It's more of a rant borne of frustration with some of the folks I have on my Facebook 'friends' list, (which may need some pruning), but I thought this might make for an article of some sort.
It needs links and references.
First they came for the Muslims...
Then they came for the anti-vaxers...
Then they came for the Global Warming deniers...
Then they came for the smokers...
Then they came for the meat eaters...
Then they came for the homeless...
-Not necessarily in that order.
Have you noticed that the rhetoric on social media against these various groups is growing in pitch, with more frequent calls for violence?
FOX News talking head, Jeanine Pirro, ranting about Muslims, describing dangerous (fictitious) “No Go Zones" in England and France where the Muslim population had supposedly taken over, looked straight into the camera, practically shaking with rage, and told American viewers that “We need to KILL them ALL”. This is not new of course; Eric Rush after the Boston Bombings voiced a similar call to violent action, but it seems to be coming hard and heavy these days.
_http://www.theweek.co.uk/media/62081/fox-news-host-calls-for-mass-killing-of-islamists
_http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/muslims-are-evil-lets-kill-them-all-us-tv-commentator-erik-rush-provokes-furious-reaction-with-boston-bombing-twitter-rants-8575176.html
And while it could be, (and was) argued that these comments were not directed at the entire Muslim population.., that inclination is ever so thinly veiled.
Recently sampled from FaceBook after the Disneyland Measles outbreak : “I’m so sick of the anti-vax loons, I just want to drive my car into them!” -With many supporting comments of a similar vitriolic nature and double-digits beside the little Thumbs Up icon.
I can’t say I’ve heard any parent opposed to vaccination call for violence. -Considering that they are the ones being pressured against their will to inject toxin-laced monkey kidney serum into their babies, such restraint is remarkable. (No.., it’s not restraint. More a sense of anxious confusion. What kind of person wishes violence against those who do not believe the same things they do?)
A recent story tells of some kids setting fire to a man sleeping on the beach. A homeless man. They doused him and his possessions with lighter fluid, and set him on FIRE.
_http://abc7chicago.com/news/homeless-man-set-on-fire-while-sleeping-at-ventura-beach/480877/
What kind of people DO that?
Welcome everybody, to the concept of the Authoritarian Follower.
Everybody likes to think that they are their own bosses, the masters of their own ship, that they do not believe simply because they are told to. They don't buy crunchy cheese stick snacks or soft drinks because they saw an advert, but because, from their very core, they came up with the idea themselves! Nobody likes to think of themselves as an easily manipulated lab rat responding to external impulses.
But this is observably, quite simply not the case.
Let there be no mistake about it; we are ALL vulnerable. But some of us recognize this fact and choose to rebel.
Those who decide they would rather follow their own internal sense of authority rather than live in constant obedience to external pressures to behave in certain ways... these people have to work on themselves. They expend time and energy, make the monumental effort to learn and discern the lies, to tease the truth from the morass of conflicting reports. This is difficult. It is very difficult. It often hurts, and not just in an intellectual sense of the word; it actually causes discomfort when we work to re-wire our brains with new response pathways. (Link?)
Those who do this work, who find the courage to hold beliefs which are not popular, to face down legal implications, to sacrifice community acceptance (often mistaken as "love"), to face down those who want to drive cars into us for not being obedient, These people must draw strength from within, from their own seated sense of Self. From their own Personal Authority.
And yes, it is hard. It takes time and effort to grow this part of ourselves, and most importantly, it takes a conscious Choice to do so.
The Authoritarian Follower, by contrast, at some point in life either gave up before overwhelming abuse or pressure from parents and teachers, etc., and chose a much easier route; a much less demanding route. One which does not hurt the brain.
They chose to follow External Authorities. -To place obedience above rational considerations of whether or not those authorities are actually right, (morally or factually).
And it is my belief that deep down, such people don’t respect themselves for this. They are told that they are the Good Sons and Daughters. That they are to be praised for their obedience. But deep down...
They see the actions of the Bad Sons and Daughters, the disobedient ones, and the see the public reaction. And while there is professed scorn and demeaning, there is something else they see. Something infuriating and personally painful to observe. They recognize...
Respect.
Grudging respect, of course, but it is there nonetheless. Secretly expressed by the herd; deep and instinctive. It is the reason women sometimes find themselves, against all reason, attracted to the 'bad boy'. -The one with the strength to disobey that which everybody else bends before.
This is not to say that all Bad Boys are really good. There are true monsters out there, those with no compassion who disregard social norms, who sabotage the world around them for their own selfish gains. Psychopaths and bullies.
But those who have both a developed sense of compassion AND a strong sense of their own internal authority...
Such people are a different matter altogether.
Such people have what esoteric literature calls a “Magnetic Center”. A metaphor perhaps, but an apt one. Like iron filings responding to an iron lodestone, people can feel it. You've seen it. Crowds and gatherings instinctively move, configure themselves to accommodate those who move due to their own internal forces. There is a silent recognition given to who have this kind of strength.
