One of the most powerful tactics against totalitarianism, one that worked to stop regimes from taking over and that broke existing regimes from within, is the simple strategy of “throwing sand in the gears,” as it’s said. What this means is going out of your way to make their programs bulky, slow, dysfunctional, and inefficient by deliberately underperforming, asking difficult questions, speaking up, and getting in the way. Do your job, if you must, but do it inefficiently as an act of “strategic resistance.” Drag your feet. Make mistakes. Play dumb. Ask hard questions, both pertinent and impertinent while you can. Point out abuses. Spread information. Become sand in the gears of their machine and help grind it to a halt. Join host James Lindsay for this episode of New Discourses Bullets to learn more about this powerful strategy.
