Teaching the Ten Steps for Dismantling Democracy

20:00 " So we are at this kind of incredibly, fragile moment, because democracies don’t close down like that (gesturing a gradual slope), in a steady progressive line. They close down in what Malcolm Gladwell would call a series of tipping points. And so it reaches a point when democracy can no longer heal democracy. But that point comes really fast, when it comes.

So the first time that the state made it legal to torture people, that was one of those vertical lines. And, you know, the first time this kid, was tasered in Florida, I think that was one of those vertical lines, I was not surprised, to find, that he was tasered at the university of Florida, I know it is not appropriate for kids (talking to someone off camera) I’m sorry, it’s not, I don’t let my daughter listen, um I don’t, it’s like she has to watch America’s Next Top Model in off the record. The daughter of the Beauty Myth does watch America’s Next Top Model, the Beauty Myth author, um. But you know when this kid was tasered I wasn’t surprised to learn, because I was reading Goebbels. That it took place in the University of Florida, which is answerable to the board of regions, which is answerable to state legislature, which has close ties to Jed Bush (John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush, and is the younger brother of former President George W. Bush).  Because Goebbels pioneered this practice of using state legislatures to put pressure on state Universities to jeopardise and put pressure on academics and students.

But that was one of his vertical lines, and for me, you know everyone in a closing society has their own, boundary, at which point they start to shut up. So I’m still talking to you, in public, in this public place and you’re still here, I applaud you. For me personally, the day I open the NY Times and read that someone I identify with, an editor, a journalist, has been named an enemy combatant, and is in solitary confinement, that’s the day I won’t be talking to you any more. Because at that point I will be too scared. So that’s how society closes down and when these tipping points start to come thick and fast it happens really quickly. So that is why we should worry about a secret prison system where torture takes place.