{"id":5410,"date":"2018-10-10T00:24:12","date_gmt":"2018-10-10T04:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=5410"},"modified":"2018-12-25T17:54:08","modified_gmt":"2018-12-25T22:54:08","slug":"second-meditation-on-dictatorship-written-march-1-2008-republished","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=5410","title":{"rendered":"Second Meditation on Dictatorship [written March 1, 2008] REPUBLISHED<\/span>"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"https<\/a>In the begin\u00adning years of this blog, I pub\u00adlished a series of arti\u00adcles called \u201cMed\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions on Democ\u00adracy and Dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship\u201d which are still reg\u00adu\u00adlarly read today, and have had some influ\u00adence. They still elic\u00adit inquiries from remote cor\u00adners of the globe. They are now buried in the back pages of the blog, so I\u2019m mov\u00ading them up the chrono\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal counter so they can have anoth\u00ader round of vis\u00adi\u00adbil\u00adity, espe\u00adcially (I hope) with younger read\u00aders. I am re-post\u00ading them in their orig\u00adi\u00adnal sequence over part of 2018. Some ref\u00ader\u00adences in these \u201cmed\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions\u201d will date them to 2007\u20132008, when they were writ\u00adten. But I will leave them un-retouched, though I may occa\u00adsion\u00adally append some ret\u00adro\u00adspec\u00adtive notes. Most\u00adly, they deal with abstract issues that do not need updating.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"14-03-18<\/a><\/p>\n

The argu\u00adment behind this series of med\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions is that aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic elites, whether they are dressed up in mil\u00adi\u00adtary uni\u00adforms, busi\u00adness suits, or the regalia of roy\u00adal\u00adty, are iden\u00adti\u00adcal in pur\u00adpose and func\u00adtion. Dif\u00adfer\u00adences between them are triv\u00adial and cos\u00admet\u00adic, not struc\u00adtur\u00adal. The term \u201cdic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship\u201d applies equal\u00adly to all places where an unelect\u00aded gang of hood\u00adlums rules over peo\u00adple and ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry, what\u00adev\u00ader their sup\u00adposed ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy or what\u00adev\u00ader style they chose to prance around in. I fur\u00adther con\u00adtend that they are nei\u00adther moral\u00adly legit\u00adi\u00admate, nor \u201cgov\u00adern\u00adment\u201d in the sense that demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly elect\u00aded admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtions are. Dic\u00adta\u00adtors are mere\u00adly crim\u00adi\u00adnals, no dif\u00adfer\u00adent from the crim\u00adi\u00adnals that rob con\u00adve\u00adnience stores or attack women in dark\u00adened car parks. The only dif\u00adfer\u00adence is the amount of mon\u00adey they steal and the num\u00adber of peo\u00adple they mur\u00adder or maim.<\/p>\n

Next, I have argued that rule by aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcies is a con\u00adstant dan\u00adger to human soci\u00adety in any time and any place, inde\u00adpen\u00addent of a society\u2019s lev\u00adel of wealth, or avail\u00adable tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy. I argue that there are no nec\u00ades\u00adsary or pre\u00addes\u00adtined \u201cstages\u201d in the orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion of human soci\u00adety. Moral\u00adly good and ben\u00ade\u00adfi\u00adcial demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic social arrange\u00adments can be made at any time and in any place, by any group of peo\u00adple, large or small. Lan\u00adguage, eth\u00adnic\u00adi\u00adty, loca\u00adtion, and degree of wealth are not struc\u00adtural\u00adly rel\u00ade\u00advant to demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic prac\u00adtice, and demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic prac\u00adtice does not orig\u00adi\u00adnate with, or \u201cbelong to\u201d any par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar cul\u00adtur\u00adal group. Sim\u00adi\u00adlar\u00adly, dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship can occur in any human group. Immoral, dis\u00adeased soci\u00adeties can be made at any time, in any place, by any group of peo\u00adple, large or small. Both pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties always co-exist.<\/p>\n

