The Slave Mentality and its Consequences

A terrific essay by Larken Rose on a likely explanation for the rise in police heavy-handedness (and worse) over the past two decades:

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...It is both easy and appropriate to blame the individual megalomaniacs who abuse their power, but the world has never had a lack of nasty people. So why is it that symptoms of a police state seem to be showing up more and more often in this country? A major cause is something which probably wouldn't occur to most people, and which most people don't want to hear:

They treat us like we are their slaves, because we treat them like they are our masters.

When people so often play the role of obedient serfs, bowing to authority and unquestioningly doing as they are told, it should come as no surprise that those doing the commanding and controlling will begin to treat the rest of us as inferiors. When we humbly treat "law enforcers" as our superiors, instead of our employees, it's no wonder they start to acquire god complexes. Our own behavior and words tell them that we ACCEPT their dominion over us, and that we CONDONE the oppressive and degrading treatment we receive at their hands...

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Please read the whole thing, and consider sending a sawbuck or two to the JPFO, who published this excellent article.