Newsletter: How To Spot - and Brake - a Tyrant
Engaging in our power as followers
My longtime friend and colleague, Ira Chaleff, has just come out with a new book, To Stop a Tyrant: The Power of Political Followers to Make or Brake a Toxic Leader (the “Brake” is clever wordplay), and he sat down with me for my latest episode of the Influence Continuum. His book has been praised by folks on both sides of the political aisle. I point out that Donald Trump displays two of the most apparent signs of a tyrant: he tries to scare his followers with groups that he has “othered,” or denoted as “less than,” and he claims that he and he alone can fix our nation’s problems. You’ll find this talk timely and something you’ll want to share with your friends and loved ones on the left and the right, especially if you have family and friends in MAGA.
Dan Partland’s documentary, #UNTRUTH: The Psychology of Trumpism, is finally available on Amazon Prime! I interviewed Partland when the doc first came out on most streaming platforms. I was also interviewed with other experts to discuss the dangers of Trump. I cannot recommend this doc highly enough—watch it, discuss it, and share your thoughts about it with others!
For those of you who are people of faith, Keith Giles recently quoted me in an article in Patheos, a multi-faith spiritually oriented website. The article “What NOT to Say to People Trapped in the MAGA cult” explains how to reach out to your friends and loved ones with compassion, curiosity, and love.
Have you heard about One Tree Hill actress Bethany Joy Lenz's new book, Dinner with Vampires? David Oliver wrote a piece in USA Today that I was quoted in. I have been watching and listening to Joy speak about her experiences and am hopeful that more people realize anyone can get deceptively recruited into an authoritarian cult. I want to destigmatize this fact, and having celebrities talk about it is wonderful!
When thinking about political leaders—those with influence over national or global issues—how often do we consider the role of their political followers? Could you or I say “no” to a toxic leader and courageously defy their commands? This consideration is critical. Leaders don’t operate in isolation. They need political followers who support, amplify, and even challenge their actions. These checks and balances support strong, fair leadership and ensure the political process is just. To Stop a Tyrant is a book approved by readers at both ends of the political spectrum as it is a non-partisan and evergreen topic.
Read the blog post, or listen to the podcast, below:
As always, please let us know what you think about these pieces or what you’d like to see us discuss in the future. Thanks so much!
Delighted to see that Trump won and can now set the record straight once and for all