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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · 27d

Those in the middle hold the power to tip the balance. Bridging the middle means listening, meeting people where they are, and focusing on common ground. Small steps of understanding can ripple outward, reducing polarization one conversation at a time.

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · 27d

- Exaggerating threats or problems caused by another group.
- Encouraging suspicion or distrust where cooperation or common ground might otherwise exist.
- Exploiting emotions like fear, anger, or pride to keep people polarized.

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · 27d

- Amplifying differences (political, cultural, religious, racial, etc.) to make groups feel further apart.
- Using inflammatory language that pits “us” against “them.”

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · 27d

They create martyrs or symbolic figures to galvanize their base and threaten punitive responses that emphasize state power and justice that’s aligned with their own beliefs. Authoritarian leaders don’t cultivate unity, rather they use rhetoric to heighten fear and grievance including:

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · 27d

Authoritarian leaders blame political opponents and stigmatize them as dangerous, immoral, or existential threats. They avoid shared responsibility and portray their opponents as not just having opposing views, but as fundamentally bad or violent.

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · 27d

Polarize to Paralyze: How Authoritarian Leaders Exploit Conflict

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Aug 25

I done math good.

Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Aug 25

More here:

catsagainstauthoritarianism.com/2025/08/25/a...

Admire. Obey. Defend. The Cult of Personality

A cult of personality happens when a public figure (usually a political leader) builds an image of themselves that is larger-than-life. Their followers start to treat that image as unquestionable a…

catsagainstauthoritarianism.com

Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Aug 25

Admire. Obey. Defend. The Cult of Personality.

A cult of personality happens when a public figure (usually a political leader) builds an image of themselves that is larger-than-life. Their followers start to treat that image as unquestionable and central to their own identity.

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Aug 23

More here: catsagainstauthoritarianism.com/2025/08/23/a...

Authoritarianism vs. Democracy: The Military’s Duty

In healthy democracies, the military protects the nation, not the ruling party. Authoritarian leaders cross a dangerous line when they deploy soldiers, federal agents, or heavily armed forces again…

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Aug 23

In healthy democracies, the military protects the nation, not the ruling party.

Whether it’s breaking up protests, intimidation, or patrolling communities under the guise of "safety", the goal is the same: to silence dissent and make citizens fear their own government.

#Caturday #politics

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Aug 16

Rig district maps 🗺️

Change ID rules to block voters 🪪
Intimidate at the polls 👀
Close polling places ⏳
Spread disinformation 📢
Purge voter rolls ❌
Cut mail & early voting 📮
Control election officials 🏛️
Block challengers 🚫
Refuse to certify results ⚠️

Protect the process. Protect democracy.

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Aug 16

Authoritarians don’t always cancel elections, they rig them. Here’s how ⬇️
#caturday #authoritarianism #democracymatters

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Aug 16

Rig district maps 🗺️

Change ID rules to block voters 🪪

Intimidate at the polls 👀

Close polling places ⏳

Spread disinformation 📢

Purge voter rolls ❌

Cut mail & early voting 📮

Control election officials 🏛️

Block challengers 🚫

Refuse to certify results ⚠️

Protect the process. Protect democracy.

Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Jul 21

They scream fake news. They smear the press & “flood the zone” with noise until truth drowns in confusion.
That’s not just chaos, it’s control. Speaking out is the antidote. Every act of truth-telling matters. When they want silence & compliance, making noise is taking back power.
#authoritarianism

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Jul 17

Rest disrupts the authoritarian playbook. It restores the clarity and energy needed to observe, question, and resist.

Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Jul 17

Authoritarian regimes rely on constant crises, disinformation, surveillance, and fear to wear people down. When people are tired, anxious, and overworked, they’re less likely to resist, organize, or even think critically.

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Jul 9

Moves to criminalize speech, control educational content, or punish thought under “anti-woke” or “anti-extremism” laws echo authoritarian tactics. Sound familiar?

Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Jul 9

In recent years, political figures have called journalists “enemies of the people,” and their own citizens as “enemies within” and sought to criminalize protest or label ideological opponents as threats to “national security”.

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Jul 9

Historically, look to Russia or Germany where telling a joke, reading a banned book, or not reporting on members of your community can get you imprisoned (or worse).

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Jul 9

In authoritarian regimes, expressing doubt, raising questions, or imagining alternatives is punished. #authoritarianism
🧵

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Jul 5

Authoritarians don’t just lie, they make truth untrustworthy.
Flooding the public sphere with conflicting narratives. Contradictory statements, sensational distractions, & conspiracies blur fact & fiction. If no one believes the press, the regime can say anything & get away w/everything. #caturday

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Jul 1

Authoritarian governments rely on fear, submission, & the illusion of control. Whether it’s silencing dissent, rewriting history, or criminalizing protest, resistance is not just a right, it’s a duty. You don’t wait for permission to fight back. You leap.
Stay loud. Stay defiant. #resist

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Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Jun 30

- Loyalty tests over competence for public positions 🧑‍⚖️
- Protesters labeled as threats instead of citizens with rights 🚨

Sound familiar?

Cats Against Authoritarianism @catsagainstauthoritarianism.com · Jun 30

- Surveillance creeping into everyday life 📱
- Censorship disguised as “protection” or “patriotism” 🚫

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