Cathy Walker and Dan Weigel, LSU members.
As we experience the daily sense of anxiety, fear and heartbreak the Trump administration is determined to dump on all of us, it is critical that we look for ways to respond collectively and effectively. It is natural for us to react to threats by flight, fight or freeze responses. Though these are normal reactions to threat, they come from our more primitive brain. They make sense when you are in dire danger. They are, however, not effective responses when the threats are constant, complex and ongoing. The flight, fight, freeze reactivity wears us down both mentally and physically, leaving us less capable of engaging in meaningful action. Authoritarians understand this and use it to their advantage. Worn down, overwhelmed people are less likely to resist, making their takeover easier. We cannot allow this to happen.
So how do we become less reactive? For most of us this is a continual work in progress. Awareness of our own reactions is the first step in managing them. It is much more difficult to respond productively once we are in a highly reactive state. Tuning into the early stage of our reactivity is key to changing course, and tapping into our cerebral cortex, the part of our brain where problem solving can happen. As Victor Frankl brilliantly puts it: ”Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is the power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” In order to successfully take on tyranny we must practice finding and using that space.
There are many ways to reduce our fight, flight and freeze responses. We can work to create that space we need to respond effectively to the constant barrage of terrible news coming from this administration. It requires awareness and practice as well as relying on resources that accurately reflect our current reality. One helpful tool is the Authoritarian Threat Index. This is a reliable resource that provides a global frame of reference and may help us to find that critical space between stimulus and response. Check out Dan Weigel’s perspective on this useful tool. We will continue to write about additional ways to manage our responses to continued political threats and provide information on maintaining our mental and physical health through these troubling times. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, may we all work to seek that quiet space we need to take on the fight ahead.
Authoritarian Threat Index – by Dan Weigel
As the Trump administration continues its barrage of executive orders, attempting to enact sweeping, undemocratic changes to nearly every aspect of government, it is easy to lose hope for the future of democracy in the United States. We are in unprecedented territory, but we must not concede defeat while the future of our democracy still hangs in the balance. To that end, one tool that helps me see clearly through the noise is the Authoritarian Threat Index. As a numbers person, I find solace here in knowing exactly where we stand, and I hope this bit of objectivity helps stave off despair for others as well.
The current score on the health of US democracy is 2.8, on a scale from 1 to 5. Lower scores indicate a strong democracy, while higher scores represent authoritarianism, meaning the US is just below the midpoint. For comparison, the US is lower than India (3.5), higher than Poland (2.3), and well over a full point higher than Canada and Germany (both 1.5).
That 2.8 number is also broken down into six specific subcategories. The US currently scores worst on executive constraints and rhetoric, at 3.5 and 3.4, respectively. Both are categorized as severe threats.
The four other categories, which are all classified as significant threats and scoring 2.5 or 2.6, are treatment of media, elections, civil liberties, and civil violence. Two that I will keep a close eye on in the short term are civil liberties and civil violence. As the administration continues to attempt to restrict civil liberties (birthright citizenship, immigration rights, LGBTQ+ rights, etc), will the courts stand up to protect our rights? Will the administration abide by their rulings? Will setbacks in the authoritarian agenda lead to violence again, just as it did in the coup attempt on January 6th, 2021?
As Trump’s second term progresses, I will refer back to this index to see how our scores change over time. Executive orders can be undone. New laws can be passed. New leaders can be elected. New justices can be confirmed. All of this is still possible. Some things will be irreversible, and my heart goes out to all those negatively impacted already by losing their job, facing discrimination, dealing with uncertainty over immigration status, and much more.
As for democracy itself, in the long run, we must stand together and make our voices heard at every attempt to dismantle democratic norms, and collectively choose a different path forward in a free and fair election. In the meantime we must not despair and we must respond effectively, rather than with flight, fight, or freeze reactions. We are at a critical moment, but hope is not lost, and our voices matter now more than ever. When we work together with our friends and neighbors, we can create a brighter, more democratic, future for all of us.