Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Trygve Olson

@trygveolson.bsky.social

29K followers 420 following 170 posts

Democracy Expert trained 1000's worldwide to fight for it. Sr Advisor @projectlincoln & @LDIDemocracy. Weekly on @allbaughshow. WI boy, Girl Dad, Packer Fan.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · 1d

Our job is to build a coalition of the reasonable — liberals, conservatives, independents — anyone who believes in truth, pluralism, and peaceful power

In the end, it’s not about left vs. right
It’s about democracy vs. extremism
Faith vs. fear
Freedom vs. control

open.substack.com/pub/trygveol...

The Extremes Aren’t Opposites — They’re Twins

The Four Psychological Traits That Fuel Political Extremism — and What They Mean for Our Democracy Now

open.substack.com

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · 19d

And again, you point is? Two wrongs don’t make a right. If you read the post you would know I specifically make the point that on either side it is above politics. You literally demonstrate the point I was making and not in the way you think.

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · 19d

I have spent the past twenty five years married to one.

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · 19d

That is true, he was, and even if you disagreed with much of what he was saying, your right to say what you believe depends on his.

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · 19d

And your point is?

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · 19d

Whether you are on the Left, Right, or Center, Free Speech Isn't a Punchline.

Ask yourself:

Do you want to live in a country where you are afraid to say what you believe?

Where your children or grandchildren never know how to speak their truths, because those with power fear their voice?

Free Speech Isn’t a Punchline

And it Does Matter Which Side of the Political Divide You Are On

open.substack.com

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · 26d

Wednesday’s events overtook what I had intended to share in remembrance of 9/11. However I have decided to share it today — something I originally wrote in 2018 on 9/11 because it is perhaps more important today than it was back then.

open.substack.com/pub/trygveol...

September 11th: Remembering Win-Win America

Editor’s Note:

open.substack.com

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · 26d

When Violence Comes Home — we have to start with asking ourselves who are we and what do we want us to be as a nation.

My latestest on Substack.

open.substack.com/pub/trygveol...

When Political Violence Comes Home

We all need to take a moment to reflect on who and what we are and want to be.

open.substack.com

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 14

Totally which is why I called it out. Ironically the AI basically admitted it was exactly that.

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 14

That is the challenge!

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 14

Try telling it to go “f” itself — or when I build agents I now have a Rule #1 — NEVER F-;&ing LIE!!!!! If you don’t know an answer or how to do something just say so.

It still lies but I just prompt WTF is Rule #1

Btw Claude is way better with Rule 1 than the others, already in my experiences

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 14

I agree with you on this. AI and all tech is either built for empowering humans or (as most of it is now) for exploiting them. And I knew with about ten minutes it couldn’t do what it was promising to do, I found some humor is just letting it go.

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 14

When AI Lies, Trust Dies

Let’s start with this: I didn’t expect ClickUp Brain to be a real brain. But I also didn’t expect it to be a pathological liar with a straight face.

clickup.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/trygveol...

When AI Lies, Trust Dies

ClickUp Brain Fabricated Capabilities—and That Should Scare Us All

open.substack.com

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 8

Everywhere I go right now, I hear the same thing: “I’m exhausted.”

People who care about democracy feel like they’re in a permanent crisis loop.

But here’s the truth:

Democracy building isn’t regime change.
It’s a long-term investment in a better world.

open.substack.com/pub/trygveol...

You don’t win democracy like you win a campaign. You sustain it like you build a forest.

The Long-Term Game: Democracy as a Generational Investment

open.substack.com

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 8

Actually, non-violent resistance is the best method and typically the most successful.

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 7

One of the most dangerous myths in American politics today is that authoritarianism is something that happens “over there.”

It doesn’t.
Not anymore.
Not in 2025.

Because the fight for democracy — and against it — is now global.

open.substack.com/pub/trygveol...

The Anti-Democracy Alliance: What We’re Actually Up Against

What if the fight we’re in isn’t just domestic? What if the other side is already coordinating?

open.substack.com

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 6

Well I have written a lot on that on my Substack page. The truth is they — like all tools are inherently neither good or evil, but the people who use them can be either! Appreciate the feedback and the support!

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 6

When democracy succeeds, it’s not because someone parachuted in with a blueprint. It’s because local people rose up with courage, found solidarity, and built something lasting from the bottom up. That’s how real change happens—and that’s what we must stand for.

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 6

Democracy isn’t a thing we give. It’s a struggle people undertake. Our job isn’t to export—it’s to stand with. To support, to train, to encourage, and to learn.

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 6

We don’t export democracy.
That phrase—exporting democracy—has done more harm than good. It suggests democracy is a finished product we manufacture and ship to others. It centers us, not the people on the ground who are risking everything to claim their own freedom.

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 6

Here is what I actually said about that long ago in the manual I wrote, the battle for democracy.

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 6

That was actually poor word choice on my part when writing while technically on vacation. Thanks for pointing it out.

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 6

In the early 2000s, I worked in countries where democracy was fragile, new, or still just an idea.

We didn’t talk about “election years” or “get out the vote.”

We talked about survival

Strategy.
Coalition
Courage

We didn’t always win. But we learned what worked

open.substack.com/pub/trygveol...

The Democracy-Building Toolbox — And Why We Need It Here Now

Tools we used to export. Now we need to use them to save ourselves.

open.substack.com

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 5

100%

Trygve Olson @trygveolson.bsky.social · Aug 5

Most people think opposition movements rise or fall based on charisma, ideology, or momentum.

But the movements that survive fear-based regimes, and actually win, rely on something else.

://open.substack.com/pub/trygveolson/p/what-opposition-movements-need-and?r=f0clj&utm_medium=ios

What opposition movements need — and what fear-based regimes fear most.

The Four Es: A Framework for Building Movements That Survive and Win

open.substack.com