Why people do NOTHING!
Originally posted on July 31, 2006 - Monday
>>>In his book Thoughts on the Cause of Present
>>Discontents (1770), the British
>>>philosopher Edmund Burke wrote, "When bad men
>>combine, the good must
>>>associate; else they will fall one by one." This
>>sentiment has survived as
>>>"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that
>>good men do nothing."
>>>
>>>Why do good men do nothing in the face of evil,
>>especially when evil
>>>aggressively invades their lives?
>>>
>>>The question has red-hot relevance to those who
>>value the tradition of
>>>individual freedom into which America was born -- a
>>tradition that includes
>>>freedom of speech, the right to bear arms and to
>>demand due process. These
>>>traditional freedoms are crumbling under the wheels
>>of run-away government.
>>>Through dozens of 'alphabet agencies' -- the IRS,
>>BATF, CPS, DHS, et al --
>>>government aggressively enters the lives of good men
>>who do nothing to
>>>protect themselves or their families.
>>>
>>>Some people are paralyzed by fear; some by denial.
>>But many others are
>>>immobilized by an apathy that strips away the
>>emotional will to act in
>>>self-defense.
>>>
>>>In psychological terms, apathy is a state of
>>constant indifference that is
>>>generally associated with depression. Apathy leaves
>>an individual
>>>unresponsive to the world and creates a disconnect
>>between what he believes,
>>>how he feels and which actions he takes. For
>>example, a man might fully
>>>recognize that food is necessary to life but,
>>because he doesn't care, he
>>>doesn't eat.
>>>
>>>Translated into political terms, he might realize
>>that a gluttonous
>>>government is feasting on his liberty, his wealth
>>and even on his children's
>>>future but, because he feels only numbness toward
>>government, he doesn't act
>>>in self-defense. He obeys even when the command is
>>self-destructive.
>>>
>>>The question of why people passively obey government
>>has haunted the history
>>>of political discourse. In 1552, Étienne de la
>>Boétie addressed what he
>>>called the most important problem confronting
>>freedom: people consent to
>>>their own enslavement. His analysis of 'why'
>>resulted in the world's first
>>>book on non-violent resistance, The Politics of
>>Obedience: The Discourse of
>>>Voluntary Servitude.
>>>
>>>Modern historians ask the same question. During the
>>mass arrests of
>>>Stalinist Russia, people reportedly slept in their
>>clothing not in order to
>>>flee more easily but in order to be fully dressed
>>when seized. In Hitler's
>>>Europe, Jews reported on their own to deportation
>>centers and to their
>>>deaths. Why?
>>>
>>>Part of the complex answer lies in what
>>psychologists call 'object specific'
>>>apathy. That is, a person's numbness is directed
>>toward a specific situation
>>>and may not be manifested in other areas of his
>>life. The same man who is
>>>passionate about music or his wife may feel impotent
>>in the area of
>>>demanding or even wanting his own freedom.
>>>
>>>This response is a form of 'learned helplessness.'
>>It is 'learned' because
>>>the response comes from relentlessly teaching an
>>individual that he has no
>>>control over a situation and, so, his efforts are
>>futile.
>>>
>>>The original and now-famous experiment from which
>>the term 'learned
>>>helplessness' derives involved shocking dogs with
>>electricity until they
>>>developed the psychology of submission. When applied
>>to human beings,
>>>'learned helplessness' is most often used to
>>describe people who have been
>>>institutionalized, for example, in prisons, mental
>>institutions or
>>>orphanages. There, the regimentation strips an
>>individual of the smallest
>>>choice and punishes the _expression of preference.
>>In time, many
>>>institutionalized people accept the inevitability of
>>their environment. Some
>>>of them lose all ability to feel their own
>>preferences.
>>>
>>>The depth of learned helplessness that comes from
>>being institutionalized is
>>>rare. But most of us absorb a degree of this apathy
>>through constant
>>>exposure to a society that attempts to control
>>almost every choice in daily
>>>life: smoking, eating fast food, gun ownership,
>>telling a rude joke at work,
>>>marriage and divorce, boarding an airplane, medical
>>care, banking.making a
>>>phone call. It is difficult to find a choice that
>>isn't scrutinized by
>>>bureaucracy and covered by some form of government
>>control. The message is
>>>clear: Conformity is rewarded; the 'wrong' choices
>>are punished or otherwise
>>>discouraged. The public school system is just one
>>example of what could be
>>>called the institutionalizing or bureaucratizing of
>>daily life.