I then pro\u00adposed that the actions of aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic elites are mere\u00adly the exten\u00adsion of tech\u00adniques employed by psy\u00adcho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal bul\u00adlies and con-artists on the per\u00adson\u00adal scale of human inter\u00adac\u00adtion. In oth\u00ader words, bul\u00adlies, frauds, swindlers and manip\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtors oper\u00adate as a patho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal minor\u00adi\u00adty in all human groups. The meth\u00adods and motives of dic\u00adta\u00adtors and rul\u00ading aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcies, oper\u00adat\u00ading on the lev\u00adel of nations, are not dif\u00adfer\u00adent, in any mean\u00ading\u00adful way, from those prac\u00adticed on a small scale among pet\u00adty crim\u00adi\u00adnals. In all cas\u00ades, the rulers are com\u00adplete\u00adly aware of what they are doing. They are not the prod\u00aducts of col\u00adlec\u00adtive or \u201chis\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal\u201d process\u00ades. They are not arriv\u00ading at dom\u00adi\u00adnance uncon\u00adscious\u00adly. None of the \u201cide\u00adolo\u00adgies\u201d or \u201cphiloso\u00adphies\u201d attrib\u00aduted to such patho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adi\u00adties actu\u00adal\u00adly have any sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcance. They are mere\u00adly plau\u00adsi\u00adble-sound\u00ading \u201cscripts\u201d that rul\u00ading elites pro\u00adfess to believe, in order to con\u00adfuse and manip\u00adu\u00adlate their vic\u00adtims. Rul\u00ading elites do not believe in any such sys\u00adtems or philoso\u00adphies. They are mere\u00adly tools for achiev\u00ading their goals, and can be con\u00adtra\u00addict\u00aded or dis\u00adcard\u00aded at any time. The basic manip\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtive tech\u00adniques of dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship are sim\u00adple: the man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adtured image of charis\u00adma, the lie, the car\u00adrot, and the stick.<\/p>\n

Final\u00adly, I have explained what every expe\u00adri\u00adenced con-artist or swindler knows, that the key to exer\u00adcis\u00ading con\u00adtrol over peo\u00adple, and get\u00adting what you want from them, is secur\u00ading their belief and col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion. It is our col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion \u2015 in the form of accept\u00ading their claims to be \u201csov\u00ader\u00adeign gov\u00adern\u00adments\u201d, or \u201clead\u00aders\u201d, and accord\u00ading them for\u00admal and cer\u00ade\u00admo\u00adni\u00adal legit\u00adi\u00adma\u00adcy \u2014 that is at the heart of their pow\u00ader. Because we accept their claims to pow\u00ader and author\u00adi\u00adty, their author\u00adi\u00adty becomes real. Psy\u00adcho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion gives them pow\u00ader, and eco\u00adnom\u00adic col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion makes their crimes profitable.<\/p>\n

Imag\u00adine that if every time a cor\u00adner store was robbed, the rob\u00adber could sim\u00adply walk across the street and deposit the stolen mon\u00adey in a bank, and then the neigh\u00adbour\u00adhood busi\u00adness asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion agreed that now the rob\u00adber was the legit\u00adi\u00admate \u201cown\u00ader\u201d of the store, and should be auto\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly enrolled in the asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion as a respectable local busi\u00adness\u00adman. Sup\u00adpose that the police agreed that any\u00adone who suc\u00adcess\u00adful\u00adly robbed a store should not be pur\u00adsued and pros\u00ade\u00adcut\u00aded, because they were now a \u201csov\u00ader\u00adeign body\u201d. It is self-evi\u00addent that such a pol\u00adi\u00adcy would lead to unlim\u00adit\u00aded armed rob\u00adbery and vio\u00adlence. We would think peo\u00adple insane if they held such val\u00adues. Yet that is exact\u00adly what we have cho\u00adsen to do with tyran\u00adnies and dictatorships.<\/p>\n

Any\u00adone who man\u00adages to mur\u00adder, rape, and pil\u00adlage on a large enough scale is auto\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly rec\u00adog\u00adnized as a \u201csov\u00ader\u00adeign gov\u00adern\u00adment\u201d, accord\u00aded a seat in the Unit\u00aded Nations, and allowed to deposit the mon\u00adey they steal into Swiss bank accounts. We then allow them to spend that mon\u00adey on Fifth Avenue, the Gin\u00adza, or the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es. Their legit\u00adi\u00adma\u00adcy is rec\u00adog\u00adnized by all, their secu\u00adri\u00adty is assured. Arms deal\u00aders and gov\u00adern\u00adments line up to sup\u00adply them with the weapons which keep them in pow\u00ader. Only the occa\u00adsion\u00adal one is deposed if he steps on too many toes, or mis\u00adcal\u00adcu\u00adlates a bid for hege\u00admo\u00adny. The major\u00adi\u00adty can count on accep\u00adtance and security.<\/p>\n

