BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

The more I learn about psychology and destructive narcissism (as opposed to healthy narcissism) the more I understand how terrorists, how sexual and emotional predators, religious and spiritual cults, those who exploit the vulnerable, outright abusers -- do it. And continue to. Some people feel America has been "dumbed down." I believe its societal. To use my favorite movie series: The Matrix , only a few of us have taken the red pill . I call this the "Lemming Effect." In my observation, a sadly large proportion of society either won't or don't want to think for themselves. They will go along with the prevailing tide. Heaven forbid they be independent thinkers sending their brains outside the box! They will be shunned by everyone. So, they choose "The Lemming Effect." Or, as I said above, you have the exploiters, who wait until people are filled with fear, beaten down, vulnerable or unknowledgable - and then they throw the power of sugg...

"It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, hear, and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the burden of the pain. The victim demands action, engagement, and remembering. ...In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. Secrecy and silence are the perpetrator's first line of defense. If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her absolutely, he tries to make sure that no one listens. To this end, he marshals an impressive array of arguments, from the most blatant denial to the most sophisticated and elegant rationalization. After every atrocity one can expect to hear the same predictable apologies: it never happened; the victim lies; the victim exaggerates; the victim brought it on herself; and in any case ...