Authoritarians are a fact of life. Human beings have brains with two hemispheres, and the left hemisphere strives to become dominant. It causes us to exhibit authoritarian tendencies and sometimes extreme behaviors.
What to do about it? The
first step is recognition.
Authoritarians are not subtle. Their quest to “never be wrong” and to “act
with impunity” is a dead giveaway. We
should be able to recognize these behaviors in the school bully or in the
spoiled child. Corrective action can be
applied at an early age.
But there is one other aspect of authoritarian behavior that
should be addressed: Human beings are attracted to authoritarian individuals
and organizations. We want to be a part
of the action.
Maybe it makes us “cool” or is fun and exciting, but we want
to join the authoritarians. It is not a
particularly noble facet of human behavior, but it is who we are.
This implies that a major cultural issue is the
socialization associated with authoritarians.
Why are we attracted to individuals who teach us to hate?
Is it possible that the “enemy” is us? Do human beings have a cultural bias in favor
of authoritarians? Is it something to do
with the left hemisphere of our brains?
I think that if we find we are being taught to hate, we
should be on high alert. If we are drawn
to an individual or organization because of the targeting of other people, we
should be concerned. Let’s step back and
evaluate what is happening.
Please note that there is a difference in the “type of
hate.” Contrast Christianity with
Islam. In one religion, the object of
hatred is abstract. Christians are
taught to hate the Devil and the dark forces that provide temptation.
In the other religion, the object of hatred is other human beings. That’s a significant difference.
Human beings haven’t changed much over the centuries. We should learn from human behaviors and
adapt our actions.
Let’s make the 21st century a good time to be
less accommodating toward authoritarians.
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