Yet peo\u00adple seem to see noth\u00ading wrong with this arrange\u00adment, and grow very hos\u00adtile if one even sug\u00adgests alter\u00ading it. Even the direct vic\u00adtims of dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship will often find them\u00adselves unable to renounce their dic\u00adta\u00adtors, and will still see them as legit\u00adi\u00admate. The rela\u00adtion\u00adship of peo\u00adple to dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adships strong\u00adly resem\u00adbles that of delu\u00adsion\u00adal cult mem\u00adbers or of abused wives who refuse to leave a vio\u00adlent hus\u00adband. In both cas\u00ades, psy\u00adcho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly dom\u00adi\u00adnant con-artists have skill\u00adful\u00adly manip\u00adu\u00adlat\u00aded the inse\u00adcu\u00adri\u00adty and creduli\u00adty of their vic\u00adtims in order to sep\u00ada\u00adrate them from the world of rea\u00adson, and iso\u00adlate them in a world of delu\u00adsion, unrea\u00adson\u00ading faith and loy\u00adal\u00adty. The abus\u00ading hus\u00adband alter\u00adnates vio\u00adlent beat\u00adings with tears and asser\u00adtions of devo\u00adtion, and plays on the des\u00adper\u00adate need of his vic\u00adtim to be loved, even if the \u201clove\u201d con\u00adsists of bro\u00adken bones and humil\u00adi\u00ada\u00adtion. The abused wife refus\u00ades to have him charged, and goes back for more abuse. The reli\u00adgious cult leader skill\u00adful\u00adly plays on the emo\u00adtion\u00adal needs of his fol\u00adlow\u00aders to manip\u00adu\u00adlate them into mak\u00ading him rich, or sat\u00adis\u00adfy\u00ading his sex\u00adu\u00adal crav\u00adings. Even after leav\u00ading the cult, for\u00admer mem\u00adbers still see the cult leader as a charis\u00admat\u00adic father fig\u00adure, and yearn to find a sub\u00adsti\u00adtute. In both cas\u00ades, it is the will\u00ading co-oper\u00ada\u00adtion of the vic\u00adtims, and the col\u00adlat\u00ader\u00adal co-oper\u00ada\u00adtion of third par\u00adties, that makes the crime pos\u00adsi\u00adble. The abus\u00ading hus\u00adband is accept\u00aded by oth\u00ader hus\u00adbands as \u201cone of the boys\u201d. The cult leader is accept\u00aded as a respectable reli\u00adgious leader in the community.<\/p>\n

So it is with dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship. Dic\u00adta\u00adtors get pow\u00ader because they are able to suc\u00adcess\u00adful\u00adly acquire loy\u00adal fol\u00adlow\u00aders who will car\u00adry out their will. Than Shwe doesn\u2019t have to per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adly burn dis\u00adsi\u00addents alive\u2026 he has sol\u00addiers who will do that for him, and offi\u00adcers who will orga\u00adnize it, and clerks who will enter the details into ledgers, and busi\u00adness\u00admen who will sell him the incin\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtors and accoun\u00adtants who will add up the costs. Fidel Cas\u00adtro did not have to per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adly round up and tor\u00adture the homo\u00adsex\u00adu\u00adals and poets that he hat\u00aded. He had loy\u00adal hench\u00admen who would do it for him. And he had investors who would pro\u00advide the cap\u00adi\u00adtal to finance his oper\u00ada\u00adtions. Dic\u00adta\u00adtors rely on the co-oper\u00ada\u00adtion of those out\u00adside of their ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry, who, by cus\u00adtom and con\u00adven\u00adtion, agree that they \u201cown\u201d the peo\u00adple and ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry that they control.<\/p>\n

