I always see and hear about people in positions of power having other people just obey and do whatever it is they‘re told by the person in authority. Many people in Russia were willing just to listen to what Putin ordered them to and start a fucking war even if It messed up their home country.
germans in WW2 obeyed hitler and did horrific things because he told them to.
im just wondering, or the whole thing with Kim jong un or mafia bosses. how could someone get so many people to just obey them?
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When the state has a monopoly on violence, you can’t really do anything
Might want to study the works of Stanley Milgram for that answer.
A gun to the face is plenty of motivation to do what you’re told to do.
It’s not one person. Dictators rely on a group of insiders at the top to maintain power, usually the army and a corrupt government. As long as he keeps his buddies happy, they give him control. Control of news and information, squelching oppositions, etc… to maintain power.
There’s a good video by CGP Grey called Rules for Rulers on how dictators work.
Ignorance and lack of moral code.
Charisma and force of personality are real things. People are social creatures and some people just have a knack on getting others to follow and listen
The person at the top doesn’t actually have absolute control unless it’s an ideological group like a cult. They’re mostly figureheads who try and steer an incredible amount of cultural momentum a bit. Stray too far from what their followers deem acceptable and they get deposed.
If war breaks out it’s only because people support it. Try and declare an unpopular war and even the most brutal dictator ends up in the dirt.
There are literally books on this. But human beings like being led. It’s easier than making your own decisions.
Check out Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland By Christopher R. Browning
There are whole books and college courses on this one subject.
TLDR: because we are such social creatures who need to belong, the term “Sheeple” is not wrong to describe most of the world.
Step 1: Become a Jedi. Step 2: Use the Force.
Kim Jong Un’s people have literally lived their entire lives under juche, which treats his family as gods among men. They have no context to compare their lives to, only that they are taught that their lives are exponentially better than the outside world.
Easy, just ask nicely and offer free pizza.
Step 1: Invent a universal remote control for humans. Step 2: Replace batteries with cookies. Guaranteed obedience!
Did you lockdown and vax?
Offer of free cookies and karma.
They rolled a twenty on their persuasion check.