Who we are

Updated 09 Sept 2013

• Altemeyer also proved North American, European, and Russian Polities are permeated by Authoritarians. Given our common genome, the same is true of all cultures.
  • Authoritarian traits are therefore universal,
• North-American electorates of today mirror the Europeans.
• Many Authoritarians seek power, all seek hierarchy.

The data in Altemeyer's Book, "The Authoritarian Specter" confirms the generality of Authoritarianism implicit in the works of Adorno and Milgram.

Democracy the world over has an undeclared enemy in the extreme Authoritarians. They permeate all political parties but concentrate more heavily in the conservative wings. Indeed, they permeate all walks of life. They make up some 65-85% of everyone on earth. That in itself is not worrisome when they fill many vital niches admirably well. It is worrisome when they become governors, or have charisma with potential to co-opt movements, corporations, religions, or nations, while at the same time being unable to restrain their impulses. Our authoritarian tendency toward blind obedience allows us to play along when a sociopath or near sociopath co-opts the system and corrupts it for personal gain. This may be why history has a rhythm in its violence.

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