That insid\u00adi\u00adous cus\u00adtom and con\u00adven\u00adtion pro\u00adclaims that they are immune to pun\u00adish\u00adment, and immune to the ordi\u00adnary moral cen\u00adsure that human beings are sup\u00adposed to impose on wrong\u00addo\u00aders. Than Shwe or Fidel Cas\u00adtro can appear in a pub\u00adlic place, and they will be treat\u00aded as respectable peo\u00adple. They are celebri\u00adties, to be fawned on and pam\u00adpered. Diplo\u00admats will meet them at cock\u00adtail par\u00adties, shake their hands, and tell jokes to them. Pres\u00adi\u00addents and Prime Min\u00adis\u00adters of democ\u00adra\u00adcies will invite them to their homes for din\u00adner, or play golf with them. All moral\u00adi\u00adty is sus\u00adpend\u00aded. Dic\u00adta\u00adtors inhab\u00adit a lucra\u00adtive and com\u00adfort\u00adable world, where theft, mur\u00adder, tor\u00adture, and every oth\u00ader abom\u00adinable crime are not only tol\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded, but reward\u00aded. The rich and pow\u00ader\u00adful agree, uni\u00adver\u00adsal\u00adly, that no rulers should ever be pun\u00adished for what they do to their peo\u00adple, but they may poten\u00adtial\u00adly be dis\u00adci\u00adplined for trans\u00adgres\u00adsions against more pow\u00ader\u00adful brethren.<\/p>\n

So what should decent human beings do, in this bizarre, and obvi\u00adous\u00adly sick situation?<\/p>\n

The first, and most impor\u00adtant step in oppos\u00ading dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship is for human beings to demand that moral\u00adi\u00adty be rec\u00adog\u00adnized and obeyed. We must begin with a moral self-edu\u00adca\u00adtion and self-dis\u00adci\u00adpline that trains us to treat dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship as it should right\u00adful\u00adly be treat\u00aded. We must per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adly, each of us, refuse to accept the lie of dic\u00adta\u00adto\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal legit\u00adi\u00adma\u00adcy, in any con\u00adtext. Our own behav\u00adiour must become moral\u00adly exact and con\u00adsis\u00adtent. And we must demand that our elect\u00aded offi\u00adcials obey that morality.<\/p>\n

We must nev\u00ader allow the con\u00adcept of \u201clegit\u00adi\u00admate\u201d dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship to be insert\u00aded into polit\u00adi\u00adcal analy\u00adsis or dis\u00adcourse, with\u00adout expos\u00ading and defy\u00ading it. We must nev\u00ader allow any politi\u00adcian to engage in any action that legit\u00adimizes dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship, with\u00adout denounc\u00ading and oppos\u00ading it. We must use what\u00adev\u00ader social and demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic insti\u00adtu\u00adtions we have at our dis\u00adpos\u00adal to achieve the abo\u00adli\u00adtion of dictatorship.<\/p>\n

We should denounce and shun any\u00adone who social\u00adizes with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, treats a dic\u00adta\u00adtor as legit\u00adi\u00admate, or does any kind of busi\u00adness with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor. That shun\u00adning should be absolute, dra\u00adcon\u00adian, and irrev\u00ado\u00adca\u00adble. The atti\u00adtude of a decent human being should be: \u201cDeal with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, and I will not only refuse to vote for you, or buy your prod\u00aducts, but I will not allow you in my home, nor will I shake your hand. Break\u00ading bread with you is unimag\u00adin\u00adable. I will not allow you any\u00adwhere near my chil\u00addren. No one should ever speak to you, or even look at you.\u201d One act of col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion with any dic\u00adta\u00adtor, of any kind, no mat\u00adter how insignif\u00adi\u00adcant, should auto\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly sev\u00ader a human being from any con\u00adnec\u00adtion to the human race.<\/p>\n

On the polit\u00adi\u00adcal lev\u00adel, we should regard any col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adrat\u00ading with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship as an act of high trea\u00adson. This should be the foun\u00adda\u00adtion stone of our moral val\u00adues in for\u00adeign rela\u00adtions. What we should be work\u00ading for polit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, is a set of con\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtion\u00adal amend\u00adments that man\u00addate impeach\u00adment and trea\u00adson charges for any politi\u00adcian who is caught in the same room with a dictator.<\/p>\n

