Buddy
The Living Force
RE: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167942-An-experiment-in-humanity-Bullies-cowards-and-something-else
I have been unable to participate in the forum for awhile. Upon coming back and catching up, I came across a post to the SOTT site - the importance of which belies its simple, unassuming presentation. The video of which this post consists seems to be a fairly useful illustration of society-at-large. At least in the sense of the macrocosm reflecting the microcosm; or, as without, so within. By this I mean that we all probably encounter situations similar to this on a day-to-day basis and the reactions of the various customers in this staged experiment represent real reactions by real people to real situations and would, therefore, present real opportunities for lessons - for learning and to demonstrate knowledge.
For the sake of this discussion, let's assume the situation actually happened as created by the actors. The tyrant behind the counter obviously operates from a juvenile dictionary, possibly having a cartoon image, divorced from reality, of what it really means to "be American".
Considering this quote from http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/adventures177.htm :
"Don Juan explained that the mistake average men make in confronting petty tyrants is that they do not understand that reality is an interpretation we make, and that interpretation is based on knowledge and awareness. The plain fact is: Petty Tyrants interpret reality according to the Juvenile Dictionary."
This individual (tyrant behind the counter) doesn't realize that government is not the equivalent of one's country. Governments are based on abstract notions and agreements; countries are objectively real entities of defined territories, and this particular defined territory was founded on principles of legal equality and inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for ALL the people. I think the Founding Fathers intended that individuals would not have to suffer experiences such as this without having easy access to justice and protection.
It seems to me that a person can love his or her country, but properly despise the government that with usurped power constantly harms and drains everyone within its realm. The individual who identifies himself with a government fighting a 'war on terror' is by no means necessarily any kind of 'real or true American'. In fact, knowing how to articulate this, should one decide to do so, may just reveal the tyrant's ANTI-Americanism for all to see.
At this point, the tyrant may perceive two choices - to back down or escalate further until he does "...something so stupid, so destructive, that finally, due to the forbearance of the warrior who knows the nature of the Predator, the Petty Tyrants receive their "due" - generally at their own hands. And thus the dynamic ends."[1]
Concerning the customers who sided with the 'tyrant'...it seems like not a single one has any idea that they could be questioned. In fact, any attempt to question them seems to end in some inane childish comment and display of anger. This reminds me of the individual(s) who "sold out" in order to survive."[2] It makes me wonder if, sometime in his past, the 'clapper' discovered that agreeing with and supporting the petty tyrant in his personal life provided very appealing survival benefits that far outweighed any benefit of questioning and challenging and became, thereby, a deeply held approval-getting mechanism.
Of the customers who took a stand for the victim, it was interesting to see two different expressions of this. One man seemed to be so upset he could barely make a coherent sentence - and had to use profanity to finish it. Was this a sign of deep-down rage? If so, if this is present in a sizable segment of the population, it would explain why governments fear the people so much that they draw up plans for population control - even martial law in anticipation of civil unrest over their political policies and destructive legislations. After all, what incompetent Polititian would stand a chance against 1000's of rage-filled citizens, storming down the hall to drag him out to be hung from a tree or made to face a firing squad?[3]
The other type of support for the victim was expressed by a young lady who was accompanied by her muslim friend. She appeared to be calm, maintaining her cool, and could 'think on her feet'. She asked questions and stood up to the victimizer without losing emotional control or suffering from 'brain-stoppage'. I thought this was very admirable. I'll bet if more people chose to consistently react in such a manner, the majority of petty tyrants could be dragged into the light and stopped in their tracks or forced to play their hand so that justice could be served.
It is the last group of people - the quiet majority (cowards/sheeple?) that interests me most. In fact, it seems like it is much easier to understand the motivations of the ones who sided with the petty tyrant behind the counter and the ones who took a stand with the victim, than the 'cowards' who simply did nothing. One might argue: What is there to know about cowardice? It is what it is and there is no mystery about it. Perhaps so. Some justifications for cowardice seem to be: 'minding our own business', 'not trying to start a fight', not wanting to appear to be 'ganging up' on someone (the oppressor), not being 'controlling' towards others, fear of losing control of our own emotions/behavior, fear of being humiliated with 'being wrong' because we didn't know 'the whole story', more...?
