“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.” – George WashingtonOver the course of human history, governments have done some really horrible things: from locking up innocent people, to hiding evidence, conducting secret experiments, or even murder, the State has committed some of the most heinous crimes imaginable and continues to get away with it. Most decent people are horrified when they learn of these atrocities. However, some people continue to defend the actions of the State, even when it has been shown that the State is guilty of the crimes with which they’ve been accused. In this way, people who continue to defend, excuse, and apologize for the State’s actions, are no different than people in abusive relationships who enable their abusive partners.First of all, there are obvious examples related to political ideology, such as NY Times writer Walter Duranty defending the atrocities of the Soviet Union or Noam Chomsky trying to minimize the murders committed by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia as “propaganda”. These are the most extreme examples of apologists acting on a political bias. This article is more concerned with those who try to minimize or even lie for the State, simply because they are deluded into thinking that the State itself can do no wrong, because according to them, the State has the right to do anything, which is a faith-based belief that the State is always doing the right thing.Before we get into a comparison of the State and individuals in an abusive relationship, let’s first take a look at some examples. During the pandemic, the Los Angeles Times ran an article with the headline “Mocking Anti-Vaxxers Deaths is Ghoulish, Yes- But May Be Necessary”. CNN host Don Lemon advocated for unvaccinated people to be banned from supermarkets, ballgames, and the workplace. These kinds of reactions come from those who believe in the unquestioned power of the State and they believe hard. Furthermore, discussion forums and social media were filled with people who echoed his position and had no problem if they had to turn in their neighbors. History is filled with those who blindly follow those in power. According to writer and speaker Larken Rose, this is the real problem, as he’s not afraid of some lunatic in power, but “the millions of people who hallucinate them to be authority and so do their bidding, and pay for their empires, and carry out their orders”.In this way, the State is like the abuser in an abusive relationship, while the people who blindly obey the State can be likened to those who are being abused. As such, some of the people who fill these roles as authority figures are some of the worst people imaginable. A position of authority that offers a great deal of power and control, with little to no accountability, is a magnet for people who lack a conscience: the narcissists, sociopaths, borderline personalities, grandiose psychosis, and psychopaths. According to Dr. Robert D. Hare, author of the landmark book Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us, “psychopaths are skilled at detecting and ruthlessly exploiting your weak spots, at finding the right buttons to press.” They are experts at manipulating people. This is a problem when it’s an interpersonal relationship, but as someone in a position of authority, it’s a far worse problem that affects many more people and in deeper ways.A person in a position of authority without conscience, without concern for how their actions will affect the lives of others, and without consideration for their fellow human beings, can affect the lives of potentially millions of people. Let’s take a look at a few different examples. The most glaring example that comes to mind would be the lies told to justify the authoritarian restrictions during Covid and the subsequent lockdowns that followed. The first, and possibly most obvious lie, was the “two weeks to slow the spread” narrative was told to get the public to accept the lockdowns. Nobody would accept them if they were told that it would be six months to a year to begin with, but as always, people in power start small to get people to accept the egregious nature of the lie, then once people have accepted it, they push for more draconian restrictions.Next, we were told to stand six feet apart, because this, for some reason, would help to keep the spread of Covid to a minimum. Later, Dr. Fauci admitted during closed-door testimony to Congress that he “just made that up”. Additionally, Dr. Fauci was not the only one to lie in service of a greater lie; Los Angeles Country Supervisor Shiela Kuehl claimed to have no less than six studies from “experts” to justify the enforcement of closing down restaurants. However, during the legal proceedings that ensued, it turns out that none of those six studies existed. People with no conscience lie and then have to cover up the lie with other lies. It also makes one wonder: what else have they been lying about and for how long?Furthermore, it begs the question: why do normal, decent people go along with these lies? If we look at the landmark Stanley Milgram “Obedience” experiment, we see that most people (about two-thirds) are willing to comply with someone perceived as an “authority”, no matter what is asked of them. Sadly, we find that Milgram’s experiment was not just anomaly, as it was later repeated years later, with pretty much the same results. There are many reasons that people might follow a psychopath. Something known as “The Big Lie” is one of them. Originating in Nazi Germany, this system of thought supposes that most people are good, decent people, who would never lie and cheat and cause the deaths of people, much less cause murders on a mass scale. Therefore, they have a hard time believing that people in positions of authority would as well.Another reason might be attributed to what’s known as “The Stockholm Syndrome”, whereby people under great duress, such as in a hostage situation, might actually bond with their captors. Yet another reason is what’s called “Shared Sacrifice”, where the masses are convinced to believe that giving up something or doing something that causes them pain or other inconveniences is for “the greater good”. All of these things not only benefit the State, but most notably, the psychopaths who manipulate people into thinking that in giving up something and making this great sacrifice, they are somehow being virtuous. This is often followed by these same psychopaths breaking the rules that they set for others; most notably, Nancy Pelosi visiting a hair salon during the Covid lockdown, while many people’s salons closed and never reopened. For a great take on this particular story, see the video by YouTuber Gary Beuchler (he goes by the pseudonym Nerdrotic) on his wife’s salon closing down and what happened after.The State shares many characteristics with those who lack empathy, such as narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths. Further, people who defend and apologize for the State have much in common with those in abusive relationships. People tend to apologize and minimize the horrible actions of monsters without a conscience. However, just as people who have been abused can learn to walk away from an abusive relationship, people can learn to walk away from the brainwashed perspective that the State can do no wrong. When that happens, people can learn to abandon the State and all of its empty promises and move on with their lives.It is said that people will mistreat you as much as you will tolerate. For too long, people have been tolerating abuse and lies from the State and then enabling it by apologizing afterwards. Its time that we say that enough is enough. Its time that we recognize the State as an abusive partner and walk away.—https://ifttt.itbehere.com/2022/01/11/la-times-columnist-says-mocking-anti-vaxxers-deaths-is-necessary/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6uVV2Dcqt0&t=492sWithout Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us, Guilford Press, NY, NY, 1995, pp . 212–212.https://nypost.com/2021/05/11/cdc-exaggerates-outdoor-transmission-rate-covid-19-experts/https://en.royanews.tv/news/51781/Dr.%20Fauci%20admits%20that%20COVID-19%20social%20distancing%20rules%20were%20“made%20up”#google_vignettehttps://archive.vn/twa7Shttps://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/health-and-medicine/milgram-experimenthttps://www.structural-learning.com/post/stanley-milgram-experimenthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1za-9VAA_GsThe post The Psychology of Authority: The State as Abusive Partner appeared first on LewRockwell.