>>>
>>>The Castle, a brilliant novel by Franz Kafka, offers
>>a window into what
>>>happens to the psychology of a man who confronts
>>bureaucracy. Due a mistake
>>>in paperwork, the main character K. is summoned to
>>work in a village as a
>>>surveyor but ends up as a janitor. The Castle is the
>>summoning authority
>>>with which K. must but cannot deal because he cannot
>>contact the proper
>>>official. K.'s long and agonizing exercise in
>>futility reveals the impact
>>>that bureaucracy has upon the human soul: it
>>deadens.
>>>
>>>K.'s error was to accept the authority of The Castle
>>in the first place.
>>>
>>>The foregoing observation contains good news:
>>bureaucracy and authority
>>>require consent. And, if that consent is learned
>>behavior, then it can also
>>>be unlearned.
>>>
>>>Something within the human spirit seems to want to
>>shake off destructive
>>>programming. Call it a survival instinct. Perhaps it
>>is the inbred urge
>>>revealed by every two-year-old who yells 'no' over
>>and over again for the
>>>simple joy of exercising veto over his own life.
>>>
>>>Adults need to recapture the childlike joy and power
>>of saying 'no.' The
>>>words most feared by those in authority are 'I
>>won't.' Individuals with the
>>>habit of obedience may need to start by saying 'no'
>>on small matters like
>>>refusing to fill in racial information on
>>application forms. They may be
>>>shocked by how difficult it is to say 'I won't' even
>>to petty demands. But
>>>the difficulty is a sign of how important it is.
>>Only when a person is able
>>>to say 'no' can he say 'yes' and have the word mean
>>more that the obedient
>>>response of a servant. 'Yes' is properly the
>>affirmation of a free man.
>>>
>>
>>
>>NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security
>>Agency may read this email without warning, warrant, or notice.
>>They may do this without any judicial or legislative oversight. You
>>have no recourse or protection and everything you type will be used
>>against you to detain you in a secret prison.
>>
>>When one who has been honestly mistaken is shown or told the truth,
>>they will either stop being mistaken or cease being HONEST. Which
>>will you do?
>>
>>If you have to bow down and let WRONG continue, then what is the
>>purpose of your life?
>>
>>Never utter these words "I do not know this, therefore it is
>>false."
>>One must study to know, know to understand, and understand to
>>judge...
>>
>>>"No people will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can
>>>any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffusd and Virtue is
>>>preservd. On the Contrary, when People are universally ignorant,
>>>and debauched in their Manners, they will sink under their own
>>>weight without the Aid of foreign Invaders."
Why Do Good Men Do Nothing?
>>>By Wendy McElroy
>>>In his book Thoughts on the Cause of Present
>>Discontents (1770), the British
>>>philosopher Edmund Burke wrote, "When bad men
>>combine, the good must
>>>associate; else they will fall one by one." This
>>sentiment has survived as
>>>"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that
>>good men do nothing."
>>>
>>>Why do good men do nothing in the face of evil,
>>especially when evil
>>>aggressively invades their lives?
>>>
>>>The question has red-hot relevance to those who
>>value the tradition of
>>>individual freedom into which America was born -- a
>>tradition that includes
>>>freedom of speech, the right to bear arms and to
>>demand due process. These
>>>traditional freedoms are crumbling under the wheels
>>of run-away government.
>>>Through dozens of 'alphabet agencies' -- the IRS,
>>BATF, CPS, DHS, et al --
>>>government aggressively enters the lives of good men
>>who do nothing to
>>>protect themselves or their families.
>>>
>>>Some people are paralyzed by fear; some by denial.
>>But many others are
>>>immobilized by an apathy that strips away the
>>emotional will to act in
>>>self-defense.
>>>
>>>In psychological terms, apathy is a state of
>>constant indifference that is
>>>generally associated with depression. Apathy leaves
>>an individual
>>>unresponsive to the world and creates a disconnect
>>between what he believes,
>>>how he feels and which actions he takes. For
>>example, a man might fully
>>>recognize that food is necessary to life but,
>>because he doesn't care, he
>>>doesn't eat.
>>>
>>>Translated into political terms, he might realize
>>that a gluttonous
>>>government is feasting on his liberty, his wealth
>>and even on his children's
>>>future but, because he feels only numbness toward
>>government, he doesn't act
>>>in self-defense. He obeys even when the command is
>>self-destructive.
>>>
>>>The question of why people passively obey government
>>has haunted the history
>>>of political discourse. In 1552, Étienne de la
>>Boétie addressed what he
>>>called the most important problem confronting
>>freedom: people consent to
>>>their own enslavement. His analysis of 'why'
>>resulted in the world's first
>>>book on non-violent resistance, The Politics of
>>Obedience: The Discourse of
>>>Voluntary Servitude.
