What a teenager should know about those in power.

Reviews & Endorsments

👉 Review by Lawrence W. Reed, president emeritus, Foundation for Economic Education

Power is a poison. Its antidote is a formula that combines truth, integrity and freedom. People who drink the poison suffer symptoms that can only be described as anti-social. As Jan Kuban explains, they do very harmful things while under the influence of this poison: They try to push other people around, take their stuff, and make heroes, like entrepreneurs, into villains. Power succeeds to the extent that its victims feel helpless to resist, but Jan’s book demystifies power and shows it to be, far more often than not, nothing more than a corrupt racket. Good people must always be on their guard, or power will grow until it’s too late to put it back in the box.

 

 

👉 Review by Ultima Thule

The book "What a teenager should know about those in power" encapsulates much of the information about how we are governed in a way that is understandable to young people. We have simple language, understandable phrases and, above all, suggestive examples from life and history. This book should become mandatory reading in schools, and, in particular, it will be useful in all kinds of alternative education: in private schools, in home education and wherever teachers and educators implement their own educational programs.

After reading this book, young people will receive directions to the world around them, and they will receive a clear understanding of those who make decisions for them. Jan Kuban perfectly exposes the hypocrisy of power, shows the motives of the rulers and teaches how to pick out the essence of the problem from the chaos of information.

The book is suitable for working with students in design methods based on case studies, thanks to which young people can analyze and draw their own conclusions during creative discussions in peer-groups.

There are many gems in political and economic literature for young people, such as "The King Macius the First", "Me, Pencil" or "Little Prince". Jan Kuban's book gives us more than a pleasant reading with a moral: it is a systematic and complete knowledge of the mechanisms of power. There are no allusions, mental shortcuts, fairy-tale references which the reader would have to struggle through, like seekers of the Lost Ark. Here the Ark is served on a tray.

 

👉 Review by Michael Babinski

Hello, I just bought the audiobook and I wanted to share my impressions. At the outset, I think you have narrated it brilliantly. It's great to listen to.
On the technical side, it simply shines ;)

From the substantive side, the knowledge is supposedly for teenagers, but both my father and grandfather still firmly believe that all this is really happening, that we are ruled by serious and wise people, and the state has monopolies, e.g. in the energy sector, not for the purpose of having a pasture for the family, but because they are strategic enterprises... I also have a lucky 15-year-old brother to whom I will share the audiobook, because he may get something from it :)

In my opinion, it has a pleasant-to-read, friendly style of writing, not bloated and haughty, but simple. Introducing cybernetics was also a nice idea, as was discussing the toilet flush. As somebody used to say - the trick is to talk simply about difficult things, any idiot can speak a difficult language.

In general, the whole book reminds me of such good old American books as "The Myth of Entrepreneurship", "In a Trance of Investing" or "Poor and Rich - Mentally Different". It is a mixture: a bit of information, a few anecdotes, some examples from life - it is very good to listen to :)

 

👉 Review by Agata W.

Once, as an adult mother of two adolescent boys, having an average knowledge of socio-economic and political issues, I asked myself: how can I make my children want to expand their knowledge on these topics in a new way, different to the one they already know. Can a book still arouse curiosity in the era of Tiktok and comics? Digested information at school, gibberish in the media, slogans, complaints and accusations, nothing constructive. Nothing to make you think, search, discover in your own way, nothing that would inspire discussion. I was wondering if the existing patterns do not have any counterweight any more and whether these new generations can only choose between one evil and another? Or maybe there are some other options?

Only this book brought the answers:

• YES, you can use a book to stimulate a young person's willingness to search, to discover, to think, to talk about our reality and encourage them to act and take a sense of responsibility for what he or she does or does not do.
• YES, in this book there is a perfectly created space open to conversation, exchange of views and beliefs, criticism, constructive searches for compromises, solutions, building ideas, going further. A space where there is room for freedom of thought and reflection.
• YES, in the present times of a lack of interest in the socio-political and economic issues of the average young person, it makes sense to address these issues to them.
• YES, you can write a book with young adults in mind in a simple yet captivating way, without referring to the "cool" narrative of teenagers and without using means of expression borrowed from social media that would help in attracting attention and recognition of young audiences.
• YES, you can write a book with a completely new, unconventional and exciting thought, which does not give the reader the impression of "deja  vu"
• YES, you can write a book about these problems in an interesting, dynamic and light way

I think that this book can awaken in young readers faith in the sense of reading books. It can motivate them to open up to new sources of information and to embark on uncharted paths in the pursuit of knowledge. It can encourage them to an independent and critical perception of reality and the information provided.

 

👉 Review by Andrew Michalski

Great book! The title suggests that the book is aimed at teenagers and explains things that are clear and obvious to all adults, such as "Where do babies come from?". While, in fact, it deals with little-known issues. Rather, the title should be "What Everybody Should Know About Rulers." The book is written in a simple, light, understandable language, which is its undoubted advantage. It meets the trendy: "explain it like I was five".

