Fear, Cruelty, and the Character Test of Our Generation of Americans
One of the most dangerous mistakes people make is believing that authoritarianism has a look, a language, or a region. It doesn’t.
By Trygve Olson
This is the third in an eight-part series on the lessons I’ve learned confronting autocrats over the past twenty-five years. From post-Soviet capitals to American battlegrounds, I’ve seen how authoritarianism grows — and how democracy survives.
One of the most dangerous mistakes people make is believing that authoritarianism has a look, a language, or a region. It doesn’t. I’ve worked in over 40 countries, across five continents, and I’ve sat across the table from autocrats or their enablers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East — not just Eastern Europe. And while their tactics are shaped by context, their personalities remain essentially the same.
They are ruled by fear — and obsessed with instilling it in others. They believe in dominance, not dialogue. They are narcissists, though rarely charming. They believe they alone can fix things, and everyone else is either a threat or a pawn.
They nurse grievances — real or manufactured — and use those grievances to build loyalty through victimhood. They demand fealty over competence. Loyalty over truth. They rewrite history to serve their image. And when the facts don’t fit, they attack the facts.
They are paranoid. They see plots everywhere. And in their mind, the worst thing you can do isn’t lie to them — it’s embarrass them.
This playbook isn’t new. And it doesn’t belong to one person. It’s rooted in something deeper and darker — not just in those who lead, but in those who follow.
Because the truth is, what we’re witnessing isn’t just a crisis of leadership. It’s a crisis of character in far to many of us.
When cruelty becomes policy and vengeance becomes a platform, that doesn’t just say something about a politician. It says something about the people cheering them on. It says something about what we’ve normalized — and what we’ve excused.
Authoritarianism requires followers. It thrives not only on fear, but on permission to be afraid and to spread your fears to others. And right now, far too many are giving it.
So the real question isn’t “What do the authoritarians want?” It’s “What does it say about us that so many want what he offers?”
Because if we define strength by cruelty, and patriotism by exclusion, and freedom by who we get to hurt — then we’re not resisting authoritarianism. We’re inviting it.
That’s what we have to confront.
Do You Live in a Free State or a Fear State?
How you know the game you’re in ... rather than the one you have always known.
And it’s worth asking: what would those who died for American ideals think of what we’re doing with them?
I don’t have all the answers. But here are three things we can each choose to do today — not as partisans, but as humans and as Americans:
1. Listen with generosity. Find someone who sees the world differently, and instead of debating, ask them to tell you why. Then really listen. Empathy isn’t weakness. It’s the start of any real strength.
2. Show small courage. Speak up. Push back. Be the person who doesn’t laugh at the cruel joke. Who doesn’t share the conspiracy theory on social media. Who reminds others — gently or forcefully — that decency still matters and that so many Americans gave their lives not for us to tear each other down, but to lift each other up.
3. Remember we belong to each other. Visit a cemetery. Call a friend you’ve drifted from. Do something that reconnects you to the idea that our freedoms aren’t abstractions — they’re responsibilities we hold in common.
Authoritarianism preys on isolation and despair. Hope begins when we choose each other.
Today is a good day to start.
Trygve Olson is a strategist, pro-democracy fighter and a founding Lincoln Project advisor. He writes the Searching for Hope Substack. Read the original article here.
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Yes, listen without thinking of our own come back; show small courage such as speaking with your neighbor who may be as worried as you. Taking that step can be difficult. One of the rallies I first attended was motivated and organized by just such a person. And point 3: We do belong to each other. Good to remember that friend or foe, good or evil, we are all human. It is a struggle to remember this when the difference is so extreme. Today I think I'll contact a friend who I have not contacted in a while, and ask, "Let's go for an ice cream cone." Sound silly? Hope not. One small step at a time. Thanks for pointing the way forward, Trygve.
Question: What are some ways we, who are in the choir and understand authoritarianism, can get those who do not see it to see it? There are millions of us who are part of the "NO KINGS" movement who understand and see authoritarianism. But HOW can we assist those of us who are in the Trump cult and caught up in it see this, and really understand it like we do? That, to me, is as important as parsing and analyzing authoritarianism. Right now it needs to be on the front not back burner.