The Authoritarian Follower, seeing this, on a deep, deep level, is incensed! Not for the many surface reasons they exclaim, but because they recognize by contrast their own weakness and laziness and lack of internal fortitude. They would never call those things by name. They cannot. It cuts too close to the truth. "Why should THEY get all the real respect when I am the one who did as I was told?"
Thus wounded by the mere comparison, they lash out. -Feeling justified because it is not to them an attack made on a hapless and baffled recipient of their violence, but because that recipient, that self-possessed person, merely by existing attacked them first! An attack upon their ego.
"I want to drive my car into them!"
Far more so than the psychoapths and bullies... (with whom the Authoritarian Follower share qualities), such people are the enemy.
Okay.
So that's the problem.
What is the solution?
It is a mistake to create divisions, to make Authoritarian Followers the "Other". That kind of thinking is all too seductive, and it is what lies at the core of so many problems. It is a tactic. Another manipulation.
So what then..?
I don't have the definitive answer, but I have found it effective to understand that Fear of Rejection is at the core, driving such people. -Fear of being rejected and accused by their parents and peers and teachers when they were young. Of being singled out, with that herd sense of "love" withheld.
Fearing rejection and ridicule, (without a core confidence and belief in oneself, such people can only draw confidence and belief from the opinions and projections of those around them), such people are always on guard against any perceived slight. It is, (among other things) this force which makes email and social networking such a mine-field. People so easily convinced that they are being maligned even when they are not; the fight response kicks in and reasonable discussion of any sort becomes impossible.
So I try, when engaging such people, to make a point of never resorting to the usual behaviors; personal attacks or sarcasm. Just the facts, ma'am! Keep it straight. Don't try to FEED on people's pain by trying to wound their egos. (And that's what it is, make no mistake! Energetic feeding. We ALL have the capacity to exploit this easy source. But the self-possessed person is not required to do this. The more self-possessed, the greater the ability to draw energy from other sources; physical food, sleep, the very Earth itself.)
I also sometimes try to make it clear in direct words. "I have no desire to hurt you. I don't want to make you feel bad or 'win'. When I discuss this stuff, it's because I am genuinely interested in it. I am interested in finding Truth, not in making anybody wrong or padding my own ego. Winning for me is about getting to the bottom of things, and that's the kind of winning which both of us can share. -And please, if I don't know what I'm talking about, I want to know that, too."
This sort of approach to work to a degree.
It makes it better, anyway.
Thoughts..?
It needs links and references.
First they came for the Muslims...
Then they came for the anti-vaxers...
Then they came for the Global Warming deniers...
Then they came for the smokers...
Then they came for the meat eaters...
Then they came for the homeless...
-Not necessarily in that order.
Have you noticed that the rhetoric on social media against these various groups is growing in pitch, with more frequent calls for violence?
FOX News talking head, Jeanine Pirro, ranting about Muslims, describing dangerous (fictitious) “No Go Zones" in England and France where the Muslim population had supposedly taken over, looked straight into the camera, practically shaking with rage, and told American viewers that “We need to KILL them ALL”. This is not new of course; Eric Rush after the Boston Bombings voiced a similar call to violent action, but it seems to be coming hard and heavy these days.
_http://www.theweek.co.uk/media/62081/fox-news-host-calls-for-mass-killing-of-islamists
_http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/muslims-are-evil-lets-kill-them-all-us-tv-commentator-erik-rush-provokes-furious-reaction-with-boston-bombing-twitter-rants-8575176.html
And while it could be, (and was) argued that these comments were not directed at the entire Muslim population.., that inclination is ever so thinly veiled.
Recently sampled from FaceBook after the Disneyland Measles outbreak : “I’m so sick of the anti-vax loons, I just want to drive my car into them!” -With many supporting comments of a similar vitriolic nature and double-digits beside the little Thumbs Up icon.
I can’t say I’ve heard any parent opposed to vaccination call for violence. -Considering that they are the ones being pressured against their will to inject toxin-laced monkey kidney serum into their babies, such restraint is remarkable. (No.., it’s not restraint. More a sense of anxious confusion. What kind of person wishes violence against those who do not believe the same things they do?)
A recent story tells of some kids setting fire to a man sleeping on the beach. A homeless man. They doused him and his possessions with lighter fluid, and set him on FIRE.
_http://abc7chicago.com/news/homeless-man-set-on-fire-while-sleeping-at-ventura-beach/480877/
What kind of people DO that?
Welcome everybody, to the concept of the Authoritarian Follower.
Everybody likes to think that they are their own bosses, the masters of their own ship, that they do not believe simply because they are told to. They don't buy crunchy cheese stick snacks or soft drinks because they saw an advert, but because, from their very core, they came up with the idea themselves! Nobody likes to think of themselves as an easily manipulated lab rat responding to external impulses.
