Andre Vlok wrote on Facebook:
One of the most troubling observations when we get to understand the dynamics of identity/value conflicts, is to see the lengths to which the truly convinced will go to prop up the in-group narratives.
This can be an inspiring conflict dynamic, leading to great progress and public good, but it can also drive some of history’s greatest atrocities. The dividing line is razor thin, as Hitler’s Nazi Germany showed us.
Certain leaders, throughout history, really understood these levers and buttons. Some use it for the good of their people, some use it for their own nefarious purposes, and some start off with good intentions and then lose control of this powerful machine.
One of the proverbial drugs that these processes peddle, is a sense of power among those true believers, the fully committed. There is a sense of justice being done at last, of fairness being restored, of unjust and harmful processes and ideas being defeated. So far, so good, these are examples of the common good, and the world certainly needs some of those fresh winds to blow across it.
But those same healthy impulses can be distorted, by design or by a loss of control. These common-good goals can imperceptibly tip over into revenge, persecution, and exchanging one form of domination and abuse for another. Again, the dividing line is razor thin.
One of the first signs that we are close to that line, or that we have crossed it, is the large-scale unquestioning support of an individual leader, where these identity in-group dynamics, reward and punishment systems justify and condone progressively outrageous and harmful behaviour. We start with Austria, because they have our land. Well, Poland looks rather attractive from here.
Recent years have provided us with ample case studies of these public figures that are skilled in these identity dynamics. SA had/has Jacob Zuma, we see a rising number of these strong political figures stepping up with these skills, and of course president Trump shows the way as far as the use of these dynamics are concerned.
Personally, I think that a lot of what Trump is doing, or has in mind, is a refreshing and necessary overturing of some of the temple’s tables. But the cracks are already showing in the old identity machine, he has already lost control of the levers of power in many respects. He is still the front man, he still makes a lot of the decisions, but he has also become not just a pioneer, but battering ram and puppet. The signs are everywhere. Arguable diplomatic and economic gains as a result of his policies are not just celebrated, “enemies” are jeered and belittled by those who have drunk the whole jug of Koolaid.
In the process, bridges are being burned, friends of ages past are being alienated, and millions of people, entire generations, are being radicalized, with bitter fruits that will be harvested by future generations.
This brings us back to those thin dividing lines. We are two weeks into this wild social, global experiment. Trajectories can still be changed, aims and wild dreams can still be recalibrated, alliances can be saved and rebuilt, all of this wild energy can still be applied for the common good, and yes, even for the US’s best interests.
Will it, though? I doubt it. The energies unleashed here are too powerful. The skill and energy needed to steer this constructively is far more powerful than what was needed to get the genie out of the bottle. A few minutes on social media will already show us the identity conflicts in motion, at intensities that I have not seen before. Your chosen favourite can say or do no wrong, and anything, however outrageous or immoral, can be justified, condoned and, with every-day use and reinforcement, it becomes your new normal, the standard from which to judge The Other. These forces are not going to sit around politely, drinking tea, however much some nations may seemingly be cowed into submission this early on. That is not how this works.
I think that the best way to deal with these inevitable forces and realities is to study it, understand it, and to ride the escalations, the inevitable storms, as skilfully as possible. South Africans are caught between large international powers that are re-setting the international stage, power shifts such as the world has never seen, and this is going to require a nimble, disciplined and highly skilled government to steer us through the next few years, to a place where we can be positioned to our maximum advantage as a nation.
Strategic mistakes will be costly, fatal even.
As the public, as individuals, we can certainly play a role in all of this. We are not just spectators. We can start by looking at our own thought processes. What would it take for you to not support your Chosen One? To what extent are you enabling harmful behaviour? Do you see the processes by which you make your decisions? How are those moral compasses nowadays?
We need not fear, we need not panic, and we need not tear each other apart. This type of rare intensity global conflict can be a wonderful, cathartic opportunity to really clean out those generational, cyclical unresolved conflicts that so bedevil our every strategy. But for that to be achieved, as opposed to its awful alternatives, we will need to be skilled, wise, responsible, and brave. And that includes you, my dear friend.
See also:
In die kruisvuur: moderne identiteitskonflik en strategiese oplossings