Hear that sound? The sound of Government blaming people for acting in ways that cause Government policy to fail? The sound of people persuaded by Government to blame other people of acting in ways that cause Government policy to fail? Listen closely. That sound has been our background music since March.
It is a sound of clueless elitism.
Clueless because it fails to comprehend the limitations and the actual task of state power. When people's behaviour contradicts policy, it is not because people are blameworthy, but because policy is contradicting the normal ways and needs of people.
Elitist because it does not recognise the people as people, but treats them as pawns.
Policy cannot succeed by working against people. In attempting to do so it always fails.
As policy fails, those advancing policy will always blame people and divide people. And some people will find a sense of purpose and identity in declaring allegiance to the policy and multiplying the chorus of blame. So that chorus may at times grow very loud.
Believing itself virtuous, the chorus becomes a dangerous force. It regards its growing volume as an amplification of virtue and a necessary exhortation to the good. The uncomfortable social contortions executed by members of the chorus are experienced by them as cathartic ascesis, and as proof that nonparticipants could participate if they wished, that their nonparticipation is only a blameworthy matter of impiety. Nonparticipation comes to be regarded as dangerous, suspect, heretical.
Perhaps some members of the chorus may wonder, even if only subconsciously, whether it is all true or whether it is hysteria. But psychologically and intellectually most members of the chorus do not wonder, because their opinions are self-reinforcing and generate a kind of enjoyable momentum. For them, all failures of policy are proof we must amplify and strengthen the policy. The more it fails, the more essential it becomes. Every increase in suffering requires a further imposition, further increasing suffering.
We do not have totalitarianism, not yet anyway, but our situation bears hallmarks of the political and social dynamics that yield totalitarianism. For example, under a communist regime, one is always experiencing socialism en route to communism, with the frustration that we haven't yet achieved communism, and the reason we haven't yet achieved it is that success requires everyone's diligent cooperation. Those who do not diligently cooperate are felt to be enemies, standing in our way and even in their own way, because we can't reach the objective until everyone plays by the rules. And they are all the more blameworthy because they are selfish in exempting themselves from the required ascesis everyone else has virtuously embraced. So we must sharpen the rules, press them harder, achieve full compliance! But we never achieve full compliance and never reach the policy objective, because the policy is against the normal ways and needs of people, and the power of Government, however great, is never great enough to actually change human nature. Even its more vigorous displays of power reveal these limitations; policy objectives that require change in human nature are never met.
But if people don't come to understand this perverse dynamic and turn against it, and if conditions don't change such that the policy objective becomes irrelevant (at which point Government will declare victory), this dynamic can last for many bad years. Understanding this requires some dedication to thought, and requires free exercise of thought. This is not the simplest lesson, but it is essential.
We can help ourselves by refusing to blame anyone for any particular virus-related behaviour. Have a sense of humour about it. If someone blames you, smile and pray for them. (Remember, they don't really know what they're doing.)
I was going to register and post the same thread with exactly the same title myself, but on a different tangent. And a tangent that addresses some troubling viewpoints I have seen over the last few days that could actually do more harm than good for those who advocate against lockdowns, measures and mandates.
I must admit that I engaged in schadenfreude when Government officials pointed the finger and said "your fault" to the general public when it came to introducing greater and more draconian measures recently. Because I knew at that point, they would start to turn the public against them. We also now have media outlets such as the Express, Sun, Mail and Telegraph exposing the strategy for what it is - a cruel and costly fraud. Slowly, people are waking up to the opposing argument and agreeing with it as opposed to dismissing it outright as "misinformation" or a "conspiracy theory".
However, over the last week or so, I have seen a number of social media posts from those on the other side of the debate also point the finger and say "your fault" to the public. Like with the Government, this as a strategy will not work and will only serve to get people's backs up. Imagine being the working class individual who has no choice but to travel by bus to work and then spend several hours compelled by their employer and/or law to wear a mask or face disciplinary action where you could get fired for disobeying health and safety policy at a time where finding a job in this environment will be difficult. That person then gets told "your fault" for wearing a mask in difficult circumstances, taking a test in good faith, using the NHS Covid-19 app to get in the pub or following other measures in the belief it is the right thing to do or they have no choice to in order to keep their job, a salary coming in, a roof over their head and food on the plate. Demonising and belittling people like this will get their backs up and disillusion them. Such a strategy has a zero percent chance of success and will not end well. At best, they will distrust both the lockdown fanatics and the sceptics. At worst, they will return to what they have been told to do and believe by Government and the media.
We have the scientific findings behind us, rationality, logic and confidence in our argument to end mandates, lockdowns and measures. What we don't have is the massive groundswell of people yet. Many still take what they are told in the media as gospel truth, will comply with measures and tell the pollsters that they agree with what the Government have done. Meanwhile they will privately protest the measures while the eye of the state and the informant is turned. I don't blame people for complying or believing what they are told, I pity them and sympathise with their lot. As happened with someone I work with who when I explained the true Infection Fatality Rate for Covid-19, responded back with "go away" (although it wasn't that wording, it was more explicit, one of the words being "off") and "people are dying". They are victims. They are victims of a strategy which puts fear and ideology at the centre of it. We should encourage them to leave this situation through civility, understanding and sympathy. Show your concern and let them take the small steps and gain the initiative needed to gain the confidence to leave the echo chamber that they have been coerced into. Have patience. Oppose the rhetoric and measures through civil, peaceful and legitimate means. Save the ire, scrutiny and condemnation for those who truly deserve it, the people who led us down this disastrous and pseudo-scientific path, not those who were led astray, complied through good faith or did as they were told to keep their job.
Excellent points. The second post in the thread is very much in tune with the first -- pointing in a complementary way in a different (but also very important) direction.
Whilst I agree with what you are saying I do not believe that time is on our side so while so many people do not believe in private but comply publically for many of the reasons you point out surely waiting for people to wake up slowly will be too late.the continued compliance is leading to evermore draconian rules..because they can and they will continue to impose them. I think it needs public not private challenges. I can see around me many people waking up in conversations I have had in all settings and have heard said the same things you mention and I have gently explained my sceptic stance enough to plant a seed of doubt and question their beliefs about it all. I would just like their doubts to trigger some actions other than I might as well go along with it as it's easier before it's too late to change anything.
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A lot of people on social media are following the simplistic line that if only everybody "did what they were told" or "behaved themselves" then we wouldn't need to have any restrictions.
I was told yesterday that it's because of "people like you" that the virus is spreading (population: 135,000; number of "cases": approx. 60). I patiently explained that the virus is practically non-existent in my area, most of us are not encountering infected people in our day-to-day lives and couldn't spread it even if we wanted to, and spread does not depend upon one's opinions on lockdown.
Today someone hoped that I would catch it to make me appreciate how serious it is.
I do despair.
The government has an army of useful idiots to do its dirty work for it.