>>>
>>>Modern historians ask the same question. During the
>>mass arrests of
>>>Stalinist Russia, people reportedly slept in their
>>clothing not in order to
>>>flee more easily but in order to be fully dressed
>>when seized. In Hitler's
>>>Europe, Jews reported on their own to deportation
>>centers and to their
>>>deaths. Why?
>>>
>>>Part of the complex answer lies in what
>>psychologists call 'object specific'
>>>apathy. That is, a person's numbness is directed
>>toward a specific situation
>>>and may not be manifested in other areas of his
>>life. The same man who is
>>>passionate about music or his wife may feel impotent
>>in the area of
>>>demanding or even wanting his own freedom.
>>>
>>>This response is a form of 'learned helplessness.'
>>It is 'learned' because
>>>the response comes from relentlessly teaching an
>>individual that he has no
>>>control over a situation and, so, his efforts are
>>futile.
>>>
>>>The original and now-famous experiment from which
>>the term 'learned
>>>helplessness' derives involved shocking dogs with
>>electricity until they
>>>developed the psychology of submission. When applied
>>to human beings,
>>>'learned helplessness' is most often used to
>>describe people who have been
>>>institutionalized, for example, in prisons, mental
>>institutions or
>>>orphanages. There, the regimentation strips an
>>individual of the smallest
>>>choice and punishes the _expression of preference.
>>In time, many
>>>institutionalized people accept the inevitability of
>>their environment. Some
>>>of them lose all ability to feel their own
>>preferences.
>>>
>>>The depth of learned helplessness that comes from
>>being institutionalized is
>>>rare. But most of us absorb a degree of this apathy
>>through constant
>>>exposure to a society that attempts to control
>>almost every choice in daily
>>>life: smoking, eating fast food, gun ownership,
>>telling a rude joke at work,
>>>marriage and divorce, boarding an airplane, medical
>>care, banking.making a
>>>phone call. It is difficult to find a choice that
>>isn't scrutinized by
>>>bureaucracy and covered by some form of government
>>control. The message is
>>>clear: Conformity is rewarded; the 'wrong' choices
>>are punished or otherwise
>>>discouraged. The public school system is just one
>>example of what could be
>>>called the institutionalizing or bureaucratizing of
>>daily life.
>>>
>>>The Castle, a brilliant novel by Franz Kafka, offers
>>a window into what
>>>happens to the psychology of a man who confronts
>>bureaucracy. Due a mistake
>>>in paperwork, the main character K. is summoned to
>>work in a village as a
>>>surveyor but ends up as a janitor. The Castle is the
>>summoning authority
>>>with which K. must but cannot deal because he cannot
>>contact the proper
>>>official. K.'s long and agonizing exercise in
>>futility reveals the impact
>>>that bureaucracy has upon the human soul: it
>>deadens.
>>>
>>>K.'s error was to accept the authority of The Castle
>>in the first place.
>>>
>>>The foregoing observation contains good news:
>>bureaucracy and authority
>>>require consent. And, if that consent is learned
>>behavior, then it can also
>>>be unlearned.
>>>
>>>Something within the human spirit seems to want to
>>shake off destructive
>>>programming. Call it a survival instinct. Perhaps it
>>is the inbred urge
>>>revealed by every two-year-old who yells 'no' over
>>and over again for the
>>>simple joy of exercising veto over his own life.
>>>
>>>Adults need to recapture the childlike joy and power
>>of saying 'no.' The
>>>words most feared by those in authority are 'I
>>won't.' Individuals with the
>>>habit of obedience may need to start by saying 'no'
>>on small matters like
>>>refusing to fill in racial information on
>>application forms. They may be
>>>shocked by how difficult it is to say 'I won't' even
>>to petty demands. But
>>>the difficulty is a sign of how important it is.
>>Only when a person is able
>>>to say 'no' can he say 'yes' and have the word mean
>>more that the obedient
>>>response of a servant. 'Yes' is properly the
>>affirmation of a free man.
>>>
>>
>>
>>NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security
>>Agency may read this email without warning, warrant, or notice.
>>They may do this without any judicial or legislative oversight. You
>>have no recourse or protection and everything you type will be used
>>against you to detain you in a secret prison.
>>
>>When one who has been honestly mistaken is shown or told the truth,
>>they will either stop being mistaken or cease being HONEST. Which
>>will you do?
>>
>>If you have to bow down and let WRONG continue, then what is the
>>purpose of your life?
>>
>>Never utter these words "I do not know this, therefore it is
>>false."
>>One must study to know, know to understand, and understand to
>>judge...
>>
>>>"No people will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can
>>>any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffusd and Virtue is
>>>preservd. On the Contrary, when People are universally ignorant,
>>>and debauched in their Manners, they will sink under their own
>>>weight without the Aid of foreign Invaders."
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