Let me take you to the torture rooms of your government.
Corona-politics: are they torture?
“Zersetsung” (decomposition) is a psychological warfare technique used by the Ministry for State Security (Stasi), the secret police, to repress political opponents in East Germany during the 1970s and 1980s.
The corona-measures in most countries in the world, of lock-down, social-distancing, new regulations for firms, etc., in many ways look like psychological warfare.
Actually, they look like torture methods.
Of course it’s not generally accepted to ventilate this kind of thinking, because many say that there are in this world people who are really being tortured. Think of water-boarding and isolation-cells in prison, and what was used in the past - quartering and thumbscrews.
But there is also psychological torture, which in the long term is just as harmful to the soul as physical torture. As is proven by research by the psychiatric institute of King’s College in London as published in the magazine Archives of General Psychiatry of 5 March 2007.
Albert D. Biderman writes about this in his book "The Manipulation of Human Behavior".
Biderman’s Chart of Coercion
A tool designed to demonstrate and explain the coercive methods of stress manipulation used to torture prisoners of war. It has been applied to explain the coercive techniques used by perpetrators of domestic abuse.
This list directly reflects the original chart, it has not been changed to fit the domestic abuse context.
Method Effect and Purpose Variants
Isolation Deprives victim of all social support Complete solitary confinement
of their ability to resist. Complete or partial isolation
Develops an intensive concern with Group Isolation
self (this could be home environment)
Makes victim dependent.
Monopolisation Fixes attention upon immediate Physical isolation
of Perception predicament. Darkness or Bright light
Eliminates information not in Restricted movement
compliance with demands. Monotonous Food
Punishes independence and / or
resistance.
Humiliation and Makes resistance more ‘costly’ than Personal hygiene prevented Degradation compliance. Demeaning Punishments
‘Animal Level’ concerns. Insults and taunts
Denial of privacy
Exhaustion Weakens mental and physical ability Semi-Starvation
to resist. Sleep deprivation
Amnesty International's REPORT ON TORTURE
The definition of torture adopted here is: “Torture is the systematic and deliberate infliction of acute pain in any form by one person on another, or on a third person, in order to accomplish the purpose of the former against the will of the latter.”
(See for more: https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/torture/#:~:text=Torture%20is%20when%20somebody%20in,to%20get%20information%20from%20them. )
Chart I – COMMUNIST COERCIVE METHODS FOR ELICITING INDIVIDUAL COMPLIANCE
This list directly reflects the original chart, it has not been changed to fit the domestic abuse context.
General Method Effect and Purpose Variants
1 Isolation Deprives victim of all social support Complete solitary
of their ability to resist. confinement
Develops an intensive concern with Complete isolation
self (this could be home environment) Semi-isolation
Makes victim dependent on Group Isolation
Interrogator
“Stay home, Quarantine of elderly
preferably alone” Limited social contacts /
absence of family
2 Monopolisation of Fixes attention upon immediate Physical isolation
of Perception predicament. Fosters Introspection Darkness or Bright light
Eliminates stimuli competing with Restricted movement
those controlled by Captor Monotonous Food
Frustrates all Actions not Consistent
with Compliance
Monopoly of National Institutes for Lockdown / “stay home”
Public Health - prohibition to go to
government - forest/beach
Main-Stream-Media “social distancing”
toilet-paper
3 Induced Debilitation Weakens Mental and Physical Semi-Starvation
Exhaustion Ability to Resist Exposure Kids home/work
Exploitation of wounds
No clear purpose/endpoint ‘app- tracing’
Induced illness Fear
Sleep Deprivation
24/7 media input
Prolonged Constraint
Prolonged Interrogation or
Forced Writing
Over Exertion Hold on!
4 Threats Cultivates Anxiety and Despair Threats of death pictures of
IC’s, and coffins in Italy
“We are in this together” (although Threats of Non-repatriation
alone) locked in foreign country Going outside = Threats of Endless Isolation murder of elderly and interrogation
The New Normal
Vague Threats
The 2nd wave
Threats against Family
Mysterious Changes of
Treatment
Demo against racism = ok
5 Occasional Provides Positive Motivation for Occasional Favors Indulgences Compliance together against racism
we are allowed Fluctuations of
again to … Interrogators’ Attitudes
Promises vaccination =
freedom
Rewards for partial
compliance
commercial corona-support
tantalizing provoke
youth revolution
6 Demonstrating Suggests Futility of Resistance Confrontations
“Omnipotence” extraordinary investigating
and officers, and arbitrary fines
“Omniscience” Pretending Cooperation
“No loan / child benefits Taken for granted
(in case of refusal of vaccination)” Demonstrating Complete
Control over Victim’s Fate
bankruptcy of firm
unless following of
demands
7 Degradation Makes Costs of Resistance Appear Personal Hygiene
More Damaging to Self-Esteem Prevented
than Capitulation No PPE in care
Filthy, Infested
Reduces Prisoner to “Animal Level” Surroundings
concerns Demeaning Punishments,
Insults and Taunts
disinfect everywhere
Denial of Privacy
8 Enforcing Trivial Develops Habit of Compliance Forced Writing
Demands terraces behind fences Enforcement of Minute
whether or not a face-mask Rules “Be kind” said in
a commanding tone
The situation now is that we, somehow, check and investigate ourselves concerning virtue etc., or are checked by our neighbours. Feelings of fault and shame. Not being allowed to be frustrated or angry.
In situations in Korea and in China, as well as in the concentration camps during the second world war, individuals were told to stand at attention for long periods, by which an intervening factor was introduced. The immediate source of pain was not the interrogator but the victim himself. The contest became, in a way, one of the individual against himself. The motivational strength of the individual was likely to exhaust itself in this internal encounter.
Bringing the subject to act “against himself” in this manner has additional advantages for the interrogator. It leads the prisoner to exaggerate the power of the interrogator. As long as the subject remains standing, he is attributing to his captor the power to do something worse to him, but there is actually no showdown of the ability of the interrogator to do so. Most frequently, although not invariably, the extent to which the interrogators were willing or permitted to inflict physical punishment was very limited. Generally, it seems to have been limited to cuffs, slaps and kicks, and sometimes merely ……
It’s also a form of torture to hear constantly that there’s something amiss with you, your feelings, your personality.
So, Torture room Number One is in the Corona Measures taken.
Torture room Number Two is in Anti-Racism News-giving, White-privilege courses, etc.
Especially the combination of these is … a form of Torture.
The purpose of all of this is, of course, to break the citizen.
With some people that is easier that with others.
Much of the population is that far down this line, that they don’t think any more.
Governmental leaders determine the way they are allowed to feel, what they are allowed to do, where they are allowed to go, etc.
More and more is thought of, to determine how far they can go with this, what is the limit.
For instance, in a city in the Netherlands a prohibition was introduced to cheer in the soccer-stadium at a goal, and at demonstrations, because that spreads the corona-virus.
The most human emotions and reactions are prohibited.
To cheer at sports, going to the beach on a sunny day, saying farewell at funerals, meeting at weddings, partying at those, meeting up with friend from foreign countries, etc.
Not being allowed to be present at the birth of your own child.
That is torture!
(Note: The quote on the cover image of this blog is from Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.)
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