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Neither Comply Nor Resist
by Charles Hugh Smith Of Two Minds
The decay of social norms and status quo systems triggering an authoritarian tightening of the screws is a well-worn pattern throughout human history.
What do I mean by Neither Comply Nor Resist? Let’s start by noting society functions by our voluntary compliance with a spectrum of social norms–what’s socially acceptable and unacceptable–some of which are institutionalized into legally defined rules that impose judicial consequences on those who break the rules.
Society breaks down when either set of social norms–the institutionalized judiciary or the cultural norms– loses the voluntary compliance of the vast majority. This dynamic is illustrated by the “broken windows” phenomenon in which a neighborhood decays when windows are broken without enforcement or consequence (i.e. no enforcement of laws forbidding the destruction of others’ property) and the broken windows remain unrepaired (i.e. the social-cultural norms have broken down–the owners and authorities no longer care).