The one thing all authoritarians have in common is that they are thin-skinned, which is by the way why they pose as “strong” and domineering. It’s just a façade.
Why are authoritarians thin-skinned?
Simply put, because they know they are a fraud, and they are actually very insecure people. Despite the fact many authoritarians indeed convince their adoring followers that this “dear leader” persona is strong, and self-assured – they cannot hide their insecurities from themselves. That is why authoritarians tend to always act as though they never make mistakes. And if they concede to a mistake is really a humble brag. Yes, they have very low self-esteem under all that bravado.
When I wrote my book Authoritarianism & Propaganda the Puppet Master Tools, I very deliberately chose not to talk about any authoritarian who is currently alive. Why? Because authoritarians [and their acolytes] tend to be extremely vindictive. Hence, unless they come back from their death, then it was safer for me to speak about their deeds from recorded history. However, there is no shortage of authoritarians who are very much alive right now. This also includes plenty of authoritarian wanna-be folks who are gaining a lot of traction.
I’ve been speaking on this topic for quite a while now, and everything I’ve predicted has very much occurred. What’s coming next is a lot worse and that is why I continue writing so much about it. Even though it feels I generally scream into a void. And the reason why this is frustrating is because meanwhile the antics of current authoritarians are gaining more and more traction. Especially when authoritarians and authoritarian wanna-be personalities are spewing all the indicators I describe in exuberant detail.
AUTHORITARIANISM & PROPAGANDA The Puppet Master Tools
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Enter the “yes men and women”
Did you know that you’re an accessory to a crime if you witness it and decide to simply look the other way? For example, if you witness domestic abuse from your neighbor and let it be, and this violence escalates to the point a person victimized in that household dies – what was your role in this crime? Well, it would be your failure to enact bystander intervention [perhaps calling the authorities], and I know this example is very much on the nose, but something similar – and often more complex happens with authoritarianism.
Every authoritarian in history (to include the history we are writing right now) surrounds himself or herself with obedient loyalist, these useful fools will parrot and make mental gymnastics to justify whatever antic, misdeed, crime, misdemeanor, legal trouble, accusation, or anything else that would be challenging to the “dear leader.” And some of those rationales will be very weak at best, and indeed very insulting to the intellect of any person who has two brain cells to rub.
But this gaslighting they perform is because they are pandering to an audience of one, the “dear leader” – they realize that by feeding the authoritarian’s ego, they get to log a bit more “facetime” with this perceived powerful figure. What they forget is that they (their adoring acolytes) are also disposable, no matter how much they compromise their principles, dignity, and even their humanity. Authoritarians only care about themselves. Some are shrewder than others, but if they show any type of interest in you it is because it is primarily self-serving to them.
That is why you’ll see the acolytes going out of their way to make the “dear leader” feel as that they are smarter than everybody else, and if the “dear leader” says something demonstrably moronic, they will “interpret” on whatever they “think” this person said – in a manner that would be [hopefully] less moronic. Just realize that if you see a pedantic, loud-mouthed figure who viciously attacks his opponents, it is very likely because this person is insecure. They have low self-esteem, because they know they are never as good as their opposition. Even if his adoring fans think they are better – it is all a façade.
Every “strong man” in history who was ruling with an iron fist was actually a very weak person. They relied on the muscle of their followers to incite their faux bravado, and have their followers perpetrate heinous crimes against humanity. It is because they are weak. Real strength comes with fortitude of character, by understanding that sometimes we are wrong, but we can become better than we were yesterday by improving on our shortcomings.
Authoritarians cling to your biases, and project their insecurities onto you. That is why a lot of their acolytes display furious rage when defending their “dear leader.” People around the world had realized these indicators way too late. I am here to give you that important shortcut, because time is at a premium, and we are collectively behind the power curve, and the authoritarians and authoritarians wanna-be are very close to reaching the finish line. HLC