One of the concepts discussed in “Not Born Yesterday” was passive resistance. When an authoritarian regime that threatens violence, imprisonment and other harsh punishments for noncompliance, Mercier says oppressed people will superficially comply while passively resisting.
Examples he provided included:
- North Korean citizens who cheer/cry/wail/celebrate in public according to the dictates of Kim Jon Un lest they be sent to prison camps, beaten or killed.
- Chinese citizens who don’t dare to speak negatively about the government in public or private, for fear of reprisals.
I can think of many other examples like:
- Russian citizens who do not challenge Putin at home or abroad due to his track record of assassinating, poisoning and imprisoning his opponents.
- Employees who work under abusive managers.
- Outcasts who are targeted by bullies.
- Or, in the current environment, people and organizations that are on Trump’s hit list for retribution as well as anyone not on his list who considers opposing him (including many Republican politicians).
I’m quite familiar with passive resistance since it’s a technique I’ve employed at various time throughout my life to deal with my sister when I was younger and smaller than her, with my stepfather when he went on a rampage, with bullies at school and with abusive coworkers and employers.
There were times when it it was best for me to do the very minimum to give the appearance of compliance, while underneath that facade, I was seething while plotting my revenge or escape. Sometimes I dragged my feet completing a task or delivered at only a minimally acceptable level far below my capabilities. Other times, I subtly performed acts of subterfuge to lay the ground for a future confrontation.
Passive resistance enabled me to live with a suboptimal situation for a while. In the end, it was never enough. Eventually I either confronted my oppressor or left (sometimes both).
Of course, that was easy for me to do – I wasn’t living under an authoritarian dictatorship, as a slave, under the threat of death, or in some other inescapable situation. My circumstances, though sometimes difficult, were mild in comparison.
All of my situations were eventually escapable given enough time. Passive resistance helped me bide that time.
Apparently, I’m not the only one.