Question: What is it with these pundits and government spokespeople?
Two years ago, they were wildly exaggerating virus threats, canceling and censoring people who pointed out contrary evidence. It was all about scaring people into compliance with a far-flung epidemiological experiment.
Now the tendency has swung the other way. No matter how bad the economic news is, the tendency is to downplay it, promise a turnaround soon, and otherwise claim that anyone who is worried is just being paranoid. - Jeffrey A. Tucker in “Two Weeks to Flatten the GDP.” Brownstone Institute. April 29, 2022
Answer: They are narcissists. They gaslight others for power, pleasure, and profit.
Narcissists want to dictate our thoughts, manipulate our emotions, and control our behavior in whatever way benefits them. Narcissism is a collection of intractable traits that are foundational in personality disorders.
Narcissistic power brokers suppress science, silence opposing expert opinion, and stifle the voices of victims. Their self-image and distorted world view must be protected and promoted at all costs; and they do not hesitate to lie and confabulate.
The Public Health Service (PHS) partnering with polluters and dental players do it with fluoridation. Pharma does it with 'a pill for every ill' marketing and magic potion narratives. Agribusiness does it with GMOs and chemicals. The technocracy does it with data-mining and whatever increases their bottom line. Telecom does it with wireless technology, i.e. 5G, smart meters, and internet of things (IoT).
All of the above are medical mandates that force products into the bodies of convenient consumers for the financial benefit of the corporations, regardless of the negative impact on people and planet.
The vested stakeholders have captured our regulatory agencies, many of which have a revolving door between industry and the agencies they are supposed to police. These stakeholders also donate generously to political campaigns and fund the media powerhouses with their sponsorship. In this way, the Orwellian world of DoubleThink and NewSpeak have become our 21st century reality. Narcissists who by definition lack compassion and humility put us all on the road to perdition.
Whether power corrupts or the corruptible seek power, power is addictive. Narcissists and other antagonistic personalities can never get enough validation from those they seek to control. Corporations grow rapidly because of this power-lust. Some corporations achieve close to immortality, while others eventually collapse under their own bloat.
It has been said that money is the root of all evil and that greed makes men blind and foolish. I suggest it is more basic than that. There are personality types that are intrinsically dangerous.1 Whether these people are defined as psychopaths, machiavellians, or narcissists:
Narcissism is the root of all evil.
Maggie Russo is the author of “Dance with the Devil: Love in the Age of Covid”
Dark Triad: Narcissists, psychopaths, and machiavellians are a trio of personality types that share a constellation of malevolent traits. Dark Triad personalities are less compassionate, agreeable, and satisfied with their lives than other people. Dark Triad personalities are also less likely to believe they and others are good. Dark Triad coping styles are immature and selfish. Winning at all costs is their primary motivation. They can appear confident, and their ruthless approach to life can result in considerable success. Despite the distress and severe problems they cause in relationships and organizations, experts hypothesize that as much as 30% of C-level leadership in Corporate America qualify as Dark Triad personalities.