Authoritarianism and the Grievance Narrative

 

Today I want to examine three well documented versions of authoritarianism to compare what they share in terms of the tools they employ to create group think, or as I like to call it, “mass psychoses”. Today we will examine what Orwell had to say in his novel 1984 about socialist authoritarianism since it was events in Communist Russia that impacted the plot and theme of 1984. Then I will examine the methods National Socialism employed to gain sufficient popularity to the create group think required to unify the German people. Finally, we will look at WOKE and its present hold on society despite recent signs that it has come under resistance from those who dare to think for themselves. Ultimately, we will examine how all three use a grievance narrative to foment cultural revolution.

But allow me to begin by starting at the end of this totalizing process. By this I mean I will begin where the Sacred has collapsed into the profane. To examine this, I hope to uncover the effects on society of the single characteristic which defines every authoritarian government, the grievance narrative that I just mentioned. Then I will end with a word of caution, as to why there cannot be a political solution to a moral, philosophical, and spiritual crisis.

At the heart of every authoritarian regime lies the delusional belief that the State ought to be given total socioeconomic control. Once this happens the executive branch of government will cease to be limited by the legislative branch. Which means that the executive branch may exercise undemocratic powers that are no longer representative of the public will. This story has been repeated all throughout human history perhaps being first best represented by the Tower of Babel narrative. The Mesopotamians attempted to build a system that would reach unto heaven so men could become like gods. The Babel narrative describes a society where the Sacred had collapsed into the profane. The outcome was confusion. An inability to communicate clearly. The old narrative that had once informed the Mesopotamians had to be surrendered to the ideas that could build the new order created by the Übermensch or the Over Man. He was the superior god-like man who could create a system that would reach unto heaven. This is why we instinctively find globalism so dangerous. Today people shout past one another without understanding the other. What was meant under the old narrative is forcibly displaced by “new speak”.

Orwell developed the idea of Newspeak in his dystopian novel, "1984". It was Orwell’s attempt to examine Soviet Communism. In 1984 the “Party” limited thought and prevented rebellion by reducing the complexity of language. Through Newspeak, Orwell explored the power of language to shape thought and control society, thus illustrating how totalitarian control is maintained. In 1984 Orwell showcased Newspeak's role in erasing historical truths while manipulating public perception, emphasizing the language's importance in maintaining the Party's dominance.

Yet today we welcome Babel 2.0! Those who are leading our Postmodern globalizing projects are driven by grievance narratives, resentment, pathological narcissism and the delusional belief that they are the high priests of a system that is capable of controlling things far beyond human comprehension. The complexity of the problems they seek to address are too multivariate to be controlled. In my youth the old socialist left never trusted the MAN yet now that they have become the MAN, they manifest the very thing that they once despised, namely authoritarian autocratic overreach! This is why Justin Trudeau has lost control of his government. Moreover, it has become obvious that he is likely not the author of the plan to create an authoritarian Canada! But as for Trump, on his part he is certainly not a conservative since everything he has done since he has assumed office has been by executive order. The exchange between these two narcissists will likely do irreversible damage to both of our once great countries if a real statesman like Pierre Poilievre fails to shortly become our Prime Minister to negotiate with a man who only knows how to win at all costs.

But how did we get here? Let me be blunt, so now I will address you who are left leaning, PBS, NRK, CBC watching, pro-abortion, gay rights activists who support Islamic violence, who believe that Tommy Robinson belongs in prison for exposing the rape gangs in England, who hate Christianity, who believe in Postmodern Cultural Relativism, who think that COVID-19 wasn't developed as a bio-weapon, who promote Cultural Marxist Critical Gender and Race Theory, read my warnings, every single corrupt politician and every last ideologically possessed bureaucrat who have destroyed representative democracy, it is you ideologically addled demoniacs who are directly responsible for the failure of our political systems and governments all throughout the West! You obviously hate human life. You have offered sacrifices of our unborn to Beelzebub. You detest individual accountability and economic liberty. May your nutty Gnostic dialectical reasoning and Malthusian view of humanity fast come to an end. Without a grievance narrative there is not an authoritarian ideology that would exist. Your sacrilegious rituals and festivals will no longer be celebrated by an increasing majority of us who are disgusted by open displays of sexual deviancy to publicly force perversion on our children!

So now that we have examined what Orwell had to say about Soviet style communism in1984 let us examine how the other grievance narratives operate:

Nazi policies:

The Nazi party’s policies were deliberately vague so that they might appeal to as many people as possible. People of both right and moderate-left wing politics joined because they agreed with at least one of their policies which are listed as follows:

·       an aim to abolish the "unfair punishment" of the Treaty of Versailles was popular with many Germans

·       promises of better pensions and increased employment appealed to the common man and many traditional socialists

·       opposition to communism led many landowners and businessmen to support the Nazis – they were seen as the only credible right-wing alternative to the left-wing parties.

·       belief in the supremacy of the German race appealed to nationalists.

