"Tyranny is the deliberate removal of nuance." - Albert Maysles
As a documentary filmmaker known for honest and unscripted work during the 1960s and 1970s, it is unsurprising that A.Maysles would be a proponent of disclosure and an advocate for unvarnished complexity.
Coming from that background, it is also perhaps not surprising that he is also a man with some insights on the nature of tyranny and its practices.
I think many people in today's upsetting and unsettling world look back on that period with the thought that its turmoil may prove to hold useful lessons for us moving forward.
As an artist and free thinker, I am particularly sensitive to the shadows of tyranny and I seek always to defend us from its looming threat. It seems to be an affliction that sneaks up on mankind time and again; easy to impose, and often bloody and destructive to depose.
As I watch the actions of societies of our time, I grow concerned for the secretive ways tyrants use to suggest their implementation, and I find this phrase a powerful summation of that which is to be avoided at its heart.
Tyranny and nuance would seem at first to be unrelated. That is, I feel, the most profound sentiment that underlies this thought. And yet, upon closer inspection, I feel that the two are inextricably linked.
What is nuance?
Nuance, simply stated, is the particulars of circumstance; the mitigating factors.
It is also the aspects of a proposed "solution" that lead to unintended consequences.
Most importantly, Nuance is the difference between the idealized "bumper sticker" or "rally slogan" and the reality that is the Actual Impact of an imposed decision on the ground.
In effect, the Nuance lies in the ability to explain; in the opportunity to bend rules for the sake of actual proper actions instead of practical failures due to an unwillingness to compromise.
And tyranny?
Tyranny is this insistence to accept failures and folly for no other reason than the idea that a certain action, thought, or value MUST be Imposed.
Tyranny, in essence, IS the crushing fist that comes down on the good and kind simply because its own opinions say it is to be so.
Moreover, Tyranny reacts to such events Not by listening to, understanding, and adapting to fix these particular situations, but by Insisting on Denying the particulars because of their own belief that the over-arching framework is itself flawless.
This is the very Core of the Heart of the Tyrant; this unwillingness to listen and adapt.
The tyrant refuses to see the world and their people as complex and unique people in unique circumstances facing singularly difficult decisions.
To them, the world is simple because of their own refusal to accept it as Not So.
As we move forward, I think we need to be vigilant for this tendency to over-simplify and catagorize Not only because it is a flawed method of achieving the best possible outcomes, but more importantly because:
We have No Right to Dictate the specifics of situations to which we have no knowledge.
And the Responsibility to Learn, to Listen, to Care Lies upon Anyone who seeks to sit in Judgement.
Lest we find ourselves overridden and disregarded in our time as well...