That should be the atti\u00adtude of any moral\u00adly respon\u00adsi\u00adble human being, and that atti\u00adtude should be com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adcat\u00aded loud\u00adly, and repeat\u00aded\u00adly, to any\u00adone in busi\u00adness or gov\u00adern\u00adment. Con\u00adtrary to what we usu\u00adal\u00adly imag\u00adine, politi\u00adcians do respond to being \u201ctrained\u201d in this man\u00adner. There is noth\u00ading inevitable or nec\u00ades\u00adsary about their col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion with evil. It only occurs because we allow it, because we let them get away with it unpun\u00adished. We should be pun\u00adish\u00ading them for it, pun\u00adish\u00ading them hard, pun\u00adish\u00ading them as angri\u00adly and vig\u00ador\u00adous\u00adly as we can. Pun\u00adish\u00ading them on elec\u00adtion day, pun\u00adish\u00ading them in the opin\u00adion polls, and pun\u00adish\u00ading them by turn\u00ading our backs on them, spit\u00adting on them, any\u00adthing that gets the mes\u00adsage across. We are not in a posi\u00adtion to direct\u00adly pun\u00adish the dic\u00adta\u00adtors, at this stage, but we are in a posi\u00adtion to pun\u00adish our own offi\u00adcials when they col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adrate with them. That should be the pol\u00adi\u00adcy and prac\u00adtice of any pro\u00adgres\u00adsive per\u00adson or insti\u00adtu\u00adtion in our soci\u00adety. It should be the moral behav\u00adiour that is taught in schools. It should be the moral stan\u00addard acknowl\u00adedged and prac\u00adticed by all peo\u00adple in the arts, in sci\u00adence, in edu\u00adca\u00adtion, and in schol\u00adar\u00adship. A sense of moral out\u00adrage should become the norm in this regard.<\/p>\n

This moral cen\u00adsure should not be con\u00adfined to politi\u00adcians alone. If a movie star or rock star pub\u00adlicly hangs out with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, or sup\u00adports a non-demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic regime, then the pub\u00adlic should turn against them, and his or her career should quite right\u00adly face ruin. If a busi\u00adness\u00adman buys or sells from a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, we should deploy what\u00adev\u00ader pub\u00adlic social sanc\u00adtions we can man\u00adage. Boy\u00adcotts and protests are effec\u00adtive in such cas\u00ades, far more than peo\u00adple gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly imag\u00adine. Even the loss of five per\u00adcent of a mar\u00adket can destroy the careers of hot shot CEOs and cause turnovers in board\u00adrooms. Civ\u00adi\u00adlized peo\u00adple should exer\u00adcise those sanc\u00adtions at every opportunity.<\/p>\n

It is pre\u00adcise\u00adly this kind of moral force that drove the anti-slav\u00adery move\u00adment in the 19th cen\u00adtu\u00adry, and that, in the Unit\u00aded States, put an end to racial seg\u00adre\u00adga\u00adtion in the 1960s. It was not politi\u00adcians or the wealthy who ini\u00adti\u00adat\u00aded these reforms. It was ordi\u00adnary peo\u00adple, at first only a very few, who made these things hap\u00adpen. In the begin\u00adning, only a hand\u00adful of com\u00admit\u00adted indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals act\u00aded on their con\u00adsciences. Their con\u00adsis\u00adten\u00adcy and courage made the lines of choice clear. Slow\u00adly, oth\u00aders were either inspired by their exam\u00adple, or shamed by it. Grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly, a new moral norm was estab\u00adlished, and soci\u00adety mutat\u00aded to the point where trans\u00adgres\u00adsors could not show their face in respectable com\u00adpa\u00adny. Polit\u00adi\u00adcal changes fol\u00adlowed. But the polit\u00adi\u00adcal changes would nev\u00ader have been pos\u00adsi\u00adble with\u00adout the under\u00adly\u00ading force of indi\u00advid\u00adual human beings exer\u00adcis\u00ading moral choice and conviction.<\/p>\n

