It CAN Happen Here

It IS happening here

Is This Dystopia sidewalk stencil, Toronto, Ontario, Canada by Cory Doctorow, 2019 (Flickr)

“All men would be tyrants if they could.” — Daniel Defoe, 1712

There are moments in history when speaking up matters — when remaining silent is no longer an option.

And this is one of those times.

I write about leadership and communication as they intersect with values and principles. And I frequently ask myself, “What kind of unprincipled leader would I be if I didn’t give voice to my conscience?”

That’s integrity, isn’t it? When you act in accordance with your values.

So today, on Election Day here in the United States, I’m drawing attention to It Can’t Happen Here, a dystopian novel by Sinclair Lewis that was published in 1935.

In it, citizens of the United States voluntarily vote their way into fascism (but they don’t call it that, of course) for economic reasons, to be protected from Communism, and for conservative religious and racial reasons.

Are you sensing a familia…