Though these may be some of justifications, what exactly are we justifying on a deeper level? What exactly is the fear? May I suggest that it is the fear of discovering that at some point in our past, we chose to 'bind' ourselves to an idea (identification) that is not actually anchored in reality...that is, in fact, opposed to reality and therefore not true? And upon making this discovery, we feel like a fool - and that we did it to ourselves through our own mental laziness? I don't know, but I suspect so. It is hard to, at once, feel like oneself is basically a good person and yet to realize that one has mistaken the feeling of identifying with an idea as being equal to 'intuiting the truth' about something.
My own personal history involves situations of 'cowardice' similar to the staged video demo. It seems that since I was beat up and shut up so many times over the years, I never developed any appreciation for, or knowledge of, any other way of handling emotionally volatile situations. I didn't have any reliable "behavior models" that "won" in these types of situations. I have seen injustices similar to the video and my typical reaction would start with an internal shaking, followed by anger and then a fear that I would get hurt somehow, because I really wasn't sure exactly what to say or do. To keep these feelings at bay, I would have to walk off without thinking much about it - thus the 'cowardly' reaction. I would pay for it later though. As emotions subsided and free-flowing thought returned, my self-esteem would crash. If I had been feeling like a confident, courageous 'man' before the incident, I certainly didn't now. And that sucked. I beat myself up probably worse than anyone else would have, and it made me kind of hateful towards myself for awhile.
It seems timid, acquiescent children make timid, acquiescent adults. The subconscious mind seems to store and serve up fear, guilt and other immobilizing emotions on cue. It doesn't seem to distinguish between parents/caregivers who "only wanted you to behave" from the political, religious or other 'authorities' who demand that you believe and/or comply with their utterances. Various situations that one may encounter in day-to-day life sometimes seem to contain many of the subconscious associations that stimulate fear in the present moment while removing the necessary mental environment for clear, rational thinking - creating, in effect, a 'brain-stopper' condition. Having little or no experience and confidence to successfully navigate through this internal condition, we 'go along to get along', allowing injustices to continue. Or so I think.
Being better able to think things through is why I am thankful for having been exposed to the Work. It has given me new perspectives with which to view myself and solid anchors to hold onto as I learn more about my machine.
Thanks for this article!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES
[1] http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/adventures177.htm
[2] From: http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/adventures155.htm
In an article discussing phenomenon identified as Stockholm Syndrome, the concept being laid out describes the idea of an individual victim in "...a system that is clearly operating based on manipulation and terror tactics [and] has dissociated and identified with the oppressor; he or she has "sold out" in order to survive."
[...]
"When there is a socially imposed mandate to "think nice thoughts" and view the world in a positive light, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, people find it necessary to become highly attuned to the approval or disapproval of the "social norms." As a result, they are motivated to learn how to think in social norms, and do not examine their own, honest experiences. As victims of Societal Stockholm Syndrome, we are encouraged to develop psychological characteristics pleasing to the system. These include: dependency, lack of initiative, inability to act, decide, think; strategies for staying alive, including denial, attentiveness to the system's demands, wants, and expressions of approval of the system itself. We are taught to develop fondness for the system accompanied by fear of interference by anyone who challenges the system's perspective. Most of all, we are conditioned to be overwhelmingly grateful to the system for giving us life. We focus on the system's kindnesses, not its acts of brutality. Denial of terror and anger, and the perception of the system as omnipotent keep us psychologically attached to the Matrix Control System. High anxiety functions to keep us from seeing available options. Psychophysical stress responses develop."
[3] _http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/ceausescu.html
In 1989, Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was the head of state, the head of the Communist Party, the head of the armed forces, chairman of the Supreme Council for Economic and Social Development, president of the National Council of Working People, and chairman of the Socialist Democracy and Unity Front. On 22 December of that year, Ceausescu made his last attempt to address a huge crowd of rage-filled citizens. Several hours later he was captured fleeing for his life. Three days later, he and his wife were sentenced to death and shot by firing squad. YES, I'd say you can bet these murdering, thieving psychopaths in government(s) know this story well and fear for their life should the people rise up against them.
