Authority is an institution that conveys a power or right to command. Donald Trump possesses authority, but he does not personally threaten violence against anyone (not that he could). Instead, he issues commands to subordinates, who in turn execute his threats. Those subordinates know that if they do not obey his commands and execute his threats, that THEY risk being threatened and hurt by yet other subordinates, whose role is to enforce obedience among subordinates.
Authority is, in a sense, self-reinforcing, a kind of behavioral trap. Soldier A knows that they must follow orders or else be punished by Soldier B, who knows that they must follow orders or be punished by Soldier C, who knows that they must follow orders or be punished by Soldiers A and B.
Once you’re in that trap, it can be very difficult to escape, because part of the trap is knowing that you must cooperate in the enforcement of authority or be punished by other people who are similarly compelled to cooperate with the enforcement of authority. We are all drafted into (re)producing our own subordination.
