do not obey in advance.” Most of the power these regimes wield is the power we hand over—voluntarily, even eagerly. We’re not just following orders; we’re preempting them, surrendering our agency before the battle even begins.
Carlin’s Law: Question Everything
George Carlin, never one to mince words, put it bluntly: “Question everything. Especially authority.” The owners of the country, as he called them, don’t just want your labor or your taxes—they want your mind. They want you to internalize their logic, to silence yourself, to become your own warden.
Every time we obey in advance, we’re doing their job for them. We’re making it easier for those in power to consolidate control, to rewrite the rules, to claim that “everyone agrees” when, in reality, most people are simply too intimidated—or too conditioned—to speak up.
Why Does This Matter Now?
Because a third of the country is still just a third. The other two-thirds? That’s where democracy lives or dies. If we all stop playing Simon Says, the game changes overnight. Authoritarianism isn’t inevitable; it’s a choice, made one small surrender at a time.
What Does Anticipatory Obedience Look Like?
Staying silent when you know something’s wrong.
Self-censoring before you post, speak, or act.
Accepting “that’s just how it is” instead of asking why.
Letting fear of backlash dictate your beliefs.
The Antidote: Resistance Begins with “No”
Obedience is a choice. Tyranny thrives on silence, but resistance begins with a single “no.” It doesn’t take a revolution—just a refusal to go along quietly. Stand up, speak out, and, as Carlin would say, don’t let the “owners” rent space in your head for free.
Call to Action
Question everything. Especially the demands that come cloaked in patriotism or “common sense.”
Speak up. Your voice is your first line of defense.
Refuse to do their work for them. Don’t obey in advance.
If we all stop obeying before we’re even told, the only thing left for would-be tyrants will be the echo of their own demands—and the sound of a democracy waking up.
Obedience is a choice—make yours count.