Posted on 06/19/2010 4:56:41 PM PDT by OneWingedShark
Americans: The People of The [Stockholm] Syndrome
The Stockholm Syndrome is the name of a psychological delusion wherein the victim (who is generally a hostage) both irrationally and paradoxically form an emotional attachment to their victimizers. According to the FBI, roughly 27% of hostage victims show evidence of Stockholm syndrome.
An early researcher into Stockholm Syndrome, Dr. Dee Graham, identified four typical characteristics of the Syndrome’s victims:
1. Perceived threat to survival, and belief that the captor is able to carry out the threat at any time.
2. A captor carries out a small act of kindness, and the captive perceives it as redemptive.
3. The captive is isolated for a significant amount of time, such that the victim can only see through the captor’s perspective.
4. Perceived impossibility of escape.
I propose that the general American populous exhibits these very characteristics in regards to its government:
1. Threat to survival:
a. Even the most conservative of people can say “if it weren’t for the military [Government] America would be overrun by invaders!”
i. This sentiment completely fails to acknowledge the population, as a unified whole, armed and determined to turn back invaders: that is, the militia.
ii. This sentiment assumes that the government would, in fact, act to turn back invaders; its systematic and pervasive failure to enforce immigration law does not support that assumption.
2. The belief the captor is able to carry out “the threat” at any time:
a. The government has, in its arsenal, a multitude of ways of forcing compliance:
i. Citation
ii. Litigation
iii. RegulationReputation
iv. Confiscation
v. Violence
b. The federal government has numerous agents and, in execution, all state, county, and city law enforcement-types are bound to uphold the [federal] law.
c. The federal government, using a detestable routine known as “precedence,” will prosecute not on what the law says, but on what some judge in the past said that the law says.
3. [When the] captor carries out a small act of kindness, the captive perceives it as redemptive.
a. Congressional ‘hearings’ on ethics violations.
b. Welfare programs [to the recipients thereof].
4. The captive is isolated for a significant amount of time [such that the victim can only see through the captor’s perspective].
a. Witness the extreme pro-government bias of the so called mainstream media.
5. Perceived impossibility of escape.
a. “Where else are you going to go? America is the freest and least-corrupt nation in existence!”
Comments & Suggestions Welcome.
Note the tagline ...
Indeed; however it does little or nothing to address the [disturbing] fact that the American People have Stockholm Syndrome regarding the Federal Government.
bump
Under four I see that the media (atleast historically) has dictated many peoples reality, take, or interpretation on things. Also educational brainwashing of our children from very, very young till PH.D. And lastly manipulation of reality/semantics through programs etc labeling abortion as 'choice for women,' thus manipulating humiliation and group outing by way of wording and public shaming. This phenomenon is also reinforced through public schooling and the through the MSM media. Of course the opposing political POV is degraded as the bad guy through semantics or negative labeling of the believer.
Tied to this semantical manipulation is sneaking 'leftist issues' into various arenas one would not traditionally associate with politics. I think for instance of Susan Koman's Cancer Foundation. It is for raising monies for breast cancer research etc but as it become more and more focused and recognizable as a woman's breast cancer fundraiser and accumulates large sums of monies with events and name recognition monies are also funneled towards generalized 'women's oriented medical'--i.e. abortion.
Next thing you know Susan Koman's takes on a political bent and monies become tied to political oriented areas that initially were not tied to politics.
Just some impressions and thoughts. Good outline and love to see your finished product. I will also note some of these people actually are just Marxist and Socialists and believe this stuff works and they manipulate all they can to nurture government take over and largess. No Stockholm needed.
A great analogy; based on hostages in a closed and monitored environment.
It does resemble American society at this time. We are sharing information anonymously and almost fearfully - questioning what is true and what is illusion; while we are at the mercy of the controlled media, intrusive governmental regulations (from the IRS to the census) and the threat of street thugs who are immune from the law.
The Declaration lays out some clear reasoning on this: Men are disposed to suffer a great deal of oppression before unleashing the evils of violent rebellion.
The American People are the “populace,” not the “populous.”
