Many people tonight are struggling to understand what has happened to America in the last two years. Why is there increasing division, even violence? Why are things going so wrong? What is the nature of what’s tearing us apart?
In a word, authoritarianism. Research has found that it arises as a kind of symbiosis between authoritarian leaders and those who choose to follow them — even seek them out.
Sara Robinson and others were well aware of the dangers of authoritarianism long before Trump arrived in the Oval Office. She wrote several series at Orcinus on those dangers — and David Neiwert has been covering that beat for a long time too. (Scroll down the links on the left hand side to find their work.)
Here’s an excerpt of what Robinson warned us to look out for, long before Trump decided to enter politics — the GOP has been headed down that road for a long time. Read the whole series. It begins with Cracks In The Wall, Part I: Defining the Authoritarian Personality. Here’s an excerpt:
High-SDO people are characterized by four core traits: they are dominating, opposed to equality, committed to expanding their own personal power, and amoral. These are usually accompanied by other unsavory traits, many of which render them patently unsuitable for leadership roles in a democracy:
Typically men
Intimidating and bullying
Faintly hedonistic
Vengeful
Pitiless
Exploitative
Manipulative
Dishonest
Cheat to win
Highly prejudiced (racist, sexist, homophobic)
Mean-spirited
Militant
Nationalistic
Tells others what they want to hear
Takes advantage of "suckers"
Specializes in creating false images to sell self
May or may not be religious
Usually politically and economically conservative/Republican
Dean notes: "Although these collations of characteristics…are not attractive portraits, the are nonetheless traits that authoritarians themselves acknowledge." In other words, these guys know what they are, and are often quite unabashedly proud of it.
High-SDO people are drawn to power, and will seek it ruthlessly and relentlessly, regardless of the consequences to others. Many cultures (including ours, up until a few decades ago) have found these people so dangerous that they've evolved counterweights and backstops that conspire to either keep them away from the levers of power, or mitigate the damage they can do (and I'll discuss some of those in the last installment). However, modern America seems to have lost all vestiges of this awareness. Now, we celebrate our most powerful social dominants, pay them obscene salaries, turn them into media stars, and hand over the keys to the empire to them almost gratefully. They have free rein to pursue their ambitions unchecked, with no cultural brakes on their rapacity. They will do whatever they can get away with; and we'll not only let them, but often cheer them on.
The other side of the coin is the people who willingly follow someone like that. Robinson has their number too. Summarized:
Core traits of authoritarian followers:
1. Submission to authority.
2. Aggressive support of authority.
3. Conventionality.
(see the full descriptions of these core traits at the link.)
Dean lists other traits of right-wing authoritarian followers, most of which flow directly from the three core traits above:
Both men and women
Highly religious
Moderate to little education
Trust untrustworthy authorities
Prejudiced (particularly against homosexuals, women, and followers of religions other than their own)
Mean-spirited
Narrow-minded
Intolerant
Bullying
Zealous
Dogmatic
Uncritical toward chosen authority
Hypocritical
Inconsistent and contradictory
Prone to panic easily
Highly self-righteous
Moralistic
Strict disciplinarian
Severely punitive
Demands loyalty and returns it
Little self-awareness
Usually politically conservative/Republican
Again — read the whole series. You can find the rest of the links down the left margin at Orcinus. There’s plenty more material worth reading there too.
Robinson offers suggestions for what we can do about this. Sometimes, authoritarian followers can be helped; we all know some. As for the High SDO leaders… we’re still working on that. November 6 is when we start taking the country back — but it’s just the beginning.
What’s happening to America today is NOT a mystery. The pathology is understood. The warning signs have been there all along. I strongly suggest sharing Robinson’s series with people you know who are trying to make sense of it all — and with those who are still in denial about what is happening to this country.