·       paramilitary groups reminded people of the comradeship they shared as soldiers during WWI

·       the promise to re-militarise Germany would bring in huge industrial contracts – bringing support from many industrialists

·       Hitler's hatred of Jews struck a chord with many people - they were a convenient scapegoat for all of Germany's problems and were main aspect of the German “grievance narrative”

Use of propaganda:

Propaganda posters were aimed at women which read, “German women, think of your children – Vote Hitler”. Propaganda is disinformation spread to promote a political cause and to persuade people to adopt the new narrative. Information about what the Nazis believed in and who they blamed for Germany’s dire situation was effectively spread by the Party’s propaganda machine run by Josef Goebbels.

·       These methods of campaigning were used by the Nazis in the 1920’s which included radio (the mass media of its day)

·       mass rallies newspapers (MSM) like “Der Stürmer” which literally means, “The Stormer”

·       Hitler's impassioned speeches inflamed German public sentiment by telling Germans exactly what they wanted to hear

·       the use of simple slogans to introduce their ideas to make them appeal to the ordinary German.

·       At the same time Goebbels prevented those who opposed Nazi policies from expressing their views. This helped ensure only Nazi messages got across to the public.

Nazi organisation:

The Nazi Party was extremely organised. This meant they were able to convey policies to a wide range of people, while appearing to be competent and able to run the country:

·       The Nazis were present in many German cities and towns with many local offices

·       Nazi party members worked efficiently to spread policies through propaganda

·       the Nazi Party's original paramilitary wing the Sturmabteilung appeared to be a strong organisation which could protect Germany from its enemies – internal as well as external.

·       When social unrest increased, after benefits were cut in 1930, Hitler used fear of Communism to get support from industrialists. Alfred Hugenberg, an industrialist who owned a chain of newspapers, and Fritz Thyssen, a steel manufacturer, along with other industrialists formed the Harzburg Front.

·       The Harzburg Front helped finance the Nazi election campaigns in 1932-1933. This ensured the Communists were defeated.

And now that we have examined how the Soviet, and the Nazi grievance narratives operated, let us examine the prevailing WOKE narrative.

Perceived grievance and individualising moralities: exploring the psychological structure of left-wing authoritarianism: Identity politics and social justice:

Social justice movements have had an increasing influence on society, particularly in the form of Identity Politics. These movements seek to empower individuals by promoting a narrative of certain group identities as marginalized entities, which are polarized against other privileged group identities. Social justice calls attention to forms of structural oppression that produce inequalities, including patriarchy, systemic racism, white privilege, and heteronormativity. Moreover, it has been suggested that a key attribute of leftist Identity Politics and social justice ideology are perceptions of victimhood, with awareness of privilege and oppression referring to the capacity to recognize social injustices arising from systemic privilege and oppression. Dr. Angelo Fasce and Dr. Diego Avendaño recently found that Identity Politics was composed of three dimensions: perceived grievance, identity-based ideology and prejudice toward groups perceived as privileged, which was then related to extreme justice-seeking behavior.

Leftist authoritarian attempts to enforce ideological adherence have gradually emerged through censorship, disciplinary action, and other implicit forms of illiberalism. Social penalties are most pervasive on social media, where individuals can face a torrent of shout-downs, demands for retractions, and deplatforming. It has been suggested that algorithmic ordering and engagement metrics on social media platforms incentivize hostility and moral outrage. As ideas expressed in speech become increasingly regulated, studies show that political correctness has been steadily reemerging. For example, the rise of safe spaces and trigger warnings on university campuses rationalize speech regulations on the grounds that certain language is emotionally dangerous and can be perceived as a form of violence. Lukianoff and Haidt argue that cognitive distortions are driving political correctness norms and policies, with exaggerated patterns of thought mobilized in calls for speech protections. Cognitive distortions magnify threat perceptions and generate maladaptive behavioral consequences such as emotional reasoning, all-or-nothing thinking, and catastrophizing. Thus, Lukianoff and Haidt argue that shielding individuals from ideas that might cause discomfort encourages unhealthy mental habits and psychological fragility.

An intolerance of diverse ideas is also seen with ‘cancel culture’, a form of reputation destruction where an individual may be maliciously bullied and socially ostracized for expressing allegedly problematic beliefs. Kaufmann recently found high levels of authoritarianism and political discrimination in western universities, where one in ten academics endorsed extreme forms of cancellation. Narrowing social norms of acceptable discourse has seemingly coincided with an increase in dogmatic political views and affective polarization. While examining powerful discourses is a valid enterprise, these ideologies do not submit themselves to the marketplace of ideas, thereby inhibiting legitimate disagreement and productive dialogue.

In Conclusion:

The equality of all before the law and laws that are enforced blindly without regard for our individual identity is the only possible way for Lady Justice to remain blind. All authoritarian regimes assign blame and innocence based on immutable traits that we have no control over divorced from our own moral rectitude. The West was built on the idea that everyone is created in the image of God and therefore deserves to be treated as such, as individuals who are each possessed with their own unique divine worth. Therefore, Christianity is where identity politics goes to die.

Galatians 3 (KJV)

26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

This is the only Divine path to justice and true equality. Christ Himself has borne our grievances and has atoned for our sins. In light of His finished work all we can have is gratitude for His Divine atonement and His undeserved mercy toward us sinners! Grievance narratives have been responsible for creating hell on earth and continue to do so. As Christians let us help to usher in His Kingdom on earth by ending these toxic resentful ideas to restore the West as a Christian enterprise.

Galatians 5:1 (KJV)

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”