I would like to begin by giving a warm and hearty hello to all of you who have continued to listen to More Content Talk, even during my very prolonged hiatus. A lot has changed since then. I've been in many performances and continue to act. I was even a producer for another theatre company for a while and that was fun while it lasted. I am currently being contracted to do more performances all around the bay area and I'm having a great deal of fun doing it. Obviously, America is once again on the cusp of what looks to be another tumultuous election, so what better time for me to make my triumphant return? There is a lot of misinformation circling around about who will win the election and I will cover that in future episodes. I have always tried my best to give you the truth. I haven't always been completely successful, but I've always corrected myself and tried to be as reliable a source of information as you as possible. That is my commitment to you and I really hope that I am able to accomplish that. Anyway, enough with the warm and fuzzy stuff for now. It's time to get back to work!

Why do people follow tyrants? It's an age-old question that has existed since the creation of military force. What is so appealing about someone so obviously terrifying, domineering and controlling? Why would a seemingly nice person feel the need to stoop to such levels of depravity? We have all asked ourselves these questions about a friend, family member (or, if you're like me, maybe even yourself) after their seemingly docile personalities have been, supposedly, hijacked by cults of influence. We often assume that these people have been "brainwashed", but is that really the case? The term "brainwash" was invented by a cold warrior in a court room, and its scientific validity has not been questioned much. It remains one of the only terms in the English cannon that is accepted as fact while simultaneously having no proof whatsoever. And look, perhaps brainwashing is real, and we have our simple answer. Bad people bully good people into doing bad things... But is that correct or does that just make us feel better? It is always of the upmost importance when trying to separate fact from fiction to remember that what feels right to us isn't necessarily correct. Our feelings are unreliable, and, at times, even sporadic. We did not get to the moon and found civilizations by following our gut. The human mind is a fragile thing and must not be treated lightly.

My argument today is that people follow tyrants because they choose to, not because they are forced or because of some Draconian form of peer pressure. We must remember that adults are not children. They are completely capable of making choices and understanding the ramifications of said choices. A farmer living in Hitler's Germany knew damn well that he would benefit from the atrocities of the Third Reich, and also probably knew that he was in no real danger, especially if he was not a member of a marginalized group. The truth is that, in Nazi Germany or any other dictator style government, if enough people simply said no, the entire operation would falter and eventually fail. The Nazis did not take over overnight. There was time for resistance. There always is. So why is it that so often people choose to comply? As, I've stated in prior episodes, there exists a selfishness in people, a self-aggrandizing, evil chess player who wishes to manipulate himself to the top of the human food chain by any means necessary. So why point this out? Why harp on it? What's the point? Well, the point is that the authoritarians know this. They know you seek power, wealth and status, and they will use your desires to manipulate you into committing atrocities...if you let them. So, the next time you find yourself admiring that flashy celebrity, just remember that something much darker is going on beneath the surface. You want what they have. What will you do to get it?

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