I have been unable to participate in the forum for awhile. Upon coming back and catching up, I came across a post to the SOTT site - the importance of which belies its simple, unassuming presentation. The video of which this post consists seems to be a fairly useful illustration of society-at-large. At least in the sense of the macrocosm reflecting the microcosm; or, as without, so within. By this I mean that we all probably encounter situations similar to this on a day-to-day basis and the reactions of the various customers in this staged experiment represent real reactions by real people to real situations and would, therefore, present real opportunities for lessons - for learning and to demonstrate knowledge.
For the sake of this discussion, let's assume the situation actually happened as created by the actors. The tyrant behind the counter obviously operates from a juvenile dictionary, possibly having a cartoon image, divorced from reality, of what it really means to "be American".
Considering this quote from http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/adventures177.htm :
"Don Juan explained that the mistake average men make in confronting petty tyrants is that they do not understand that reality is an interpretation we make, and that interpretation is based on knowledge and awareness. The plain fact is: Petty Tyrants interpret reality according to the Juvenile Dictionary."
This individual (tyrant behind the counter) doesn't realize that government is not the equivalent of one's country. Governments are based on abstract notions and agreements; countries are objectively real entities of defined territories, and this particular defined territory was founded on principles of legal equality and inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for ALL the people. I think the Founding Fathers intended that individuals would not have to suffer experiences such as this without having easy access to justice and protection.
It seems to me that a person can love his or her country, but properly despise the government that with usurped power constantly harms and drains everyone within its realm. The individual who identifies himself with a government fighting a 'war on terror' is by no means necessarily any kind of 'real or true American'. In fact, knowing how to articulate this, should one decide to do so, may just reveal the tyrant's ANTI-Americanism for all to see.
At this point, the tyrant may perceive two choices - to back down or escalate further until he does "...something so stupid, so destructive, that finally, due to the forbearance of the warrior who knows the nature of the Predator, the Petty Tyrants receive their "due" - generally at their own hands. And thus the dynamic ends."[1]
Concerning the customers who sided with the 'tyrant'...it seems like not a single one has any idea that they could be questioned. In fact, any attempt to question them seems to end in some inane childish comment and display of anger. This reminds me of the individual(s) who "sold out" in order to survive."[2] It makes me wonder if, sometime in his past, the 'clapper' discovered that agreeing with and supporting the petty tyrant in his personal life provided very appealing survival benefits that far outweighed any benefit of questioning and challenging and became, thereby, a deeply held approval-getting mechanism.
Of the customers who took a stand for the victim, it was interesting to see two different expressions of this. One man seemed to be so upset he could barely make a coherent sentence - and had to use profanity to finish it. Was this a sign of deep-down rage? If so, if this is present in a sizable segment of the population, it would explain why governments fear the people so much that they draw up plans for population control - even martial law in anticipation of civil unrest over their political policies and destructive legislations. After all, what incompetent Polititian would stand a chance against 1000's of rage-filled citizens, storming down the hall to drag him out to be hung from a tree or made to face a firing squad?[3]
The other type of support for the victim was expressed by a young lady who was accompanied by her muslim friend. She appeared to be calm, maintaining her cool, and could 'think on her feet'. She asked questions and stood up to the victimizer without losing emotional control or suffering from 'brain-stoppage'. I thought this was very admirable. I'll bet if more people chose to consistently react in such a manner, the majority of petty tyrants could be dragged into the light and stopped in their tracks or forced to play their hand so that justice could be served.
It is the last group of people - the quiet majority (cowards/sheeple?) that interests me most. In fact, it seems like it is much easier to understand the motivations of the ones who sided with the petty tyrant behind the counter and the ones who took a stand with the victim, than the 'cowards' who simply did nothing. One might argue: What is there to know about cowardice? It is what it is and there is no mystery about it. Perhaps so. Some justifications for cowardice seem to be: 'minding our own business', 'not trying to start a fight', not wanting to appear to be 'ganging up' on someone (the oppressor), not being 'controlling' towards others, fear of losing control of our own emotions/behavior, fear of being humiliated with 'being wrong' because we didn't know 'the whole story', more...?
