Is our
country headed for authoritarian rule? Adam Tooze’s book “Shutdown How Covid
Shook the World’s Economy” caught my attention. He stated that our collective
will is so divided that we can’t decide or agree on how much to spend, what to
spend it on, who should benefit and when to pay for it-on a continuum from now
to…. paints a grim future. It seems to
me, that these dire economic, political, religious and social conditions
contribute to the possibility of our country heading toward an authoritarian
rule. Not to be forgotten, that at one
time, Ashkenazi Jews contributed greatly to Germany’s intellectual, scientific,
social, philosophical and artistic accomplishments. Yet, despite that fact,
Germany was vulnerable for authoritarian dictatorship. Its humiliating defeat
in World War I coupled with the axis power structures punishment of Germany along
with the great depression contributed greatly to finding a scapegoat so that many
German people welcomed Nazi rule. This essay addresses some psychological
components that contribute to this country heading toward authoritarian rule.
All of us
are affected emotionally and at times threatened by our culture with its biased
political, economic, social, and criminal justice institutions. Also, we have
to deal and cope with the ravages, frustrations, and stresses of fire,
flooding, tsunami, tornadoes, hurricanes within nature occurrences. If that’s
not enough, the frailty of our brain and body becomes a third threat.
More
specifically, all begin life powerlessness and dependent and not at all able to
survive on our own. Thereafter, we begin to objectify self from other. This
allows us to begin our identifications starting with parents. In essence, a
sense of helplessness, dependency and identifications are emotionally based.
They are significant like being imprinted and remain with us until the very
end.
Within this
human psychological kaleidoscope, the newborn, must resolve and deal with a
multitude of the physiological requirements that are necessary for growth and
well-being. The emotional crisis and
frustrations are ongoing as in the physiological requirements that include food,
water, sleep and warmth. They are fixed, necessary for survival and “provided”
by parents for significant periods of time. If these physiological requirements
are not met satisfactorily, frustrations, deficits and deficiencies occur and
become associated with physical and emotional illness. As a result, the
implications for growth or deficiencies are the lifelong conditions. Successful
or non-successful resolution affects the next need requirement that include the
emotional needs for security and safety. It’s like proceeding step by step up a
ladder. Is that succeeding step secure, slippery or broken? Successful resolution is associated emotionally
with growth and well-being while non successful need resolution is associated
with stagnation, painful consequences, and frustration, physical and emotional
illness. The importance of protection provided by parents is paramount. Man’s
character is based on interpersonal interactions-good or bad.
In this initial
need stage of development, food frustrations and deficiencies can be observed with
continued painful crying and fussing behavior. At first, there is not much else
the helpless and dependent infant can do. There is no mastery or effectance. With later development, a compensation for powerlessness
can be observed with refusal to eat, tantrums, hiding food etc. in essence the
quest to compensate for helplessness and powerlessness expresses itself in a
power attempt to control. This behavior is actually attempting to obtain
reassurance against the deficit related to the anxiety or tension. To obtain
continued satisfaction around food deficits, especially among certain groups,
is difficult. We note that there are tremendous inequalities regarding nutrition,
deficiencies and poverty. A ZIP Code location identifies the socioeconomic
story. Note that life expectancy in this country is decreasing while obesity,
overweight, diabetes, homelessness and poverty is on the rise. These facts are
associated with sickness.
Apparently,
the EPA has not updated, drinking water contaminants since the
turn-of-the-century. We know about Flint, Michigan’s issues with lead and
cancer. However, virus’s protozoa, Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium
contaminate the water and rapidly cause widespread and serious illnesses related
to ZIP Code location and socioeconomic status.
In referring
to air quality, the climate crisis currently exists and affects all. In fact,
one can locate the air quality Index for their location. This past summer, I
viewed my air quality Index to determine whether to run on the trails. With this
being said, the ability to meet one’s physiological requirements, for growth,
can be challenging for most. Without growth there is no well-being. Instead a
psychological vulnerability foreshadows future.
After the
physiological requirements, the next stage relates to security and safety. For
example, financial security is extremely important. Currently, income
inequality, debt, homeownership, minimum wage, education levels, artificial intelligence,
homeless, employment opportunity and
irrationality are current factors and concerns affecting too many. Once again
ZIP Code location tells the economic story.
