In psychology, there is a concept called Normalization of Violence, that comes strongly into play in our times. It puts people to sleep in the midst of being surrounded by assault.

‘Normalization of violence’ sometimes leads people to act like the people of Oceania in Orwell’s 1984, having the equivalent of Two Minutes Hate daily, and then back to life as usual. Or unusual. But in any case, not thinking, speaking, caring. Afraid of being extinguished. I would venture that it is the normalization of violence which is the unifying goal of Big Brother’s policies meant to quash all conscious persons in Oceania.

I wrote about ‘normalization of violence’ in my work, Women Who Run With the Wolves at length regarding injuries to the instinctual nature in gifted people… the silencing of the fiery spirit, a major issue amongst those born with significant callings and charisms… meaning everyone.

The concept of ‘normalization of violence’ comes from a chilling study done long ago using dogs as those who would be made to suffer… to see what would happen to defensive and aggressive mechanisms.

The study is from a time when science itself seemed to have no watchdogs and thus there were many animals used for ‘experiments.’

In the study, one side of a dog’s cage was wired on one side of the floor to give the dog shocks any time he stepped on that side. The dog quickly learned to not go to that side.

Then they wired the other side of the cage, and unwired the first side of the cage. Again the dog learned/ decided to stay on the opposite side of the cage now, away from the shocks.

Then, they wired the entire floor of the cage to give random shocks to the dog. The dog jumped and leapt, suffering injuries by leaping against the walls, trying to avoid the shocks.

For most, that would have been the end of the ’study.’

But there was more.

They left the cage and dog inside it as is. And found that after the dog was completely fatigued, the dog just lay down in the cage, being randomly shocked everywhere, but not trying to escape. Just lying there without reaction.

For most, that might have been the conclusion of the study.

But there was more.

When they opened the door of the cage, the dog did not try to come out. The creature only lay there, continuing to be randomly shocked.

This is what we speak of when we use the term, “normalization of violence.”

From this intensely sad study design, we have an approximation of what occurs in most human beings who have hearts and souls and minds and emotive lives, when exposed to incessant shocking ideas, images, words and events over time.

Like incessant war
like suspension of civil rights
like proclaiming truth as one sees it and being silenced
like protesting but being ignored
like being reasoned and still being ignored
like being locked out of any influence whatsoever
like having to pay through the nose to support the ill visions of those in power and still not being given a voice, regardless.

Like being treated like a Prole. In 1984, Proles represent 85 % of the population; they are kept impoverished, considered overly-intellectual thinkers who are not allowed to be members of the deciding factions, and who must be rounded up, contained, silenced, put to sleep, caused to be resigned and helpless.

Like the people in 1984, real humans who are shocked over and over again, eventually go flat line psychically.

Sometimes we wonder why people can continue to live in such crime-ridden neighborhoods; or in war, step over the bodies of dead children; or not rescue a child laid out to die; or not protest abuse or misuse of themselves or others.

Normalization of violence, and the ensuing malaise which tells us there’s been an injury to instincts: that is a person not longer is alert to notice, react, speak, drive for… that these are muted or dead.

Instead, there’s resignation. ‘Nothing can be changed. I tried jumping against all the walls, nothing changed, no one listened, why try any more?’

Those in a mal-powered structure who intuit or study such matters, capitalize on the flat lined populace. Dictators, for instance, count on the populace’s normalization of violence which then allows those in power to do as they wish, for the more violence against the reason of the people, the more their voices of protest die down.

Those in a mal-powered structure are free then too, to seek what to them are exciting revenges,
and to ride the blind horses of delusion in order to unleash very real bloodshed… of others’ blood, not their own… carving up former ideals, manipulating words to make right seem left and left seem right… or to hide what they have done behind everyone’s backs.

It is counted upon that protestations against the ‘dogs of war’ by the dogs that have been caged and injured in instinct… and become resigned soporific… will be of little moment, or else, unsustained and paltry… or nil.

Those of the populace who stay awake regardless of all the shocks and cages and injuries to themselves, are often considered by the powers that be, the real troublemakers.

I’m often taken with our thoughtful and awake commenters here at TMV, and where I file my weekly column at The National Catholic Reporter, and elsewhere… and also taken with many of the supporters of candidates on all sides; how awake they are, even while in pain.

For my two cent’s worth, regardless of the party, God Bless the Good Troublemakers, those who care about the dimming of humanity wherever they find it, those who remain awake even while in pain, especially while in pain…

those who look for every crack in that door to the cage, and then ‘run for daylight’ like Johnny Unitas … running to speak their good piece and good peace for legions of people, acting in ways that help bind injuries to spirit and exhorting others to remain awake. Awake, awake, awake despite the pain.

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I am sorry, I accidentally did not cut two articles apart, so they originally ran as one under a tentative title instead of a final title as you see above. The first article about Shakespeare and candidates and how war addles people’s thinking is just a bit lower that this one on the TMV scroll. Again, my apologies. I have elbows that think they’re intelligent enough to hit the ‘publish’ key on WordPress. They’re not.