That is what we should be doing when con\u00adfront\u00aded with the fact of dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship. Dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship is respon\u00adsi\u00adble for the largest por\u00adtion of suf\u00adfer\u00ading and injus\u00adtice in the world. Pover\u00adty, dis\u00adease, famine, social injus\u00adtices of all kind are most\u00adly the bi-prod\u00aducts of dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship. If any\u00adone aspires to oppose social injus\u00adtice, or wish\u00ades to do some\u00adthing con\u00adcrete about pover\u00adty and dis\u00adease, it should be their first pri\u00ador\u00adi\u00adty to destroy dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship. To accom\u00adplish this, it is nec\u00ades\u00adsary to embrace, pro\u00adclaim, prac\u00adtice and pro\u00admote the moral stan\u00addards nec\u00ades\u00adsary to oppose dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship effec\u00adtive\u00adly. These val\u00adues must be con\u00adsis\u00adtent and prac\u00adticed with\u00adout capri\u00adcious excep\u00adtions. It is not per\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adble to protest one dic\u00adta\u00adtor and cod\u00addle anoth\u00ader. No strate\u00adgic align\u00adment with any dic\u00adta\u00adtor is moral\u00adly per\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adble, in pur\u00adsuit of any objec\u00adtive. That goes for both gov\u00adern\u00adment poli\u00adcies and the actions of indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals. A human being \u2015 any human being \u2015 can only be rec\u00adog\u00adnized as hon\u00adest and moral if he or she oppos\u00ades all dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship, every\u00adwhere, with\u00adout exception.<\/p>\n

If politi\u00adcians begin to feel the heat of this moral force, if they are called to account by jour\u00adnal\u00adists when they vio\u00adlate fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal moral\u00adi\u00adty, and if they find them\u00adselves shunned and denounced at every turn, they will even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly be forced to change their behav\u00adiour. The process may be a slow and dif\u00adfi\u00adcult one, but what right thing has ever been easy to do?<\/p>\n

In the mid\u00addle of the 18th Cen\u00adtu\u00adry, a young man in New Jer\u00adsey, John Wool\u00adman, came to the con\u00adclu\u00adsion, at the age of 23, that slav\u00adery was immoral, and that no decent per\u00adson should prof\u00adit from it. It took him many years to con\u00advince a hand\u00adful of peo\u00adple of this posi\u00adtion, but by the end of his life, it had been adopt\u00aded by the major\u00adi\u00adty of Quak\u00aders in Amer\u00adi\u00adca and many in Eng\u00adland. From the exam\u00adple of the Quak\u00aders, this view\u00adpoint grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly won over intel\u00adli\u00adgent and moral\u00adly sen\u00adsi\u00adtive peo\u00adple, and by the end of the 18th cen\u00adtu\u00adry had a wide\u00adspread influ\u00adence. Ver\u00admont became the first gov\u00adern\u00adment to abol\u00adish slav\u00adery, fol\u00adlowed soon after by Upper Cana\u00adda, and then a num\u00adber of New Eng\u00adland States. A court in Low\u00ader Cana\u00adda in 1803 ruled slav\u00adery incom\u00adpat\u00adi\u00adble with the fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal prin\u00adci\u00adples of law. Oppo\u00adsi\u00adtion to slav\u00adery spread to Scan\u00addi\u00adnavia, then to many oth\u00ader places in Con\u00adti\u00adnen\u00adtal Europe. In 1834, chat\u00adtel slav\u00adery was abol\u00adished, at least legal\u00adly, through\u00adout the British Empire. The Unit\u00aded States had to under\u00adgo a tumul\u00adtuous and ago\u00adniz\u00ading war before the Eman\u00adci\u00adpa\u00adtion Procla\u00adma\u00adtion in 1863. But this titan\u00adic strug\u00adgle against evil could not have suc\u00adceed\u00aded if peo\u00adple like John Wool\u00adman, a sim\u00adple tay\u00adlor and notary, had not pro\u00adclaimed and com\u00admit\u00adted them\u00adselves to a clear-cut moral posi\u00adtion. It was their moral force that ulti\u00admate\u00adly made polit\u00adi\u00adcal changes happen.<\/p>\n

Dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship is mere\u00adly a mod\u00adern ver\u00adsion of the slave trade, prac\u00adticed by peo\u00adple who con\u00adtrol ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry and claim to be \u201cgov\u00adern\u00adments\u201d. The ulti\u00admate elim\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion of dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship calls for the deploy\u00adment of the same type of moral force as that ear\u00adli\u00ader movement.<\/p>\n