An article
in the New York Times August 29, 2021 “Were Burring Our Kids in Debt,” pointed
out that the Philadelphia Schools have $4.5 billion of unmet infrastructure
needs despite high levels of affluence in the city. Inequitable table
distribution of state and of progressive taxation including hundreds of
billions of dollars in local corporate tax breaks have exacerbated budget shortfalls.
Further, in 2019, K-12 schools debt nearly reached 500 billion, a 118% increase
from 2002. City schools all across the country are at risk also especially in
the poverty areas. Do the schools hire more teachers or repair the classrooms?
Steven
Pinker’s “Rationality What is it, Why it Seem Scarce, Why it Matters” points to
the modus morons in our country. He pointed out that Kahneman and Tversky’s
experiments showed that simple assumptions about what people want and what
drives their decision-making are often more unrealistic than was previously
thought. Pinker added that we live in a pandemic of poppycock. According to one
Gallup poll, “42% of Americans believe in the demonic possession.” According to
Department of Education, fewer than half of Americans adults are proficient at
reading and according to a Department of Health study, one third of adults have
difficulty interpreting simple health information, such as the instructions on
a drug label. Yes, this country is headed in the wrong direction.
Another
security and safety needs relates to health and wellness. The pandemic wreaked
havoc on too many. 46 ½ million cases with more than 754,000 deaths are current
statistics. Families have been devastated economically and health wise despite the
availability of masks, social distancing and vaccine medication. Poverty level,
and racial injustice also affect health and wellness dramatically. Poor health
limit one’s ability to work; it reduces economic opportunities; retards
educational attainment and leads to medical debt and bankruptcy. According to
the Department of Labor, employees away from work due to illness affect
productivity. Causes of poverty include: 1. Lack of shelter 2. Limited access
to clean water resources 3. Food insecurity 4. Physical disabilities 5. Lack of
access to health care 6. Unemployment 7. Absence of social services 8. Gender
discrimination.
With
physiological, security and safety deficits, sets the crisis for a continued
sense of helplessness and dependency. Psychologically, one attempts to protect
oneself against the tension and anxiety. As a result, a quest for power,
affection and dependence emerges as a compensation. Unfortunately, the pursuit
of power affects our unions with others because we have to fortify and
strengthen our position of control and dominance.
Accompanying
pursuing power are feelings of hatred, inferiority and weakness. Of course
there can be a normal striving for power out of one’s strength as demonstrated
by LeBron or Steph, or a neurotic need out of weakness and helplessness. Hatred
and repressed hostility are common. Yet, at times, be channeled, in benign ways.
Pursuing power also serves as protection for being regarded as insignificant. With
the pursuit of power we find the pursuit of affiliation with a hate or white
nationalist group, or the white skinned Republican Party. These cannot tolerate
being alone or being insignificant .They have to cooperate and win the affection
of other like-minded souls. With repressed hostility, it’s easy to affiliate
with an aggressive group. It’s about consensus, loyalty or a band of hate
brothers with their idealization of strength. It is common for the hate group
to scapegoat. They worship strength and despise the weak. It is not uncommon
for an armed hater to kill the unarmed or vulnerable. Being in a group masks
the contempt with their own unconscious feelings.
This culture
also depicts power. We are told that we are the most powerful nation on earth;
we have the most powerful military killing machine; we are the wealthiest
nation; we have the most guns; we have the most killings and we have the best
universities. We also rank teams according to power; we rank players; and we
rank universities. Winning, dominating is the rule. We want our team to
dominate its power by running up the score against the opponent. If a star
player from the opposing team gets injured .yea!
A number of
people claim to be Christians. They certainly don’t follow the teachings and
behavior of Jesus .Christ did not lie, steal, hate, discriminate and kill. Oh I
forgot, Christ died for their sins so they can sin when they want. Saying “I
believe “is very different than exhibiting a toxic attitude and actions towards
others. Christ did not scapegoat, restrict people to hear him, lie, steal, kill
or have his followers beat up the nonbelievers. We are a Christian nation? Christianity was
once about the poor but now it’s about the “white” and the powerful.
