Thanks for this excellent deep dive into a fascinating subject! I appreciate how you've approached it from many different angles.
"They bank on dependence. Political, economic, social, psychological—they want you hooked."
This, I think, is key to adapting and developing potential solutions, given where we're headed as a society. Since dependence is submission to the domination of the entity we're depending on, developing self-sufficiency as much as possible is at least part of the solution. Perhaps the only one we have at this point. Our ancestors knew this - wisdom many religion-based communities such as the Amish have retained. Growing a garden is a great start! He who controls the food, controls the people.
WOW Lily. This has to be your most POWERFUL piece yet. The depth you attain with the subject matter are unrivalled IMHO and make it a satisfying pleasure to financially support such dedicated work. I have a vested interest here, as this subject is something I have been researching, in light of current global activity, and you have helped open and educate my mind. God Bless you Lady.
Excellent article. For the first time, I understand why people are not just willing victims, but readily join the "club" or "tribe" persecuting those their leaders brand as evil. For the first time, I understand why most people weren't interested in reading or even investigating the solution to the political divide, political power abuse, and corruption contained in my book "End Politics Now." (https://endpoliticsnow.com/) People act incensed and rail on the "idiots" on the other side but work hard to stay in denial and indoctrination rather than combine their collective power, the strongest power in the world, behind a solution that achieves collaboratively what people claim they want. I couldn't fathom why people were blame obsessed rather than solution oriented until now. This also explains why libertarian anarchy cannot provide a feasible solution. Thank you!
A righteous slice and dice of power. Enjoyed your use of literature and cinema, especially the well known ones because it works for a broad audience. You already have enough material for a book from what I’ve read - looking forward to reading it and will consider it something to tell my readers and friends about. Thanks, as always.
A long history of sociopathic behavior. It took a while to compile this. Sociopaths have a single addiction. It is the addiction to power. Many claim power corrupts. It does not. These people were sociopaths from birth and learned how to navigate what they wanted by appearing normal. But once reaching a certain level, they throw off any pretense. Cleckley's "The Mask of Sanity" is a very apt title. People appear normal and others trust them till they have reached a level they no longer need the people who supported them. Then, its grab as much power as they can like Hitler did by debasing an element in society as the 'enemy'.
I think it's a bit of both. Certain types of people seek power. True, many are sociopaths who just want the power. But some do genuinely want to make a positive difference and they usually don't last long. If they do, they learn to play the game, which often corrupts them.
Power tends to corrupt, I think, because once you've been treated as "special" by others who are really just trying to curry favour, it's easy to start believing you deserve to be treated that way - that you are in fact special. That belief can then convince you that you know what's right for others better than they do. That you deserve the power you've been given over others because you are superior to them, which automatically makes them inferior. Wealth - because money is power - very often has the same effect on people. They can come to believe they are superior because they are "successful" by our society's current definition of the word success. And others treat them as if they are, despite how wealth and success are not actually synonymous.
Becoming sociopathic due to your context is somewhat like saying you can become a murderer or a piano player due to your circumstances. How I look at it, It is either in your genes or it is not with circumstance letting it emerge. The "context makes the individual" has long been taught by eugenists. They believe you can take those who have committed evil acts and turn them into standup citizens. "My Fair Lady" was the classic motif. People do not become sociopathic from external conditions. They are or are not from birth
Not all corruption is sociopathic though. There are degrees of power hunger, just like anything else. Power is what we're talking about. I've witnessed decent people being corrupted by their circumstances first-hand. They didn't become sociopaths. They became the kind of people who believed they deserved the power and accolades they acquired due to having an influential job and/or new wealth. They were responding to the way our society treats people with influence.
Regarding whether all antisocial traits are hereditary or not, I believe most are a combination of nature and nurture. There is far more crime in poverty-stricken areas than in middle class ones because the circumstances that lead to poverty aren't ideal for raising children, not because poor people are inherently more prone to criminal behaviour due to their genes.
Covert programs like MK Ultra prove that you can turn a "normal" person into someone who will kill and commit other crimes on command. Once the psyche is broken down through abuse, the person (usually child) is pliable and easily programmed. If that's not creating a psychopath "due to context" I don't know what is.
I call acquired sociopathy "cultural". Many wealthy individuals become isolated from 'working class' people. Yes, it makes them feel special to feel above the fray. But, you know, there a many who never lose touch with basic civility and respect for others who do become wealthy or who gain powerful positions. It is not automatic wealth develops sociopathy. It has to be present initially or it would not emerge.
MK Ultra is entirely another beast. My view is they select people who are already compromised mentally. If you are not a killer, you cannot be made to be a routine killer.