There are basi\u00adcal\u00adly two sets of strate\u00adgies nec\u00ades\u00adsary. Those who present\u00adly live under dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship need to devel\u00adop one set of strate\u00adgies. Those who live out\u00adside of dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship, who can freely express their opin\u00adions and influ\u00adence elect\u00aded gov\u00adern\u00adments, should be pur\u00adsu\u00ading anoth\u00ader set. The two sets of strate\u00adgies are relat\u00aded, and should be co-ordi\u00adnat\u00aded. But in this essay, I\u2019m pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly con\u00adcerned with the sec\u00adond set.<\/p>\n

The strat\u00ade\u00adgy of deploy\u00ading moral force should serve a sim\u00adple pur\u00adpose: to get laws passed and poli\u00adcies enact\u00aded that make dic\u00adta\u00adtors suf\u00adfer, cut them off from mon\u00adey, humil\u00adi\u00adate them, iso\u00adlate them, and even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly destroy them. First, our aim should be to get our gov\u00adern\u00adments to renounce all ties and alliances with dic\u00adta\u00adtors. Then it should be to repu\u00addi\u00adate recog\u00adni\u00adtion of dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adships as legit\u00adi\u00admate gov\u00adern\u00adments. Then we should get laws passed mak\u00ading it charge\u00adable trea\u00adson for any politi\u00adcian to con\u00adsort with, enter\u00adtain, or com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adcate per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adly with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor. We should be demand\u00ading that the embassies and con\u00adsulates of dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adships be closed, and that their diplo\u00admats be expelled. Then we should demand the expul\u00adsion of all dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adships from inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal bod\u00adies, or that democ\u00adra\u00adcies with\u00addraw from inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal bod\u00adies that per\u00admit dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship to par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate. Then, we should push for the enact\u00adment of laws mak\u00ading it a crim\u00adi\u00adnal offense to engage in any eco\u00adnom\u00adic exchange with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, or his hench\u00admen. These should be fol\u00adlowed by laws dis\u00adsolv\u00ading cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions that do busi\u00adness with dic\u00adta\u00adtors. All these demands should be made, one after the oth\u00ader, with unend\u00ading pres\u00adsure from the bot\u00adtom up. No per\u00adson should be regard\u00aded as fit to hold any posi\u00adtion of respectabil\u00adi\u00adty or hon\u00adour unless they make these demands.<\/p>\n

Par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar atten\u00adtion should be paid to the behav\u00adiour of finan\u00adcial insti\u00adtu\u00adtions. We should demand laws that severe\u00adly pun\u00adish any bank that pro\u00advides finan\u00adcial ser\u00advices for a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, or his hench\u00admen, even by indi\u00adrect pro\u00adce\u00addures (i.e., num\u00adbered or secret accounts, mon\u00adey-laun\u00adder\u00ading, dum\u00admy cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions). These laws should hold banks respon\u00adsi\u00adble for trans\u00adgres\u00adsions even if they claim to have done them unknow\u00ading\u00adly. Access to inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal bank\u00ading ser\u00advices is the life-blood that makes dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship func\u00adtion prof\u00aditably. It is the heart of the mat\u00adter. If banks out\u00adside our own coun\u00adtries do not con\u00adform to these rules, then they should not be allowed to trans\u00adact busi\u00adness in our coun\u00adtries. Our goal should be the seizure of all assets held by dic\u00adta\u00adtors or their hench\u00admen \u2015 so that they can be held in trust for the peo\u00adple who right\u00adful\u00adly own them, the vic\u00adtims of the dic\u00adta\u00adtors in their own countries.<\/p>\n

Ulti\u00admate\u00adly, our aim should be to issue war\u00adrants for the arrest of all dic\u00adta\u00adtors and their rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtives, hench\u00admen, and col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtors. These war\u00adrants should man\u00addate the arrest and tri\u00adal of any of these peo\u00adple if they set foot on the soil of a democ\u00adra\u00adcy. The only final result that is moral\u00adly accept\u00adable to decent human beings would be a \u201cNurem\u00adberg\u201d tri\u00adal of all the dic\u00adta\u00adtors on Earth.<\/p>\n