Though these may be some of justifications, what exactly are we justifying on a deeper level? What exactly is the fear? May I suggest that it is the fear of discovering that at some point in our past, we chose to 'bind' ourselves to an idea (identification) that is not actually anchored in reality...that is, in fact, opposed to reality and therefore not true? And upon making this discovery, we feel like a fool - and that we did it to ourselves through our own mental laziness? I don't know, but I suspect so. It is hard to, at once, feel like oneself is basically a good person and yet to realize that one has mistaken the feeling of identifying with an idea as being equal to 'intuiting the truth' about something.
My own personal history involves situations of 'cowardice' similar to the staged video demo. It seems that since I was beat up and shut up so many times over the years, I never developed any appreciation for, or knowledge of, any other way of handling emotionally volatile situations. I didn't have any reliable "behavior models" that "won" in these types of situations. I have seen injustices similar to the video and my typical reaction would start with an internal shaking, followed by anger and then a fear that I would get hurt somehow, because I really wasn't sure exactly what to say or do. To keep these feelings at bay, I would have to walk off without thinking much about it - thus the 'cowardly' reaction. I would pay for it later though. As emotions subsided and free-flowing thought returned, my self-esteem would crash. If I had been feeling like a confident, courageous 'man' before the incident, I certainly didn't now. And that sucked. I beat myself up probably worse than anyone else would have, and it made me kind of hateful towards myself for awhile.
It seems timid, acquiescent children make timid, acquiescent adults. The subconscious mind seems to store and serve up fear, guilt and other immobilizing emotions on cue. It doesn't seem to distinguish between parents/caregivers who "only wanted you to behave" from the political, religious or other 'authorities' who demand that you believe and/or comply with their utterances. Various situations that one may encounter in day-to-day life sometimes seem to contain many of the subconscious associations that stimulate fear in the present moment while removing the necessary mental environment for clear, rational thinking - creating, in effect, a 'brain-stopper' condition. Having little or no experience and confidence to successfully navigate through this internal condition, we 'go along to get along', allowing injustices to continue. Or so I think.
Being better able to think things through is why I am thankful for having been exposed to the Work. It has given me new perspectives with which to view myself and solid anchors to hold onto as I learn more about my machine.
Thanks for this article!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES
[1] http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/adventures177.htm
[2] From: http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/adventures155.htm
In an article discussing phenomenon identified as Stockholm Syndrome, the concept being laid out describes the idea of an individual victim in "...a system that is clearly operating based on manipulation and terror tactics [and] has dissociated and identified with the oppressor; he or she has "sold out" in order to survive."
[...]
"When there is a socially imposed mandate to "think nice thoughts" and view the world in a positive light, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, people find it necessary to become highly attuned to the approval or disapproval of the "social norms." As a result, they are motivated to learn how to think in social norms, and do not examine their own, honest experiences. As victims of Societal Stockholm Syndrome, we are encouraged to develop psychological characteristics pleasing to the system. These include: dependency, lack of initiative, inability to act, decide, think; strategies for staying alive, including denial, attentiveness to the system's demands, wants, and expressions of approval of the system itself. We are taught to develop fondness for the system accompanied by fear of interference by anyone who challenges the system's perspective. Most of all, we are conditioned to be overwhelmingly grateful to the system for giving us life. We focus on the system's kindnesses, not its acts of brutality. Denial of terror and anger, and the perception of the system as omnipotent keep us psychologically attached to the Matrix Control System. High anxiety functions to keep us from seeing available options. Psychophysical stress responses develop."
[3] _http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/ceausescu.html
In 1989, Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was the head of state, the head of the Communist Party, the head of the armed forces, chairman of the Supreme Council for Economic and Social Development, president of the National Council of Working People, and chairman of the Socialist Democracy and Unity Front. On 22 December of that year, Ceausescu made his last attempt to address a huge crowd of rage-filled citizens. Several hours later he was captured fleeing for his life. Three days later, he and his wife were sentenced to death and shot by firing squad. YES, I'd say you can bet these murdering, thieving psychopaths in government(s) know this story well and fear for their life should the people rise up against them.