Absolutely, not everyone who becomes wealthy or otherwise powerful becomes sociopathic. Just as not every child raised in poverty becomes criminal.
Given the right circumstances, we’re all capable of murder - of almost any heinous crime. I think it pays to remember that we all have dark sides that we’re not entirely aware of because we haven’t been pushed far enough. It’s dangerous to believe “I would never do that”. So, in that sense, I agree that someone has to be a killer to become one. But killers can definitely be made. Many psychological studies have shown that.
A very enjoyable and stimulating read. I appreciate how you pulled so many threads together to produce this overall tapestry illustrating how, in so many situations, the primeval, animalistic urge to dominate the weaker that resides in many people surfaces to enable their participation in a power imbalanced relationship or society. Add to the mix psychopathy and things can get very ugly as we see when the globalist predator puppet masters, themselves fully enjoying all aspects of their power, exploit these sadistic human traits to corrupt, capture and control so many political leaders, top civil servants, senior service personnel, leading corporate executives and popular celebrities of various entertainment sectors and royalty. However disturbing and distasteful this dark world inhabited by the likes of Epstein et al is, exposure into the light and awareness spreading wider and wider is crucial for us to prevail in our battle against this evil.
Excellent essay, as usual. Thank you so much for sharing your work, your knowledge and wisdom! I met your work a short time ago and I am avidly trying to catch up!
I have been reflecting on this theme, because it’s unavoidable, with the psychopaths showing their true faces for everyone to see. I think this may be a good thing, because people may start to realize that this is the norm among the “powerful”, even when they hide behind the mask of “it’s for your own good “.
Some authors point to other beings that feed off our bad energy, implying that the bad guys here are just tools for those otherworldly masters to harvest our energy. It’s possible, but for me it seems more likely that it’s embedded in our nature to be able to do the best and the worst things possible. Those who manifest our darkest nature are the ones devoid of empathy, the fail safe mechanism for us to thrive as a human society.
I think that it is possible to be born incapable of feeling empathy, and it is also possible to condition human beings into being less and less inclined to being empathetic. Through emotional or economic hardship, for example.
The line between being a selfish bastard and fully exercising violence towards another person is crossed due to impunity, entitlement and the illusion that the rush you get out of it will fill that bottomless hole where your heart was supposed to be.
Thanks for this excellent deep dive into a fascinating subject! I appreciate how you've approached it from many different angles.
"They bank on dependence. Political, economic, social, psychological—they want you hooked."
This, I think, is key to adapting and developing potential solutions, given where we're headed as a society. Since dependence is submission to the domination of the entity we're depending on, developing self-sufficiency as much as possible is at least part of the solution. Perhaps the only one we have at this point. Our ancestors knew this - wisdom many religion-based communities such as the Amish have retained. Growing a garden is a great start! He who controls the food, controls the people.
WOW Lily. This has to be your most POWERFUL piece yet. The depth you attain with the subject matter are unrivalled IMHO and make it a satisfying pleasure to financially support such dedicated work. I have a vested interest here, as this subject is something I have been researching, in light of current global activity, and you have helped open and educate my mind. God Bless you Lady.
Excellent article. For the first time, I understand why people are not just willing victims, but readily join the "club" or "tribe" persecuting those their leaders brand as evil. For the first time, I understand why most people weren't interested in reading or even investigating the solution to the political divide, political power abuse, and corruption contained in my book "End Politics Now." (https://endpoliticsnow.com/) People act incensed and rail on the "idiots" on the other side but work hard to stay in denial and indoctrination rather than combine their collective power, the strongest power in the world, behind a solution that achieves collaboratively what people claim they want. I couldn't fathom why people were blame obsessed rather than solution oriented until now. This also explains why libertarian anarchy cannot provide a feasible solution. Thank you!
Currently reading Arendt’s Origins of Totalitarianism. Good stuff.
A righteous slice and dice of power. Enjoyed your use of literature and cinema, especially the well known ones because it works for a broad audience. You already have enough material for a book from what I’ve read - looking forward to reading it and will consider it something to tell my readers and friends about. Thanks, as always.
A long history of sociopathic behavior. It took a while to compile this. Sociopaths have a single addiction. It is the addiction to power. Many claim power corrupts. It does not. These people were sociopaths from birth and learned how to navigate what they wanted by appearing normal. But once reaching a certain level, they throw off any pretense. Cleckley's "The Mask of Sanity" is a very apt title. People appear normal and others trust them till they have reached a level they no longer need the people who supported them. Then, its grab as much power as they can like Hitler did by debasing an element in society as the 'enemy'.
I think it's a bit of both. Certain types of people seek power. True, many are sociopaths who just want the power. But some do genuinely want to make a positive difference and they usually don't last long. If they do, they learn to play the game, which often corrupts them.
