This gets to the heart of something we don’t talk about enough: how authoritarianism grows not as some sudden rupture, but through a slow drip of tolerated abuses and shrugged-off norms. I appreciate how you frame the authoritarian personality not as some fixed trait, but as a cultivated type that is shaped by institutions, routines, and adult modeling, especially in roles that wield unaccountable power.
What struck me most is your point that Adorno’s work, even with all the critiques about its methodological fuzziness, still names a dynamic we continue to see today. The psychology may be contested, but the mechanism as well as that steady erosion of democratic habits is all too real. Authoritarianism doesn't descend out of nowhere; we rehearse it in miniature, often without noticing. That’s why your call for vigilance isn’t abstract or academic but rather a reminder that speaking out isn’t just principled; it’s necessary.
Thank you, Sean. We do have to speak out if at least to stay calm during this period. I tried my best not to offend anyone. But I’m with you. It’s impossible to miss these days, and it is wearing on us all.
This gets to the heart of something we don’t talk about enough: how authoritarianism grows not as some sudden rupture, but through a slow drip of tolerated abuses and shrugged-off norms. I appreciate how you frame the authoritarian personality not as some fixed trait, but as a cultivated type that is shaped by institutions, routines, and adult modeling, especially in roles that wield unaccountable power.
What struck me most is your point that Adorno’s work, even with all the critiques about its methodological fuzziness, still names a dynamic we continue to see today. The psychology may be contested, but the mechanism as well as that steady erosion of democratic habits is all too real. Authoritarianism doesn't descend out of nowhere; we rehearse it in miniature, often without noticing. That’s why your call for vigilance isn’t abstract or academic but rather a reminder that speaking out isn’t just principled; it’s necessary.
Thank you, Sean. We do have to speak out if at least to stay calm during this period. I tried my best not to offend anyone. But I’m with you. It’s impossible to miss these days, and it is wearing on us all.