One strong person can be the source of trouble. Remove this person to take away their influence.

In March of 2022, Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 9 years in jail for charges of embezzlement. Over the last decade, he has been the main opposition leader in Russia against Putin's government. He has led public demonstrations against government corruption and is the voice of dissent in popular online publications. The Kremlin actively works to subjugate Nevalny because they know how dangerous his message is to their regime. Indeed, his work may be part of the reason that corruption in Putin's regime is internationally known.

Another way we isolate and silence is by denying access to social media platforms. Facebook and Twitter have banned former president Donald Trump, after he incited a mob to overrun the capital on January 6th. Trump's former Twitter feed made big news every other day, but the platform he created after the ban, called "Social Truth," does not have any significant reach. Influence can be made and taken away on social media; it's the modern form of exile in politics.

As she spoke in a condescending tone, she clicked her nails on the table, punctuating each syllable with a click, louder and more incessantly until it became the sound of knocking. She was always knocking. Every interaction was so she could get your immediate action on some "crisis". Any hesitation on your part, and she would immediately complain to your boss. You never got any direct feedback, but she complained about you behind closed doors. And then your boss would ask you about "dropping the ball" before you had a chance to defend yourself.

Then one day, we were in my boss's office discussing a project. I asked a question she must have thought was stupid because she balled up her hand and started literally knocking on my head. Was the joke that no one was home? I backed away and said firmly, "don't ever touch my head that way". In front of my boss, she apologized right away. But later approached me about how I shouldn't make it a big deal.

After I left, I heard they couldn't find anyone permanent to stay in that role. In this case, one person was enough to make a lot of people scatter.