Mini-Me
Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2008
- Messages
- 6,514
I view them somewhat differently. I'm sure some of them are fully aware of what's going on, but that's not necessarily the case. It's important to remember that these same cruel and heartless people are complete narcissists. They're chameleons who live for power and admiration, and they have no core, even in private; instead, they conform to their peers in such a way as to maximize the respect they command within their social circle, and to expand that circle as opportunities arise. They view themselves almost entirely through the eyes of others, when others reflect back the grandiose self-image the project. They have a lot of social intelligence, and they're adept at lying and emotional manipulation, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily smart all around. They can be, but it's not necessarily the case. Their personality types generally align with more superficial interests and detail-oriented intelligence, so I would not be surprised if many of them legitimately cannot grasp abstract theoretical concepts like how the economy works or why the debt matters (why the US government is not an exception to the rule). Because of their shallowness, they usually just don't have the kind of intuition that allows them to comprehend the "big picture."
The people we're talking about have unbelievable levels of hubris, so it's very easy for them to absorb any idea that fuels that. For instance, they could easily buy into the establishment propaganda that the debt is not a problem, because everyone around them says the debt is not a problem. The media says it. Even Keynesian and neoclassical economists often say it. It doesn't matter if they've been consistently wrong, because they have the appearance of scientific credibility (even though pure empiricism is a heavily treacherous approach to economics), they have prestige, and they say exactly what "power men" want to hear. Such arguments from authority are enough to convince the majority of Americans, so could you imagine how easy it would be to convince someone whose self-concept relies entirely on external validation, and who personally benefits from the policies being advocated?
Therefore, I think most of the puppets probably drink their own kool-aid. Their cruelty is real, and a lot of them probably get off on it, but a lot of them paradoxically really believe they're right, and that their cruelty is justified by virtue of their superiority, because their self-image is dependent upon that. Even the old money families at the top of the food chain could easily be fooling themselves into thinking that everything they do for themselves is for the good of all...although they're undoubtedly much more self-aware than the puppets.
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