Sometimes we have a lot of useful words but have trouble putting them together. In the current case, however, they speak loud and clear. Let’s review the vocabulary and its implications:
Extremely anti-social views and behavior, coupled with a lack of conscience, are evidence that a person is suffering from sociopathy. It’s hard to tell if someone actually lacks a conscience, but anti-social behavior is easy to spot. People who habitually flout the laws and mores of their society, and who are, in fact, against those laws and mores, are behaving anti-socially. This may even be accompanied by misanthropy, which is the hatred of other people.
But just because you hate other people doesn’t mean you can’t love yourself. Narcissism is just that — excessive vanity and admiration of self. And of course, egotism follows, for surely such a fabulous person as oneself will be completely selfish and self-absorbed. It’s the mindset of the spoiled rich kid — I want it, give it to me now!
Egotism leads to autocracy — the expectation of absolute power over other people, because after all — you’re great! Not only do you deserve absolute power, you are the best and only person for the job. And look how the people love you. It’s proof that you deserve to run the world.
Every now and then, an autocrat emerges who takes it a step further — to the right, that is. Suddenly, it’s all about the autocrat and his great nation which is his. Everyone and everything must be put to the service of the great nation and its aims, which are the autocrat’s aims, which are never wrong and always right.
And now you have fascism, a totalitarian, rabidly nationalistic, far right system of government and society run by what we usually refer to as a “fascist dictator.” Looking back into the not-so-distant past, we see that you don’t even have to be fully sane to land the job.
If this is a problem for society, it will be solved. It’s just a matter of how, when, and by whom.
