Notes for the Kakistocracy, 2025-03-01: Facebook and content moderation, shut the f**k up, do not obey in advance, and no one is coming to save us

Kakis-what?

Kakistocracy, meaning a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens. Its root is the Greek work kakistos, meaning “worst.”

This is a regular series of posts on The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century on surviving, thriving in, and countering the kakistocracy in the U.S. and around the world.

Last Week Tonight on  Facebook and Content Moderation

If you haven’t yet watched this Last Week Tonight piece, watch it now. Note that at the end of the segment, John Oliver shows you how to make yourself less valuable (and less profitable) for Facebook.

The National Lawyers Guild of Detroit and Michigan remind you: “Shut the fuck up!”

There’s a reason why the first line of Miranda is “You have the right to remain silent.”

Lesson 1 from Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny: “Do not obey in advance”

History professor Timothy Snyder has been studying European tyrants throughout history and has derived 20 lessons that are applicable in the U.S. under Trump. Here’s the first one, and it’s key: Do not obey in advance.

Adam Conover: No one is coming to save us (so we’d better do it ourselves)

Adam Conover reminds us that if you want to see change in this country from its current state of ass-clownery (and remember, it hasn’t even been two months since the inauguration — image the damage MAGA can do over a year), it requires organizing and taking action, and there are plenty of historical precedents.