Today’s toxic state in society is a cornucopia for psychologists. For example, Victimhood has become a status symbol in society to the point that non-minorities claim to be minorities in order to reap the sympathy and benefits of this status. Studies have shown professional victims tend to have negative personality characteristics, most notably the Dark Triad. 

Then there is the matter of projection, the psychological mechanism wherein a person projects his/her own negative characteristics onto others. Thus, we see individuals call their opponents “fascists” while advocating and imposing censorship, calling for concentration camps for political opponents, engaging in the politicization of science and art, falsifying historypeddling propaganda, physically assaulting people having different viewpoints, and engaging in the indoctrination of children.

It is possible that you may not have heard of psychologist Stanley Milgram’s famous experiment. Milgram’s experiments on obedience to authority always had a political undertone, which he himself stated. He proved that a large majority of people would continue to engage in an immoral act when ordered by a person in authority, specifically administering increasingly painful electrical shocks to another person.

Even when the persons administering the shock became stressed and voiced the inappropriateness of the situation, they continued to do so when asked to continue, although a few (including some women) enjoyed their participation. The subjects were not threatened into doing so; they were simply ordered. 

However, a small percentage of persons stopped participating and refused to follow orders.

The results of Milgram’s experiment are not confined to the laboratory. We see it taking place today in real time throughout different sections of society. I will give different instances.