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Repression causes authoritarianism

January 4, 2022January 4, 2022 doctor paradox

Research has shown that emotional repression is causative of authoritarianism (Altemeyer, Adorno, Stenner et al). Fundamentalist religious groups favor the most repression, culturally — ergo, fundamentalist groups are at the highest risk for nurturing authoritarian traits. Emotional repression is the keystone of fundamentalist parenting. The strict application of “Biblical law” as cherry-picked by extremists is… Continue reading Repression causes authoritarianism

Is America a Christian nation? No.

The Founders knew acutely the pains of centuries of religious warfare in modern Europe and resoundingly did not want that for their new nation. Many of them moreover knew religious persecution intimately — some whose families fled the Church of England for fear of being imprisoned, burned at the stake, or worse. Is America a… Continue reading Is America a Christian nation? No.

Property vs. People, all the way down

November 17, 2021November 29, 2021 doctor paradox

Or capital vs. labor, oligarchs vs. plebes, plutocrats vs. proles, rich vs. poor — however you want to narrate it, the property vs. people struggle continues on in new and old ways, each and ere day. Here in America, the plutocrats have devised many clever methods of hiding the class struggle behind a race war… Continue reading Property vs. People, all the way down

Freedom produces diversity

October 30, 2021April 20, 2022 doctor paradox

Freedom means the right to make choices. When you have a large population, that means many different kinds of people are making many kinds of different choices for different reasons. That means, mathematically speaking, a broad distribution graph of options chosen over time. Freedom produces diversity, as a direct consequence of its own laissez-faire philosophy.… Continue reading Freedom produces diversity

Safety Blanket Theory

For all their angry rhetoric and now, overtly political violence, I maintain that it is the right wing that is profoundly insecure, anxious, and in need of soothing. They are panicking at the idea that the world can possibly change without their approval, and deprive them of their stolen superiority — they do not want… Continue reading Safety Blanket Theory

Proteanism vs. cultism: The battle between open and closed societies

May 29, 2021September 9, 2021 doctor paradox

proteanism is Robert Jay Lifton’s idea of a model for the self that could serve as an aspirational escape hatch from the clutches of cultism, which is otherwise always happening cultism (i.e. “losing reality“) is what happens “by default” if effort is not made to form and maintain healthy cultures cultism is what most individuals… Continue reading Proteanism vs. cultism: The battle between open and closed societies

phobia indoctrination

Phobia indoctrination is one of the principle ways a charismatic leader will lull potential followers into his thrall, by putting them into a state of perpetual fear and anxiety. They know, either instinctively or through training (or both), that people can be induced into a prolonged state of confusion easily, and that many people in… Continue reading phobia indoctrination

Trustworthy Media Sources

I try to be choosy about my news as well as reading widely. I make it a habit to routinely consult sources outside the US, know the ethics of the outlets I most rely on, and try to mix up the types of media ownership and format (newspaper, TV, podcast, website, radio, etc.) to avoid… Continue reading Trustworthy Media Sources

Notes: Surveillance capitalism dystopia, with Zeynep Tufekci

February 22, 2020October 8, 2021 doctor paradox

see also: Shoshanna Zuboff (who wrote the seminal work on surveillance capitalism), Don Norman, Dystopia vs. Utopia Book List: A Fight to the Finish, surveillance capitalism dictionary Some takeaways: surveillance won’t be obvious and overt like in Orwell’s classic totalitarian novel 1984 — it’ll be covert and subtle (“more like a spider’s web”) social networks… Continue reading Notes: Surveillance capitalism dystopia, with Zeynep Tufekci

Oligarchy and the Creep of Fascism

April 7, 2018October 6, 2021 doctor paradox

Some people like to argue that more economic inequality is a good thing, because it is a “natural” byproduct of capitalism in a world of “makers and takers,” “winners and losers,” “wolves and sheep,” [insert your favorite Manichaean metaphor here]. However, too much inequality is deleterious for both economics and politics — for with oligarchy… Continue reading Oligarchy and the Creep of Fascism