Before going REALLY public with a document, check all the spelling grammar. The libs (who are atrocious spellers, writers, and thinkers) love to catch conservatives in misspellings.
“Get a brain, morans!”
>The Declaration lays out some clear reasoning on this: Men are disposed to suffer a great deal of oppression before unleashing the evils of violent rebellion.
I don’t know about you but the my longsuffering has about suffered-out with the government...
Thanks for the catch.
Ditto.
Good.
>however it does little or nothing to address
It does everything to address it. There is no fear of God, so ...
1) violence
2) lying
3) cowardice
4) selling out
5) and more!
... fill the land. The “Stockholm Syndrome” you speak of with added spice!
Until a Christian Revival, the left will take “by any means necessary” to bold new heights, justifying any lie, deceit, theft, or murder to get their way. Why, they might even sing, “we shall over cooooooome” while they do it.
Christian revival pulls the handle on all the sin nicely, quickly, and without bloodshed. When miracles happen in the name of Jesus, and people are told to obey the Bible including ...
1) love
2) forgive
3) be honest
4) don’t steal
5) work hard
6) if you wanna eat, work
7) stop coveting your neighbors’ anything
8) and so on ...
... or they will go to the damnation of hellfire forever, it will turn the pack of hyenas we call “the left” into the nicest bunch you ever saw.
It all starts with Christians repenting of their sin, and obeying their God.
One more thing regarding this talk of armed revolt: I have not heard one good reason of what’s to keep China/Russia from nuking us during the chaos amidst a transfer of power from Obama to the successful armed revolters.
This is an interesting analysis. I haven’t decided yet if I buy it, but it does make me think that we could bend what is happening to our country to fit a wide variety of scenarios. This is something the human mind is supremely built for. It is both one of our greatest strengths and one of our greatest weaknesses. For example, I think we could certainly apply something like “The Five Stages of Grief” to this:
1.) Denial – “I cannot believe what I hear every day. It cannot be true.” Many of us cannot believe it is happening right in front of us, to the country we love, that we grew up in and served.
2.) Anger – “Liberals are doing all they can to destroy this country. Screw them. They are going to have to accomplish it over my dead body.” Once we cannot deny that our country is being deliberately destroyed by those who took and OATH to protect it, we feel burning anger at what is being done.
3.) Bargaining – “Maybe if we all go a little more to the left, then they won’t destroy the country quickly enough for me to have to witness its complete downfall and humiliation. That’s it. I’ll try to get it pushed off until I die.”
4.) Depression – “We are screwed. A once resourceful, independent, free and vibrant beacon of freedom called America elected a man who hates this country and all it stands for, who made his political bones in the living room of an actual terrorist, who listened to a RACIST “reverend” for twenty years who inspired a book he lies about writing, and is bowing at the waist to our enemies and selling out and insulting our allies.
5.) Acceptance – “Montana? No. The marxists will only follow me there. New Zealand? No. Too many Liberals. Australia? Maybe. The Philippines? Hm. Lots of good looking girls. Anybody can be paid to look the other way for nearly anything. Hm. How about a boat? Just sailing off over the horizon...”
I guess I am still in the Denial or Anger stage, I just can’t bear to think of our nation as having the Stockholm Syndrome. But I see exactly what you are saying, and it is a legitimate attempt to frame our situation in that fashion. Good job, it made me think and after 12 solid hours of wracking my brain at work today, that is no mean feat!
Boy, you have that right. It is a sure sign that the foundations of their arguments are decaying in shifting sand when they resort to spelling and grammar criticism.
Which is pretty much, all the time.
Great point.
LOL...and of course, I realized that I said WRACK my brain, when I meant RACK.
Good thing there are no liberals HERE...
I’d say your piece is entirely appropriate. I’ve felt for some time that we seem to be experiencing the Stockholm Syndrome on a national level.
Get a brain, morans!”
That’s MORON, You Seven-day Wonder!
...well, some people do like mental pain; so maybe you can WRACK your brain.
By the way...that was a very thought provoking thread. I have found myself chewing on that concept (America as a Stockholm Syndrome victim...) a few times over the past couple of days...
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