Man!

Am I the only one who caught this??

quote:
Some interesting generalities can be extracted from these studies, including the fact that racists tend to be conservatives, conformists, Republicans, and hypochondriacs. The high incidence of conservatism, conformism, and Republicanism are all related phenomena. That is, one would expect a conformist to be a conservative, and a conservative to be a Republican, and a Republican to be a conformist, etc. But, why would they tend to be hypochondriacs? Perhaps they blame their body parts for imaginary illnesses in the same way they blame parts of society for imaginary social illnesses.
It actually reminded me of two books both published in the 50's.

quote:
A man named Milton Mayer, (a Jew) wrote a book in 1955 called "They Thought They Were Free" which explains exactly how certain people can be aroused to a fever pitch with just the right techniques.

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - making constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, etc. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Government tends to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to the government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Government tends to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free _expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - The police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-35
by Milton Sanford Mayer


and two, The Authoritarian Personality.

quote:
In 1950 four social scientists published a book, The Authoritarian Personality, which studied the potentially fascistic individual, i.e., “one whose structure is such as to render him particularly susceptible to anti-democratic propaganda.” The scientists discovered that authoritarian personalities not only show “extreme susceptibility to fascist propaganda,” but also “have a great deal in common.” The manifestations of this anti-democratic syndrome include:
(1) Conventionalism (“rigid adherence to conventional, middle-class values”);

(2) Authoritarian submission (“submissive, uncritical attitude toward idealized moral authorities of the ingroup”);

(3) Authoritarian aggression (“tendency to be on the lookout for, and to condemn, reject, and punish people who violate conventional values”);

(4) Anti-intraception (“opposition to the subjective, the imaginative, the tender-minded”);

(5) Superstition and stereotypy (“disposition to think in rigid categories”);

(6) Power and toughness (“exaggerated assertion of strength and toughness”);

(7) Destructiveness and cynicism (“generalized hostility; vilification of the human”);

(8) Projectivity (“disposition to believe that wild and dangerous things go on in the world”); and

(9) Sex (“exaggerated concern with sexual goings-on”).

You don’t have to be Einstein to realize that the right-wing mentality and the authoritarian personality are intertwined, or that authoritarian personalities tend to become right-wingers, including fascists and fascist supporters. In their political positioning, writings, speeches, and activities, right-wingers typically display an authoritarian personality’s politics. Smugness; no sympathy for the poor or ghettoized; no compassion for the oppressed or underprivileged; draconian severity toward “criminals”; fondness for capital punishment; slavish deference to police lawlessness; a Social-Darwinist, survival of the fittest ethos; a bottom-line mentality; kowtowing to corporate wealth; enthusiastic support for the military-industrial complex; chauvinistic patriotism; a religious fundamentalism which emphasizes stern Old Testament harshness and consigns most of humanity to eternal punishment inflicted by a wrathful deity; hostility to homosexuals and gay rights; a pathological obsession with homosexual sex; these are elements of an illiberal mindset estranged from concern for liberty, freedom, and justice.


http://www.law.uga.edu/academics/profiles/dwilkes_more/33devolving.html

As they say, the more things change.....