The Difference Between a Loyal Opposition and Resistance | A Dispatch from the High Castle

Описание: What's the difference between a loyal opposition and resistance? And why does it matter right now?

A loyal opposition accepts the legitimacy of the system it works within. More than that - it reinforces it. Every time it plays by the rules, it signals that the rules are legitimate. Every time it treats its opponents as normal political adversaries, it confirms that normal politics is still happening. Every time it channels your energy into approved outlets - vote, donate, call your representative, wait for the next election - it tells you and everyone watching that those outlets still work.

That's not a criticism. That's what loyal oppositions do. They're how normal politics functions. They provide accountability, they offer alternatives, they keep the system honest. When the system is basically sound, a loyal opposition is exactly what you want.

But resistance is something different. Resistance is what happens when the rules stop working - when legal channels fail, when institutions get captured, when the system itself becomes the source of abuse. Resistance doesn't reinforce the structure. It operates against it.

In this video, I refer to the resistance dynamics at play in American history - from the New England patriots who spent a decade petitioning before Lexington, to the antislavery movement that worked within legal channels for seventy years before building the Underground Railroad.

The Democratic Party is a loyal opposition. That's not cynicism - that's what the institution is designed to be. If you think the system is still basically sound and just needs better people running it, that might be enough for you.

But if you're looking to them for resistance, you might be waiting a long time. And worse - you're going to be learning the wrong lessons about what resistance actually requires.

Confusing a loyal opposition with resistance isn't just a mistake. It's fatal to any meaningful opposition.

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