Every day we are confused by propaganda, we focus on the details of the political struggle and forget about the "basics" - the mechanisms and reasons for the struggle for power. After reading this book, we will see the world of politics and daily media "storm" differently. We will see the real causes and the possible dramatic effects that the actions of politicians can cause in our seemingly peaceful and safe lives.

A must-read for every citizen.

 

👉 Review by Savish in Polish.

Jan, hats off!

This is an epochal publication. I am grateful to you for some very interesting tips and mission to convey difficult and valuable content. It's not the easiest route, but only routes like this make the effort to get to the top worthwhile. In my personal opinion, today's youth may not be able to handle some sophisticated terms. I really liked the idea of using a cistern to explain difficult and intricate processes.

The content of the audiobook fascinated me to such an extent that I bought a separate access for my ward from the Academy of the Future.

I will wholeheartedly recommend this book :)

 

👉 Review by Maciej Dutko in Polish.

If in the next election you plan to continue "to feed the hand that bites you" (© by Tomasz Agencki), first read Jan Kuban's book "What a teenager should know about those in power".

E-book and audiobook (BTW brilliantly read by the Author) are available at www.legimi.pl/kod/T25P4

I strongly recommend!

Maciej Dutko
www.dutko.pl

 

👉 The back cover text:

Jan Kuban - the author of "The Physics of Life" , and this time, he surprises us all with his absolutely unusual approach to the subject. An unusual subject but based on a very simple question: "Is it possible to define the general characteristics of rulers - people in power?". And it must be admitted that the author managed to answer this question in a very accessible way.

Jan Kuban describes how exercising power changes people's behaviour, what features it develops and which it suppresses. An important thread is the influence of the rulers on the subjects, that is us: me, you and our friends. It turns out that they have been using the same tools for centuries, but not to ensure the prosperity of the societies they manage, but to stay in power.

Another important theme of the book is the answer to the question: "Why can they do that?" Well, the answer may surprise you, although it is logical: "Because some of our human characteristics allow them to do so."

In addition to the fact that the reader learns how the rulers influence and change their lives, they are also introduced to the arcana of an important science for understanding social processes, though mysteriously called - cybernetics. Introduced painlessly and cheerfully, the author uses a model of a toilet flush for this purpose.

Anyone dissatisfied with the situation in their country must read "What every teenager should know about THOSE IN POWER. People of Power - Compendium", even if he is not the teenager in the title.

 

Links

1.  For whom this book is for and why    ............................1
2.  What is power    ................................................3
3.  Our perception of rulers and governance   .......................4
4.  How this perception can be changed   ............................5
5.  How to gain power  ..............................................7
6.  What is good governance?  .......................................7
7.  What are good rulers?    .......................................10
8.  And what are bad rulers and bad governance? ....................11
9.  The great ones about those in power ............................11
10. We'll need a bit of cybernetics    .............................14
    10.1. Process and system  ......................................14
    10.2. Feedback .................................................15
    10.3. Natural tendency .........................................17
    10.4. Systems theory and social systems   ......................17
11. Natural pressure for social exploitation   .....................20
12. Features and tools of those in power   .........................21
    12.1. The key to understanding the rulers ......................22
    12.2. They seek to gain power ..................................22
    12.3. They fight to stay in power	............................23
    12.4. They tend to centralize power ............................25
    12.5. Tool: creating "elites" ..................................26
    12.6. Tool: generosity with other people’s money ...............28
    12.7. Tool: bureaucracy ........................................28
    12.8. Tool: Institutional theft ................................29
    12.9. Tool: Inflation ..........................................29
    12.10.Tool: patriotism .........................................32
    12.11.Tool: financial leash ....................................33
    12.12.Tool: milking public money ...............................34
    12.13.Tool: state-owned company ................................35
    12.14.Tool: the vast number of legal provisions and ordinances .36
    12.15.Tool: dependent "scientists" .............................37
    12.16.False belief in money ....................................38
    12.17.False belief in management ...............................39
    12.18.False belief in State ....................................39
    12.19.Tool: Social Engineering .................................39
    12.20.Tool: media, propaganda and indoctrination ...............40
    12.21.The space of false messages ..............................42
    12.22.Tool: statism ............................................42
    12.23.Reluctance to systemic solutions .........................44
    12.24.Hatred of free market entrepreneurs ......................44
    12.25.Change of personality ....................................45
    12.26.Subjects? Better stupid than smart .......................45
    12.27.Tool: conflict, hatred, problem, fear ....................46
    12.28.Tool: creating problems to be "repaired" .................47
    12.29.Us and them ..............................................47
    12.30.Russian tyranny in a nutshell ............................47
    12.31.Polish representative democracy in a nutshell ............48
    12.32.General reflections in a nutshell ........................48
13. Why can rulers abuse us like this? .............................48
    13.1. Our internal fascism, our internal socialism .............49
    13.2. Social suicide ...........................................50
    13.3. Because we are easy to control ...........................51
    13.4. Because we are very susceptible to propaganda ............53
14. Are all rulers bad?.............................................52
15. The general model of what they do with us.......................53
16. What can We do about this?......................................53
17. And what can You do about this?.................................54
Acknowledgements....................................................56
Recommended books...................................................57
Recommended links...................................................58
			

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