The current global sheeple (human mass) is a pathetically willing victim of the prevailing hyper modernity. This modernity is centered, not on the wellbeing of life, humans or otherwise, but rather on the destructive drive for an ever more accumulation. This drive spares nothing. If it were possible, even the whole universe would become its victim. Fortunately, the reach of humans is quite limited and cannot cause wide spread damage outside of our precarious planet. Even here, it is a minority of the human community, extremely obsessed with power and money (at the expense of everything else) that is doing intentional harm. In the absence of more precise words to identify such individuals, we have decided to adhere to the broadly used terms of sociopaths and psychopaths!
These members of the human species have inborn deficiencies that won’t allow them to appreciate the core values of collective societal existence. They are not in tune with the commonly shared values of societies, hence the word sociopaths. Differentiating between life sustaining and life destroying activities is not an easy undertaking to these fellows, hence their ‘growth fixation’. They lack the faculty to feel the most obvious emotions of humanity. These individuals are devoid of empathy and tend to be extremely selfish, greedy and self-centered. Concern/care about their fellow humans is almost nonexistent in the world of the psychopaths. All societies have psychopaths/sociopaths in their midst. Rough estimates of psychopaths in any human society ranges from 5 to 10% of total population. It is by far the male sex that suffers the most from psychopathic afflictions! Studies have shown that psychopathic conditions are physical and are not curable. Affected individuals, states one study, ‘displayed significantly reduced grey matter volumes in the anterior rostral prefrontal cortex and temporal poles. Damage to these areas is associated with impaired empathising with other people, poor response to fear and distress and a lack of ‘self-conscious’ emotions such as guilt or embarrassment.’ (King’s college, UK)
Recent studies have also revealed that entrenched professional politicos, CEOs of banks/large corporations and criminals in jail tend to share, to a large extent, significant psychopathic traits. This was a truly alarming discovery. After such findings, the world has become more anxious about the activities of psychopaths and sociopaths, irrespective of their formal positions in societies. It is no surprise that many of the current war-craving individuals belong to the category of clinical psychopaths. For the most part, oligarchs also live in the same psychopathic camp. Oligarchs tend to be ostentatious, selfish and greedy, basic requirements for admission to the club. Outright lying, violence waging, callous manipulations and brutal actions are some of the defining characteristic of psychopaths/sociopaths! We live in dangerous times. The weapons of old are no more and the new ones are designed to cause immense destruction to all and sundry. Therefore, the custody and management of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) should never be trusted to reigning psychopaths of the world system, if humanity wants to stick around!
Wars, conflicts, systemic genocide, surveillance, etc. are all strategies employed to maintain the existing psycho led anti-life status quo. It is not the majority’s desire to wage continuous wars, whatever the reasons. Human beings achieved a whole lot, at least in the narrow area of bettering their lives, not as a result of selfishness and manipulation, but because of integrity and co-operation. Scientific achievements and technical knowhow were not borne of lies and phony analysis. Unfortunately our current world, run by elites who seem to have no respect for the truth or the well-being of the general public, is on the precipice. See the articles next column, on page 32 & 44. Here are some interesting notes on the above general subject by Bob Altemeyer, a retired psychology professor who spent most of his life researching authoritarianism (The Authoritarians).
Authoritarian leaders
Altemeyer’s explanation – The psychopathology of authoritarian leaders.
In contemplating the success of the dark forces who create and rule over pathocracies, it behooves us to understand their nature. Altemeyer refers to them alternately as “authoritarian leaders” or “social dominators”. He describes them like this:
High scorers (on the test that measures the traits of authoritarian leaders) are inclined to be intimidating, ruthless, and vengeful. They scorn such noble acts as helping others, and being kind, charitable, and forgiving. Instead they would rather be feared than loved, and be viewed as mean, pitiless, and vengeful. They love power, including the power to hurt in their drive to the top…. Social dominators thus admit, anonymously, to striving to manipulate others, and to being dishonest, two-faced, treacherous, and amoral. It’s as if someone took the Scout Law (“A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, …”) and turned it completely upside down…This description is in fact almost identical to what psychologists refer to as the psychopathic personality. These people have two big advantages over the rest of us. First, they have no inclination to be bound by the rules that the rest of us are bound by. And secondly, they have their authoritarian followers (more about them later) to give them lots of aid and support.
The authoritarian followers-Human gullibility and sycophancy
Altemeyer’s explanation – The gullibility of authoritarian followers
Gullibility is one of the trademarks of the authoritarian followers, who provide crucial support for their authoritarian leaders. Altemeyer defines authoritarian followers as having three core characteristics: 1) high degree of submission to authority; 2) willingness to attack other people in the name of the authority; and 3) highly conventional attitudes. Altemeyer discusses the submission to authority, lack of independent thinking and need for approval that characterizes the authoritarian followers: Authoritarian followers seem to have a “Daddy and mommy know best” attitude toward the government. They do not see laws as social standards that apply to all. Instead, they appear to think that authorities are above the law, and can decide which laws apply to them and which do not – just as parents can when one is young…
If you ask subjects to rank the importance of various values in life, authoritarian followers place “being normal” substantially higher than most people do. It’s almost as though they want to disappear as individuals into the vast vat of Ordinaries. Though they habitually use the rhetoric of righteousness, they tend to be full of hatred, and their behavior quickly turns ugly when they are under stress. Altemeyer explains: They get off smiting the sinner; they relish being “the arm of the Lord.”… which suggests authoritarian followers have a little volcano of hostility bubbling away inside them looking for a (safe, approved) way to erupt….They usually avoid anything approaching a fair fight. Instead they aggress when they believe right and might are on their side. “Right” for them means, more than anything else, that their hostility is (in their minds) endorsed by established authority, or supports such authority. “Might” means they have a huge physical advantage over their target, in weaponry say, or in numbers, as in a lynch mob. It’s striking how often authoritarian aggression happens in dark and cowardly ways, in the dark, by cowards who later will do everything they possibly can to avoid responsibility for what they did. Women, children, and others unable to defend themselves are typical victims. Even more striking, the attackers typically feel morally superior to the people they are assaulting in an unfair fight…’
The astute readers might perceive the above frightening psychological topography prevailing amidst our own politicos. Welcome to the world of Ponerology (the science of evil). Take note: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” Jiddu Krishnamurti. Good Day!