Psychopaths Rule the World

by Len Hart, The Existentialist Cowboy

The psychologist Carl Jung estimated that in every 'society' could be found a 'psychopathic' thirty percent. It's sobering to think that over 60 percent of every society --even those we think most cultured --may be largely 'ruled' by about thirty percent who are utterly lacking the restraints that most of us associate with personal maturity, social cohesion, civilization itself.

A recent article by Dr. Kevin Barrett explores the dysfunctional underbelly of civilization which he says is "... largely the creation of psychopaths: all civilizations, he claims, are built upon 'slavery and mass murder'.

As I have written of Rome: it was in the death business having outsourced the more odious tasks to its 'Military/Industrial Complex' --the Praetorian Guard. Psychopaths, Dr. Barrett claims, are 'hard-wired to lie, kill, cheat, steal, torture, manipulate, and generally inflict great suffering on other humans without feeling any remorse, in order to establish their own sense of security through domination.' [See: Is George Bush A Psychopath?]

Earlier the psychologist Carl Jung estimated that as many as thirty percent of any population may be certifiably psychopathic. Similarly, Dr. Gustav Gilbert, whose task it was to keep Nazi war criminals alive until they could be hanged, summed it up simply: evil, he said, was the utter lack of empathy. Hannah Arendt (The New School, New York) wrote of the 'banality of evil'.

It has been pointed out that 'normal people do not function like the Bushes, Clintons, Keetings, Stalins or Hitlers'. Dysfunctional and/or psychopathic GOP behaviors include 'authoritarian' GOP habits, repeating failed strategies, indulging self-reinforcing delusions, and reversing the normal sequence of 'cause and effect'. The Bush administration, for example, will cite its own wars of aggression as justification for increasing military spending. The Reagan administration cited increased poverty to justify tax breaks for the rich. It will 'trickle down', we were told.

There is always the hope that as more become aware of this, steps may be taken to ameliorate the more overt and horrific effects which include the acts of genocide, heinous war crimes, indeed, war itself. [See: Of Bush and Evil: The Nature of his Crime Against Humanity]

There are some reasons for optimism. The GOP 'base' consists, interestingly, of about 30 percent of the population. I've often thought that 30 percent hard-core, GOP support to be the psychopaths described by Jung. Unless, the GOP can appeal to 'sane' people, it is sunk. In my article, I have made the case, that lately the GOP is losing support even among the thirty percent base (of Jung's description?). See: GOP Front-Runners Run Out of Wiggle Room

Is there hope that the world will achieve what author Henry Miller hoped would be a 'quantum leap'?

Until someone comes up with a 'silver bullet', the 'sane majority' must fight back with sanity itself. As the world witnessed at Tiananmen Square, the psychotic, totalitarian state simply crushes dissent with tanks, brute force and more insanity [See: 1989: Massacre in Tiananmen Square].

The same thing has happened in America. In 1932, under orders from Herbert Hoover, George S. Patton lead a cavalry charge against World I veterans encamped on the mall. Their only demand was that they be paid the 'bonus' money that 'our' government had promised them for their service in World War I

By 4:45 P.M. the troops were massed on Pennsylvania Ave. below the Capitol. Thousands of Civil Service employees spilled out of work and lined the streets to watch. The veterans, assuming the military display was in their honor, cheered. Suddenly Patton's troopers turned and charged. "Shame, Shame" the spectators cried. Soldiers with fixed bayonets followed, hurling tear gas into the crowd.

By nightfall the BEF had retreated across the Anacostia River where Hoover ordered MacArthur to stop. Ignoring the command, the general led his infantry to the main camp. By early morning the 10,000 inhabitants were routed and the camp in flames. Two babies died and nearby hospitals overwhelmed with casualties. Eisenhower later wrote, "the whole scene was pitiful. The veterans were ragged, ill-fed, and felt themselves badly abused. To suddenly see the whole encampment going up in flames just added to the pity."

-- The Bonus Army]

Later, during the commission of the war crime called 'Viet Nam', the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students who were not even protesting at Ohio State University. Four students were killed. There is now evidence that the Guard had been under orders to shoot and certainly, the guns were loaded with real bullets --not rubber!

What tactics are left the people when 'insane' governments monopolize military force and weaponry. For the longer term, the people must realize that governments have no powers but those given them by the people. This is as true for totalitarian states as it is for democracies. As was said in the sixties: drop out! Don't feed the beast. Secondly, as we have seen, passive resistance is no guarantee that the 'establishment' will not murder in the name of the state --a mere 'legal abstraction'. One of the most cogent strategies that I have seen recently was found on OpEd News:

I will not work for you, buy from you, fight for you, or die for you, until the criminals are gone from the halls of our government."

That is a strategy that I have adopted; it will, at least, assuage your conscience. Many, however, don't have the luxury of going 'cold turkey'. Even so --there is little excuse for enriching Wal-Mart. There is NO excuse whatsoever for watching Fox or patronizing its advertisers. With any luck and some publicity, we might even begin an advertisers' boycott of Fox. That will change things in the Fox boardroom. The sound of money 'walking' is the sound of people 'talking'. And telling the truth.

With a bit of study, consumers should seek out local merchants and local companies while boycotting multi-nationals that are clearly a part of the problem.

The 'corporate' structure of American society is, itself psychopathic. A corporation is utterly unfeeling and unrestrained by ethics. A corporation has no conscience. Despite what is written by economists with regard to 'economies of scale', local firms often do a better job than multi-national conglomerates whose only purpose is the enrichment of some one percent of the population, perhaps another elite in another country. Local firms put money back into the community by hiring local talent and expertise. Local firms were once the backbone of the nation and the soul of viable communities where, now, we have only bedroom suburbs and Potemkin villages. Corporate society is a fascist cancer.

These days, it is possible to get a lot of information about companies on the 'net. Boycott any business having anything to do with the Military/Industrial complex. The obvious boycotts are the oil companies. Unless a car is absolutley essential, get a bike or use public transportation. Some cities, like Houston, have come around to the use of trams but very late in the game. Still --late is better than never. Because the Republican machine is a little, how do you say, out of control in the Hoosier state?

Perhaps this is due to the fact that the state of Indiana claims to have more terrorist targets than any other state. More than New York. More than California. More than anywhere.

Obviously when Indiana Rethuglicans rig their presidential vote yet again this year, they're expecting the black and Democratic communities to riot in the streets. Or try to examine the voting machines. Or something UnAmerikan.

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