This syndrome should be an easy concept to convey, making this a shorter “going into the weekend" post.
If you consider yourself to be right-wing or identify more with the “right” in the US, you should be aware by now that pretty much everyone you know who you consider a conservative or calls themselves right-wing, outside of your ideological internet bubble, has no interest in becoming educated about how politics really works. 99.9% are not going to be sitting down to study James Burnham’s The Machiavellians or even The Prince by Machiavelli himself. And this is to be expected. The masses aren’t going to save you. It is much easier for a small cabal of 2,000, or even 200, to organize and control 350 million than it is for the reverse to happen.
To drive this point home, I ask: What do we see originating out of the “right” when it comes to political strategies? I call it “Silver Bullet Syndrome.” In lieu of putting in the work to secure their local polity through culture building and politics, or even getting friendly people elected to their state houses, the masses cling to things like QAnon and the Epstein Client List. In my opinion, QAnon was the greatest psyop of all time because it allowed lazy people to become even lazier. Why would I work toward improving anything in my personal or political life when a hero is coming to save me? Now people are excited over the Epstein list, expecting to see the rich and powerful being perp-walked out of courthouses all over the country. It’s a fantasy. It’s madness. Relying on the assumption that a hero is coming to save you leaves you in a permanent vegetative state. And those who promote these silver bullets want you in that state. They want you to be docile and do nothing to improve your life. They do not want you to research and identify elites who could assist with making actual changes to society that benefit you. They want you quietly waiting for the next Great Man. And hey, the next Great Man may be right around the corner, but putting your life on hold while waiting for him is self-defeating.
The only way out of this is by first securing your home and family, THEN concentrating on the culture and politics around you. For those of you who live in a big, blue city with no intention of leaving, that first part will be difficult, and the latter will be impossible. But we must all understand the limitations we are working with, whether in a blue city or red town. It is best to fully acknowledge that the masses are of no help, so we must plan accordingly. In fact, the majority of the masses are very clearly a hindrance. These people need to be led by elites with the money and power in order to move culture and politics. If you are going to do anything politically at the current time, it should include identifying potential elites who you can use to make changes that further your culture and politics. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll realize it’s the only way the change you wish to see can be made.
Silver Bullet Syndrome definitely plays to the human psyche, otherwise no one would buy magic diet pills, click the "one weird trick to..." banner ads, or think that this week's scratcher will be the one and they'll never have to work again.
I think a parallel force to this is the depersonalization of the whole process. If we use the comparison about ancient warfare to modern; where with a sword you look into your opponents eyes and feel the hot spray of their last moments vs pushing a button and ending a civilization thousands of miles away. So to has the political process changed from dealing with your neighbors and local elite where you all depend on each other to mailing in a vote to send someone you've never met to a place you'll never go, so they can decide things for thousands and millions of people.
And in my reckoning, the modern politician is just as destructive as the cruise missile...
Great article Pete. My weekend IS already better now. The next Great Man will come from the "elites" but we can't wait. Each of us needs to become a "great man" now in our own families and circle of friends.