The pursuit
of power individuals have the desire to control others regardless. They have to
have their own way and never give in. This quality of my way or the highway
does not do well for unions. They have to dominate and humiliate others
regardless.
With
identification, powerless individuals seek the high and mighty. In childhood,
protection and safety was provided by parents –especially a strong father. Emotionally, his protection, his wisdom-
knowledge, and his expertise was supreme. His words were the law, unchallenged
and unconditionally believed to be true. With devotion, compliance, and loyalty,
followed his love, approval and being liked. Disloyalty or oppositionalness was
met with disapproval, anger, hostility or some other form of punishment.
Because of emotional helplessness and insecurity as a child, later in life, a
transfer is made to a more powerful “father” for ongoing dealings with reality.
This new transfer figure doesn’t provide food, water, air etc. He provides an
illusion to assist the individual in dealing with his own racism and other
reality conflicts and issues.
Turning to Donald, he was Superman on his popular
TV show. He was powerful, in charge, fired others and disrespected others freely.
Despite losing the popular vote, he ran the government as he did his TV show.
He was invincible, he could be impeached but not convicted. His attorney
general was his attorney. If he didn’t want anyone to submit to a subpoena, he
was supported by the Atty. Gen. and the Republican Senators. He could do no
wrong without any consequences. Did he break the law? He was the law. Even the
party of whites became his party with loyal followers. It didn’t matter that he
freely lied, was amoral, and was incompetent. That was his appeal to the followers. His
Covid 19 debacle revealed his incompetence and his hostility. The loyalists followed
irrespective of the consequences. Some die for him. Is Donald a racist authoritarian and white
supremacist? Of course he is. Did Donald attempt to steal the election? Of
course.
Superman has
a weakness- his vulnerability to kryptonite and he can lose power when he is
exposed to the yellow sunlight etc. His strength and abilities will drastically
be diminished if on the receiving end of too much radiation .His intellectual
capacity and ability to think can be overloaded to the point of pain.
Donald has a kryptonite weakness. His weakness
is called democracy or allowing people to vote. This” kryptonite” weakness also
affects the power of the white. If only limited educated, racists and whites
voted, Donald wins easily. However, the majority of black, brown, Asian etc.
oppose him. Political and economic power always has been limited to white
people, primarily men. That fact does not bother many of the powerlessness of
whites. Their deficits were on display on January 6. One of these savage haters
was all dressed up in paraphernalia looking into the camera while making loud
noises. One mother took a number of pictures of self, at the capitol, and emailed
them to her children. I bet that this family is narcissistic and extremely
dysfunctional. When caught, this mother attempted to destroy the evidence. What a mother! What about the armed 17-year-old
who had his mother drive him from Illinois to Wisconsin to attend a rally? Oh
yeah, he killed a few. Both he and his mother should be locked up. On another
occasion, I heard a defense attorney telling a Georgia jury that his armed
defendant was acting in self-defense when he killed an unarmed man jogging. I
forgot-lying is the norm.
For the
minority party of whites, it’s about power. They are afraid of becoming
insignificant and irrelevant. Their hostility has been expressed by voting
against infrastructure, John Lewis’s legislative bill, minimum wage, tax breaks for the poor
and middle class, immigration reform, police reform, filibuster, changing
gerrymandering, investigating the lies and corruption regarding stealing the vote
and January 6. The issue is not democracy
but the trend toward authoritarianism. Economic, political, social, religious,
and climate present obvious danger. Not only that, this oppression along with
the conflict between people of color, intellectually elite and the Democrats
results in individual becoming more radical. We are in the grips of this threat
of human violence and destruction Today’s oppressed are mentally, emotionally
and physically sick. All the above conditions propagate and create the
conditions for authoritarian rule even without a world war or global depression.
The
emotional ideas presented are based on the importance of child rearing. This
brief disquisition identified only a few of the ideas affecting the human
psyche. The personal history within the first five years provides the ground
floor of behavioral and emotional tendencies for character development. Obviously, there are many additional factors
that were not addressed.
References
Freud,
Sigmund. Civilization and Its Discontents, W. W. Norton and Company Inc.
Maslow,
Abraham. Toward a Psychology of Being, D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc.
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