this post was submitted on 31 Oct 2023
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Nah I don't think anyone is the enemy really, but it certainly wasn't a very comfortable experience, for myself at least I think that the lockdowns gave everyone a kind of deep empathy for how society can breed a prison mentality at a large scale
Whether it's to uphold a certain system in society, e.g. drug war, propaganda or to prepare to engage in a hot war or simply to spread a cult dogma, there's a huge Stockholm syndrome experience for everyone who is born into a society or complex system as a whole
Participating in society isn't the same thing as being in a prison. There are always rules and consequences in any social organization, whether it's a prison, a school, a gang or a rave. If the organization is a village, city or state, that is somewhat wealthy and somewhat democratic, most people followed rules to be ethical, rather than out of fear for themselves.
Our society right now is organized in the fashion of 20th century institutions, and in the ways that ideas are validated, rules are made, disseminated and followed does feel like an institutional bureaucracy - like a prison, a school, or an office that generates rules by consensus of a small group of leaders or experts. And it is always a moral good to see the water we are swimming in, whether it's how our society is organized and its shortcomings, how our thoughts and behaviors are habitualized and unhealthy.
And yes, there are always people who have strong feelings for or against institutional rules, make that a large part of their identity, and crusade for the rules to be adopted or rejected. And sometimes, these people are crusading against their own self interests. For example, a working class individual who fights against progressive or corporate taxation.
So I agree with most of your points. But your framing makes it seem like (assuming you're American) we live in an oppressive society that uses psychological tricks to brainwash people into following draconian rules. But, relative to much of the world today, and all of history, that is just a wild exaggeration. The kind of wild exaggeration that is used to sell ad time these days, which beggars down votes.