The term ‘Witch Doctors’ was coined by Ayn Rand. A Witch Doctor offers simplistic view of the world, easy solutions, quick wins, emotionalism, and empty reassurances. “These two figures dominate every anti-rational period of history, whether one calls them tribal chief and witch doctor—or absolute monarch and religious leader—or dictator and logical positivist". (Ayn Rand, ‘For the New Intellectual’, p. 15)
Witch Doctors of politics and philosophy have an iron grip on the minds of their followers.
Triad of dark psychology
Ryan Mace in his book talks about the Triad of Dark Psychological Traits. These are Narcissism, Machiavellianism and its extreme form ‘Chanakya-Niti’, and Psychopaths.Narcissism: Having a God-Complex, inaccessible, aloof, overconfident, auto-erotic, self-important, and exhibitionistic.
Machiavellianism (and Chanakya-niti): cunning and sneaky, working in the background and pulling the secret strings, absence of words needed for expressing feelings and emotions, tell others what they want to hear.
Psychopaths: unusual proclivity to act cruelly or aggressively or violently towards other living things. Psychopaths may harm for no good rhyme or reason. Psychopaths infest governments for the power over others it provides.
All humans have some element of these dark psychology traits. It is only a problem if it becomes a dominant factor.
We have to ensure people with these "mental conditions" do not have any power over others in a corporation, institution or government as they can do a lot of psychological, emotional, financial, or even physical damage to others.
The Witch Doctors only have power over others if people themselves have narcissistic tendencies. Witch Doctors leverage this emptiness in others and desire for quick easy wins in others to offer them whatever the narcissistic craves. This could be fame, promise of fortune, and easy success.
Witch Doctors of politics and philosophy have Machiavellianism (and Chanakya-niti) traits. They manipulate people. They rely on the psychopaths to do harm to others physically or through other means like using the law.
Traits of Witch Doctors
High on positive emotionalismAura of personality: rely on their personal qualities for success
Empty one words, slogans, weasel words, 'floating abstractions; void of any details or concrete actions’
They have taboo subjects that are off-limits
'Posturing in a vacuum'
'Traveling minstrels chanting'. They are everywhere and chanting (repeating the same thing)
Activity without achievement. E.g. committees, proclamation, photo ops etc.
Anti-specialists, anti-knowledge, anti-expertise
Deep hatred of the man of reason and external review of their work
Like fake doctors, witch doctors never share their plans or ideas in writing
Hijack other people’s achievements
Positive psychology
Witch Doctors of politics and philosophy use the power of positive psychology to influence others.Positive psychology as practiced by the Witch Doctors is a quack science.
Chris Hedges writes in ‘Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle: “There is a dark, insidious quality to the ideology promoted by the positive psychologists.”
It is "cult programming".
It meld workers into a "happy collective".
Positive psychology is designed to maintain the status quo. This is how Witch Doctors serve the powers that be.
Witch Doctors put a positive spin on everything. They offer simplistic solutions void of any details. Nothing is written down.
This positive psychology overwhelms everything in its with its optimism.
Witch Doctors also offer magic bullets with simple fix for complex problems. As Noam Chomsky says, this appeals to the privileged with money, power, and status. The less privileged are ignored by the Witch Doctors.
Less privileged people, “they’d like reactions or suggestions, but they’re already dealing with the problem. They’re not sitting around waiting for a magic answer, which doesn’t exist.”
Privileged people, “They want some sort of magic key that will solve everything quickly, overwhelmingly and effectively. There are no such solutions.” (Noam Chomsky, ‘How the World Works’, p. 338)
Witch doctors give this magic key to the privileged.
How to deal with Witch Doctors
Witch Doctors only have power over you if you are a narcissist.Masses in general are driven by emotions. Masses also have a need to be led. They want the System to serve them. They are naturally narcissistic to an extent: Having a God-Complex, inaccessible, aloof, overconfident, auto-erotic, self-important, and exhibitionistic.
The masses - the human "ballast consists of those who go through life in a state of unfocused stupor, merely repeating the words and the motions they learned from others".
Sensible people – men of science, knowledge, intellect, and capability – have no power over masses.
Benevolent power can be with men trained to use it. Such things are rare in history.
Khalsa
Plato’s epistocrats
"vocation of leadership" - Bertrand Russell
Mandarins – Taoism and Confucianism
"Just as we teach children to avoid being destroyed by motor cars if they can, so we should teach them to avoid being destroyed by cruel fanatics, and to this end we should seek to produce independence of mind." (Bertrand Russell, ‘Power: A new social analysis’, p. 236)
"Better or different conventional schooling is not the answer."
Good upbringing is the answer.
We also have to ensure people with these "mental conditions" do not have any power over others in a corporation, institution or government as they can do a lot of psychological, emotional, financial, or even physical damage to others.
Confronting Witch Doctors is dangerous as they can call upon the violent psychopaths to punish others.
The New Intellectual
Ayn Rand talks of the need for reason as driving force in our modern culture.She calls for "New Intellectuals" who will be "intellectual bodyguards" to prevent us from being looted by modern day looters in the state.
Witch Doctors rely on Mysticism (spiritual, blissful), Fake Altruism, Collectivism (Socialism, Welfare State), Group think and second hand ideas.
The New Intellectuals rely on Reason, Individualism (Libertarian ideas), Capitalism (free market), Stand alone (independent mind).