These are all things that can be done through the demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic process, and through the law. And they are all things which can be done with\u00adout mak\u00ading war, which invari\u00adably harms the vic\u00adtims of dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship more than it harms the dic\u00adta\u00adtors them\u00adselves. We must always remem\u00adber the \u201cace in the hole\u201d that every dic\u00adta\u00adtor counts on: they hold their own peo\u00adple hostage, and many of those hostages are chil\u00addren. We should nev\u00ader be in the busi\u00adness of bomb\u00ading chil\u00addren to \u201csave\u201d them from dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship. We should be focused on elim\u00adi\u00adnat\u00ading the dic\u00adta\u00adtors. Stran\u00adgling their blood-flow of mon\u00adey, and mak\u00ading sure that they can\u00adnot ever show their faces in the civ\u00adi\u00adlized world are far more effec\u00adtive than any mil\u00adi\u00adtary swaggering.<\/p>\n

But to do this requires a long, slow build-up of social pres\u00adsure from prin\u00adci\u00adpled indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals. Those indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals must be sure of them\u00adselves, and be will\u00ading to stand up to the ridicule and counter-pres\u00adsures they will be sub\u00adject\u00aded to. They will be sneered at by intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adals, dis\u00admissed as cra\u00adzies by politi\u00adcians, and under\u00admined by those who gain finan\u00adcial\u00adly from col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion with dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship. They will feel the lure of con\u00adfor\u00admi\u00adty. They will grow weary of explain\u00ading the same obvi\u00adous facts over and over again, and they will become list\u00adless and dis\u00adcon\u00adso\u00adlate when progress fails to mate\u00adri\u00adal\u00adize quick\u00adly. It will be very, very dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to pass the laws we need. All politi\u00adcians will hate them. All rich peo\u00adple will hate them. All cor\u00adpo\u00adrate inter\u00adests will hate them. Many intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adals will hate them with rabid fanati\u00adcism. All these forces will fight tooth and nail to block them.<\/p>\n

The strat\u00ade\u00adgy of deploy\u00ading moral force obvi\u00adous\u00adly requires patience, since no results can be expect\u00aded to come quick\u00adly, and it requires sac\u00adri\u00adfice. It is con\u00adve\u00adnient, and com\u00adfort\u00adable to turn a blind eye to dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship. It is con\u00adve\u00adnient to buy the cheap prod\u00aducts that dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adships sup\u00adply, with their mar\u00adket advan\u00adtage of slave labour and envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal rape. It is con\u00adve\u00adnient to avoid con\u00adfronta\u00adtion with our own \u00e9lites and big shots. It is tempt\u00ading to swal\u00adlow the illu\u00adsion, ped\u00addled by all our politi\u00adcians, that dic\u00adta\u00adtors can be \u201creformed\u201d by \u201cengage\u00adment\u201d, bribes, or polite\u00adness. But moral\u00adi\u00adty is not a con\u00adve\u00adnient or a com\u00adfort\u00adable thing. It requires that you stand up straight as a man or a woman, and fol\u00adlow a prin\u00adci\u00adple, rather than kiss\u00ading bums and col\u00adlect\u00ading the cube of sug\u00adar. Moral\u00adi\u00adty holds no appeal for most intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adals, who pre\u00adfer the clev\u00ader\u00adness of realpoli\u00adtik and oppor\u00adtunis\u00adtic moral obfus\u00adca\u00adtion. Moral\u00adi\u00adty holds no appeal for \u201crad\u00adi\u00adcals\u201d and oth\u00ader poseurs attract\u00aded to the bom\u00adbast of \u201crev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion\u201d. But moral\u00adi\u00adty is what is tru\u00adly rad\u00adi\u00adcal, tru\u00adly rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adary, and, in the long run, tru\u00adly effec\u00adtive. In the long run, I think that moral truth, and moral force will win.<\/p>\n

Why do I think so? Because the world is grow\u00ading up. Dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship is the prod\u00aduct of igno\u00adrance, cow\u00adardice, and super\u00adsti\u00adtion. It will be a hor\u00adri\u00adbly painful process, but we will out\u00adgrow it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the begin\u00adning years of this blog, I pub\u00adlished a series of arti\u00adcles called \u201cMed\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions on Democ\u00adracy and Dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship\u201d which are still reg\u00adu\u00adlarly read today, and have had some influ\u00adence. They still elic\u00adit inquiries from remote cor\u00adners of the globe. \u2026<\/p>\n

Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1494,409],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-blog","category-ai-blog-2018","category-meditations-series"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5410"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9912,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5410\/revisions\/9912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}