On who holds the real power:
“I should like merely to understand how it happens that so many men, so many villages, so many cities, so many nations, sometimes suffer under a single tyrant who has no other power than the power they give him.”
That’s from Etienne de la Boétie (1530-1563) in his Discourse on Voluntary Servitude. More on la Boétie at David Hart’s site.
Relevant to many places and policies, including lockdowns over virus fear.
My first thought after seeing the “We the Sheeple” cartoon was that I guess each side could accuse the other of blind obedience/ignorance. That is, of course, if you play into the us vs them game.
People are not all obeying the stupid and cruel that they oppose. There are many people buying into the stupid and cruel practices and helping to enforce them. Often through self-delusions called religions. Generally collectivist delusions promising the unearned and denying self-responsibility.
People in despotic leadership positions control relative wealth and are supported by many people seeking unearned shares, prestige, and power. From street gangs to kings, leaders manipulate supporters by dispensing this wealth and threats of displeasure. Subsequently, factions develop which gain power through the established social structure dominated by the formal leader. Thus, even as successive leaders become incompetent, hated, and despised, they are supported by some factions which find it useful for maintaining their own power and/or fear the rise of other factions.
One factor is that people do not understand the capitalist or free market alternative. There are always evil and unjust people threatening. Better those you know than those you do not?
Today we have the philosophical and practical understanding for a free society — at least these are available. But relatively few people are interested in the intellectual effort to understand.
Check out the latest from Aus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-X3-ha1pbU
Although not in the story one brave boy sat and said – no – I will not apologize for something I did not do. He was hauled in front of the principle to explain his actions. Me – I would have gone home immediately and told my parents. They were quite litigious in those days and legally the position of the scholl would have been ‘interesting’. BTW I was generally considered a quiet loner that caused no trouble – but would not put up with this sort of thing. But why was there only one brave boy? What kind of people is society raising?