Authority should be questioned, again and again and again. Not in order to be an asshole but because of the consequences when we don&#x27;t:<p>1. scope creep. They will slowly become more authoritarian over time: (legitimate) authority in one area will bleed into (illegitimate) authority in another area.<p>2. they will be unable to deal with defiance. Because they&#x27;re not used to it and because to much of their identity is intertwined with their professional authority.<p>There are too many people out there who enjoy exercising their power over others. Too many teachers who completely lose it when students pull some harmless prank. Too many police officers who threaten violence when talked to disrespectfully. The victims of overreaching authority are always -- as the article points out -- the weaker members of society. Standing idly by in the face of injustice is not the mature adult thing to do; it&#x27;s plain cowardice.<p>All authority should be assumed to be illegitimate, and structures of authority that cannot justify their existence must be dismantled.