|
In Reply to: Re: Moral Disengagement posted by CB on February 09, 2006 at 10:31:09:
Is this also related to the concept of compartmentalizing? E.g. being oh-so-sweet and compassionate to total strangers that you're trying to win to the cause, spending hours patiently explaining to them and working through their questions, yet getting down on your knees and screaming death-curses against your parents because they've spoken against the Family?
I'm amazed at the ability of compassionate, sensitive people to be cruel and to put their signature to harsh policies. I think it comes from rationalizing that these harsh policies are necessary "for the greater good" as you pointed out.
I think it also comes from demonizing and de-humanizing the "enemy." After all, if the person fighting to expose the Family is said to be inspired/possessed by Satan himself, then you no longer look upon that person as human, but as a literal demon, incarnate evil, in human form. Then it becomes relatively easy to pray and do all manner of evil against that person.
The same thing drove the Family into a frothing-mouth rage in the Victor Camps: once they believed that the teens manifesting relatively normal cases of laziness, rebellion etc, were inspired by Satan, once their minds made that switch, then it was easy to take a "gloves off" approach and forget that they were just ordinary kids who didn't deserve a prison camp.
