Regimes can grant freer speech while tightening their grip on organized action.
Evidence
The greater degree of outspokenness is, however, misleading and does not really mean any greater freedom. On the contrary, the relaxation of pressure on the population in general is an excellent example of the skill of the reĀ“gime in political manipulationāperhaps the only political skill which they possess to any degree. While, wisely, they are allowing people to talk more freely, they are allowing them far less scope to do anything about it. ā Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1246
Categorization
Category: Causal Relationships
- DEEPTHINKING: A precise mechanism: free expression and effective action are decoupled control channels. The regime trades the appearance of liberty for tighter suppression of what speech could actually do ā a sobering point about loose talk being a safe valve.
- XREF: Connects to the older line from ch. 1 about the leader being good/evil advisors, and to how āvoiceā as a concept is cheapened when exit and action are blocked.