12 Comments
User's avatar
тна Return to thread
Shy Boy's avatar

The real danger is and has always been the go-along-get-along rule-following herd.

Expand full comment
Antoine's avatar

Dennis Prager said something profound on his show the other day, he was talking about the flight attendant who kicked the 2 year old with asthma gasping for breath off the plane because he wouldn't put a mask on. It's the regular people who insist on enforcing irrational rules who are the most terrifying, especially when the arbitrary and nonsensical rules hurt another person. It is no exaggeration to say that people like that flight attendant are precisely how mass atrocities are able to occur.

Expand full comment
Cruising Economist's avatar

Authoritarians are like mold spores, always floating around out there looking for conditions in which they can fester. A credulous, compliant society provides a Petri dish for any wannabe dictator.

Expand full comment
Robyn S's avatar

The thing is, my whole life, I've never known people to be THIS compliant. People used to stand their ground a bit more. They used to agree to disagree. Maybe my job has been more of a hard-sell compared to mainstream medicine, but when patients struggle to do their hamstring stretches or drink more water, but they will go out to get an experimental medical procedure, then I really know the world is screwed!

Expand full comment
Helen's avatar

I agree with you. Unfortunately FEAR is a great way to get compliance. And false promises about getting back to normal if you just give in. I can't believe that the vaxxed population isn't really angry for being betrayed.

Expand full comment
GK's avatar

Cognitive dissonance. They can't stomach the thought that they've been played for chumps and possibly screwed up the rest of their lives, so they won't even entertain the possibility that they effed up.

Expand full comment
Edna Jayne's avatar

TheyтАЩve kicked the fight out of everyone. Jobs disappeared over seas thanks to NAFTA, poor policies in the Middle East, created wars, terrorist/9-11, being called racist, homophobes- hypocrisy abounding, creating policies that pull families apart instead of creating stronger families, diminishing the importance of religious freedom, demonizing law enforcement & military, this list can go on and on, our population has been slammed and pushed around by politicians, media and corporate giants for so long, people are afraid to stand up, cause they know theyтАЩll get plummeted- itтАЩs just a general sense of hopelessness.

Expand full comment
Susanna's avatar

Cruiser - that is perfect.

Expand full comment
Julia Lerner's avatar

It seems to be the true goal of public schooling, to foster such a vulnerable mindset.

Expand full comment
Helen's avatar

I've always marched to the beat of my own drum; even as a kid.

Expand full comment