The Fundamentalist Shadow of George W. Bush (from Scoop)

[highplainsdem]

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0509/S00292.htm

Opinion piece by John D. Goldhammer, a psychologist and author:



“How do you find a lion that has swallowed you?” asked Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung, commenting on the moral dilemma posed by the “shadow,” his insightful term for the dark, hidden side of the human psyche. The answer to Jung’s questions is “you can’t find or see that lion”—not as long as you are inside the beast. And therein resides the essential dilemma of a group’s dark side or shadow: it is nearly impossible for those caught inside a group’s belief system to see their own dark side with any clarity or objectivity. This hidden side grows over time, regressing, becoming more and more aggressive. It’s the “long bag we drag behind us,” says poet Robert Bly—where, as individuals, we dispose of all those things that are too uncomfortable to look at. “The long-repressed shadow of Dr. Jekyll rises up in the shape of Mr. Hyde, deformed, an ape-like figure glimpsed against the alley wall.”<1> Now imagine millions of Mr. Hydes and you have a sense of the group shadow of fundamentalist, right wing extremists dressed up as “compassionate conservatives,” led by George W. Bush. It’s like shifting from a hand gun to a nuclear bomb. And it began long ago in both the Moslem and Christian worlds.

The invasion of American Democratic institutions by fundamentalist, historically militant (as in crusades,<*> witch hunts, inquisitions, and support of slavery) Christianity has significantly increased the stench coming from the already disturbing dark side of U.S. politics. It’s like a nightmarish replay of the Christian crusades—politics with a militant, convert-the-heathens dark side. Potent, cult-like group dynamics combine with unacknowledged and unseen shadow qualities to easily overwhelm the individual’s sense of right and wrong, often unleashing pure evil en masse.

-snip-

Shadow dynamics can shift the focus of our beliefs with stunning speed to another “evil” enemy. Petty dictators are convenient “hooks” on which groups can hang their shadow, their dirty laundry; a perfect example being Saddam Hussein who, in 1990-1991 magically transitioned from being a relatively obscure U.S. ally (receiving military aid, weapons, satellite intelligence, and high tech equipment)<**> into an incarnation of evil and a dire threat to humanity that we had to eliminate. Such is the hypnotic power of group paranoia combined with propaganda in stirring up a nationalistic, lynch mob mentality. <3>

Once a belief system gains control, those beliefs are much more likely to move us to action, propel us into roles and conduct we would never contemplate on our own. Voltaire warned, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” Moreover, under the influence of any fundamentalist ideology, beliefs (often paranoid and delusional) tend to override facts—a very dangerous mental environment for making life and death decisions, or declaring war. Independent critical thinking and logic—qualities that are most threatening to any destructive group—expose absurdities. Consider this excerpt from a speech by the Nazi Party leader Rudolph Hess on June 30, 1934: “The National Socialism of all of us is anchored in uncritical loyalty…” (my italics). “What good fortune for those in power that people do not think,” observed Hitler, knowing that thinking citizens were a real danger to his political ambitions.

[OneBlueSky]

1. kicked and recommended . . . n/t

.

[opihimoimoi]

2. All we gatta do is help peeps to up their Level of THIMKING to combat

DELUSION an SHIT

[Village Idiot]

3. What a load of horseshit!

Everyone knows that vampires do not cast SHADOWS!

[glitch]

5. Yes - but zombies do....

:P

[underpants]

4. Dominionists and Marvin Olansky

look it up

[despairing optimist]

6. Self Delete

Wrong thread. Sorry about that.

[ClayZ]

7. People of the Lie, author M. Scott Peck

People of the Lie, author M. Scott Peck


M. Scott Peck, M.D. wrote a most important book for our times, People of the Lie, The Hope For Healing Human Evil, published in 1983 by Simon & Schuster. It’s a study of human evil. Peck said he chose the title “because lying is both a cause and a manifestation of evil. It is partly by their lying that we recognize the evil.”

Peck’s analysis of the Mylai massacre, its massive cover-up and the deceptions made by our government in the Viet Nam war should not be missed for its lessons for us today.

Peck wrote, “The cover-up was a gigantic group lie.” The troops of C Company of Task Force Barker killed between five and six hundred unarmed villagers. Significantly, a young officer by the name of Colin Powell participated in the cover-up.

<snip>

Peck cites MyLai as an example of “group evil.” Writing twenty years ago, Peck told us back then: “Twenty years from now, when Vietnam has been largely forgotten, how easy it will be, with volunteers, to once again become involved in little foreign adventures. Such adventures will keep our military on its toes, provide it with real-life war games to test its prowess, and need not hurt or involve the average American citizen at all until it is too late.”
<snip>

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

More....
http://www.yuricareport.com/RevisitedBks/How%20to%20Detect%20Evil.htm

Democracy cannot survive in a country where lies reign. Citizens cannot vote intelligently when facts are suppressed or twisted. The best course of action cannot be determined if all sides of an issue are not debated openly.

Every time we believe a lie, our mental health and the health of our nation is diminished. We as a people must stand against the lies. They must be exposed for what they are.

[Moderator]

10. ClayZ

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.


DU Moderator

[ClayZ]

11. Oops, sorry!

Now I will be more careful!

[jokerman93]

8. shadow-kick

:kick:

and nominated

Important related threads:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4758170

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4763456

[lateo]

9. This is an excellent essay.

[defiant1]

12. Great article....

:thumbsup:

[atommom]

13. Interesting and scary.

When someone shines a spotlight into a group’s dark side it arouses, almost without fail, righteous indignation along with virulent, “kill-the-messenger” attacks. That is also why it is so utterly frustrating to have any meaningful, rational discussion or collaboration with such people; you can never quite reach the real person. Instead you are stonewalled; you keep getting programmed, predictable, group-speak responses and jargon designed to abort any real scrutiny of the group’s always secretive dark side.

Yes, that pretty much describes this administration and all its cronies!