Power tends to corrupt, I think, because once you've been treated as "special" by others who are really just trying to curry favour, it's easy to start believing you deserve to be treated that way - that you are in fact special. That belief can then convince you that you know what's right for others better than they do. That you deserve the power you've been given over others because you are superior to them, which automatically makes them inferior. Wealth - because money is power - very often has the same effect on people. They can come to believe they are superior because they are "successful" by our society's current definition of the word success. And others treat them as if they are, despite how wealth and success are not actually synonymous.
Becoming sociopathic due to your context is somewhat like saying you can become a murderer or a piano player due to your circumstances. How I look at it, It is either in your genes or it is not with circumstance letting it emerge. The "context makes the individual" has long been taught by eugenists. They believe you can take those who have committed evil acts and turn them into standup citizens. "My Fair Lady" was the classic motif. People do not become sociopathic from external conditions. They are or are not from birth
Not all corruption is sociopathic though. There are degrees of power hunger, just like anything else. Power is what we're talking about. I've witnessed decent people being corrupted by their circumstances first-hand. They didn't become sociopaths. They became the kind of people who believed they deserved the power and accolades they acquired due to having an influential job and/or new wealth. They were responding to the way our society treats people with influence.
Regarding whether all antisocial traits are hereditary or not, I believe most are a combination of nature and nurture. There is far more crime in poverty-stricken areas than in middle class ones because the circumstances that lead to poverty aren't ideal for raising children, not because poor people are inherently more prone to criminal behaviour due to their genes.
Covert programs like MK Ultra prove that you can turn a "normal" person into someone who will kill and commit other crimes on command. Once the psyche is broken down through abuse, the person (usually child) is pliable and easily programmed. If that's not creating a psychopath "due to context" I don't know what is.
I call acquired sociopathy "cultural". Many wealthy individuals become isolated from 'working class' people. Yes, it makes them feel special to feel above the fray. But, you know, there a many who never lose touch with basic civility and respect for others who do become wealthy or who gain powerful positions. It is not automatic wealth develops sociopathy. It has to be present initially or it would not emerge.
MK Ultra is entirely another beast. My view is they select people who are already compromised mentally. If you are not a killer, you cannot be made to be a routine killer.
Absolutely, not everyone who becomes wealthy or otherwise powerful becomes sociopathic. Just as not every child raised in poverty becomes criminal.
Given the right circumstances, we’re all capable of murder - of almost any heinous crime. I think it pays to remember that we all have dark sides that we’re not entirely aware of because we haven’t been pushed far enough. It’s dangerous to believe “I would never do that”. So, in that sense, I agree that someone has to be a killer to become one. But killers can definitely be made. Many psychological studies have shown that.
I love this ! just truth served straight up
No bullshit
A very enjoyable and stimulating read. I appreciate how you pulled so many threads together to produce this overall tapestry illustrating how, in so many situations, the primeval, animalistic urge to dominate the weaker that resides in many people surfaces to enable their participation in a power imbalanced relationship or society. Add to the mix psychopathy and things can get very ugly as we see when the globalist predator puppet masters, themselves fully enjoying all aspects of their power, exploit these sadistic human traits to corrupt, capture and control so many political leaders, top civil servants, senior service personnel, leading corporate executives and popular celebrities of various entertainment sectors and royalty. However disturbing and distasteful this dark world inhabited by the likes of Epstein et al is, exposure into the light and awareness spreading wider and wider is crucial for us to prevail in our battle against this evil.
Read my latest piece for consolation.
Excellent essay, as usual. Thank you so much for sharing your work, your knowledge and wisdom! I met your work a short time ago and I am avidly trying to catch up!
I have been reflecting on this theme, because it’s unavoidable, with the psychopaths showing their true faces for everyone to see. I think this may be a good thing, because people may start to realize that this is the norm among the “powerful”, even when they hide behind the mask of “it’s for your own good “.
Some authors point to other beings that feed off our bad energy, implying that the bad guys here are just tools for those otherworldly masters to harvest our energy. It’s possible, but for me it seems more likely that it’s embedded in our nature to be able to do the best and the worst things possible. Those who manifest our darkest nature are the ones devoid of empathy, the fail safe mechanism for us to thrive as a human society.
I think that it is possible to be born incapable of feeling empathy, and it is also possible to condition human beings into being less and less inclined to being empathetic. Through emotional or economic hardship, for example.
The line between being a selfish bastard and fully exercising violence towards another person is crossed due to impunity, entitlement and the illusion that the rush you get out of it will fill that bottomless hole where your heart was supposed to be.