"Those who have power and know that they do and are most adept at its use and its abuse are also those who pretend to have none or pretend not to use it (speak softly and carry a big stick). True, there are still some who have power and make no bones about it and do not attempt to mystify the fact that they will use their power to crush anyone who opposes them. But this crude application of power is not nearly as effective as the more "civilized," liberal, mystified abuse of power. It is when people are oppressed by power that is mystified that their alienation is most severe. Those who are oppressed in a crude way do not tend to become alienated since the result of obvious oppression is anger. For instance, we are likely to be self-righteously angry at a purse snatcher who steals ten dollars from us. But when the government uses ten of our tax dollars to massacre Vietnamese we suffer in confused, abject, guilty silence.
In this country we are the classic victims of "liberal," mystified oppression. We are persecuted and oppressed by smiling people who hold power the dimensions of which we are either dimly or completely unaware. . . "
source:
http://www.emotional-literacy.com/rp1.htm
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