But this is observably, quite simply not the case.
Let there be no mistake about it; we are ALL vulnerable. But some of us recognize this fact and choose to rebel.
Those who decide they would rather follow their own internal sense of authority rather than live in constant obedience to external pressures to behave in certain ways... these people have to work on themselves. They expend time and energy, make the monumental effort to learn and discern the lies, to tease the truth from the morass of conflicting reports. This is difficult. It is very difficult. It often hurts, and not just in an intellectual sense of the word; it actually causes discomfort when we work to re-wire our brains with new response pathways. (Link?)
Those who do this work, who find the courage to hold beliefs which are not popular, to face down legal implications, to sacrifice community acceptance (often mistaken as "love"), to face down those who want to drive cars into us for not being obedient, These people must draw strength from within, from their own seated sense of Self. From their own Personal Authority.
And yes, it is hard. It takes time and effort to grow this part of ourselves, and most importantly, it takes a conscious Choice to do so.
The Authoritarian Follower, by contrast, at some point in life either gave up before overwhelming abuse or pressure from parents and teachers, etc., and chose a much easier route; a much less demanding route. One which does not hurt the brain.
They chose to follow External Authorities. -To place obedience above rational considerations of whether or not those authorities are actually right, (morally or factually).
And it is my belief that deep down, such people don’t respect themselves for this. They are told that they are the Good Sons and Daughters. That they are to be praised for their obedience. But deep down...
They see the actions of the Bad Sons and Daughters, the disobedient ones, and the see the public reaction. And while there is professed scorn and demeaning, there is something else they see. Something infuriating and personally painful to observe. They recognize...
Respect.
Grudging respect, of course, but it is there nonetheless. Secretly expressed by the herd; deep and instinctive. It is the reason women sometimes find themselves, against all reason, attracted to the 'bad boy'. -The one with the strength to disobey that which everybody else bends before.
This is not to say that all Bad Boys are really good. There are true monsters out there, those with no compassion who disregard social norms, who sabotage the world around them for their own selfish gains. Psychopaths and bullies.
But those who have both a developed sense of compassion AND a strong sense of their own internal authority...
Such people are a different matter altogether.
Such people have what esoteric literature calls a “Magnetic Center”. A metaphor perhaps, but an apt one. Like iron filings responding to an iron lodestone, people can feel it. You've seen it. Crowds and gatherings instinctively move, configure themselves to accommodate those who move due to their own internal forces. There is a silent recognition given to who have this kind of strength.
The Authoritarian Follower, seeing this, on a deep, deep level, is incensed! Not for the many surface reasons they exclaim, but because they recognize by contrast their own weakness and laziness and lack of internal fortitude. They would never call those things by name. They cannot. It cuts too close to the truth. "Why should THEY get all the real respect when I am the one who did as I was told?"
Thus wounded by the mere comparison, they lash out. -Feeling justified because it is not to them an attack made on a hapless and baffled recipient of their violence, but because that recipient, that self-possessed person, merely by existing attacked them first! An attack upon their ego.
"I want to drive my car into them!"
Far more so than the psychoapths and bullies... (with whom the Authoritarian Follower share qualities), such people are the enemy.
Okay.
So that's the problem.
What is the solution?
It is a mistake to create divisions, to make Authoritarian Followers the "Other". That kind of thinking is all too seductive, and it is what lies at the core of so many problems. It is a tactic. Another manipulation.
So what then..?
I don't have the definitive answer, but I have found it effective to understand that Fear of Rejection is at the core, driving such people. -Fear of being rejected and accused by their parents and peers and teachers when they were young. Of being singled out, with that herd sense of "love" withheld.
Fearing rejection and ridicule, (without a core confidence and belief in oneself, such people can only draw confidence and belief from the opinions and projections of those around them), such people are always on guard against any perceived slight. It is, (among other things) this force which makes email and social networking such a mine-field. People so easily convinced that they are being maligned even when they are not; the fight response kicks in and reasonable discussion of any sort becomes impossible.
So I try, when engaging such people, to make a point of never resorting to the usual behaviors; personal attacks or sarcasm. Just the facts, ma'am! Keep it straight. Don't try to FEED on people's pain by trying to wound their egos. (And that's what it is, make no mistake! Energetic feeding. We ALL have the capacity to exploit this easy source. But the self-possessed person is not required to do this. The more self-possessed, the greater the ability to draw energy from other sources; physical food, sleep, the very Earth itself.)
I also sometimes try to make it clear in direct words. "I have no desire to hurt you. I don't want to make you feel bad or 'win'. When I discuss this stuff, it's because I am genuinely interested in it. I am interested in finding Truth, not in making anybody wrong or padding my own ego. Winning for me is about getting to the bottom of things, and that's the kind of winning which both of us can share. -And please, if I don't know what I'm talking about, I want to know that, too."
This sort of approach to work to a degree.
It makes it better, anyway.
Thoughts..?
