The Power of the Powerless
by Václav Havel, Keane, John · first published 1985
46% recommend54% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short essay on how ordinary people sustain a system through ritual conformity, with the greengrocer parable at its center. Read as a concise first-hand account of post-totalitarian life and a lens on modern conformity.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Every time I see the word "diversity" used in this tone, I'm reminded of Vaclav Havel's brilliant essay, The Power of the Powerless: http://www.vaclavhavel.cz/showtrans.php?cat=eseje&val=2_aj_e... The manager of a fruit-and-vegetable shop places in his window, among the onions and carrots, the slogan: "Workers of the world, unite!"…
It's mentioned at the beginning of the article, but Vaclav Havel's "Power of the Powerless" and particularly its parable of the greengrocer is worth a read: https://hac.bard.edu/amor-mundi/the-power-of-the-powerless-v...
on “Is there still room for debate?” ↗…i.e. you can get away at rejecting the article's premise because of potential "x-isms" they're guilty of and because they're x-isms you don't have to debate. I would direct you to Vaclav Havel's book "Power of the Powerless" - where dictatorship of the ritual is spelled out and how he amazingly identifies the traits of post-totalitarian societies. I believe heresy is one such trait. I would also add that my main issue is…
on “Heresy” ↗I think that The Power of the Powerless, essay written about this topic in 1978 by Vaclav Havel, might be interesting even these days. I am not sure it can resonate with western people. Nevertheless, I am going to give it a try: http://www.vaclavhavel.cz/showtrans.php?cat=eseje&val=2_aj_e...
on “Forced Exposure” ↗The culture of comfortableness is exactly what Vaclav Havel described in "The Power of the Powerless" Comfortableness is a misnomer. What it is conformity. Havel.correctly identifies this as "post-totalitarian". It is the same sick mindset of communism and the Salem witch trials and Inquisition. It…
on “Free speech is last century. Today’s students want the ‘right to be comfortable’” ↗Power of the Powerless by Vaclav Havel. Perfectly explain the progressive religion we find ourselves under.
on “Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?” ↗It stops if people refuse to live within the lie. Read Vaclav Havel's "Power of the powerless".
on “What “diversity and inclusion” means at Microsoft” ↗>Vaclav Havel - The Power of the Powerless I read that book during 2020. It should be obligatory reading for anyone who appreciates Orwell's 1984, and provides a concise, first-hand account of how humans manufacture and sustain the systems of…
on “The Python Sofware Foundation Receives Wonderfully Welcoming Award from GitHub” ↗Posts like this always remind me of Vaclav Havel's "The Power of the Powerless". You are completely misunderstanding the original purpose behind the CoC. Here's the relevant part: "The manager of a fruit-and-vegetable shop places in his window, among the onions and carrots, the…
on “Heavy codes of conduct are unnecessary for open source projects” ↗…can be the impetus for revolutionary change, and with greater earnestness than the dissident intelligensia at many times. For theory, Havel's work is a bit out there but definitely interesting. Try "Power of the Powerless" and "On Evasive Thinking" (it's in his Open Letters, I think); these are two of his best political theory essays. Havel's a bit of a contested figure, but I think it's fair to say that he roughly lives…
on “21H.001: How to Stage a Revolution” ↗Between Kundera and Havel [1] I am picking Havel 7 days a week. If you have a bit of time give read to Havel's timeless 'Power of the Powerless' [2] which challenges Kundera's world view. [1] https://reason.com/2023/07/14/milan-kunderas-eternal-feud-wi... [2] https://web.archive.org/web/20120107141633/http://www.vaclav...
on “The Two Milan Kunderas” ↗…there really isn't anything you can do, except limit any damage to your repuation for your next role (ie, leave before the s*it hits the fan). The other effect, explained so well in the short book "The Power of the Powerless", is that the idea of using your increasing clout and power as you rise through an organisation to make changes for the better is largely a fallacy. Paradoxically, the higher up you go, the less freedom…
on “NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy” ↗…million times, each time matters. Each time you obey the dictator, other people see you obeying the dictator, which is you handing your credibility to the dictator. It entrenches them further. See The Power of the Powerless for how it played out in the Soviet Union: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_the_Powerless#Hav... > Havel uses the example of a greengrocer who displays in his shop the sign Workers of the world,…
The Power of the Powerless by Havel
on “Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?” ↗…ignored by the average Briton or American, we will have a revolution that overturns the corrupt political systems in both countries, and perhaps puts many banks out of business. Vaclav Havel calls this 'The Power of the Powerless.' One spark, one massive fire. - Robert David Steele, ex-Marine, ex-CIA, Open Source Intelligence Expert in The Guardian, 2014-06-19
on “Reverse-engineering censorship in China [pdf]” ↗