How To Loot A Country And Win Elections

James M. Ridgway, Jr.
2 min readJun 10, 2017

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Appealing to Tribalism and emotions (the super political ploy) is the easiest means for exploiting the masses. The masses may be defined as those folks that reason almost exclusively out of their base ego — lacking intellect. Now this has little if anything to do with IQ, which is nothing more than the combination of computing speed and memory. It just means that the masses are narrowly focused on self, lacking intellect and the broader. more objective perspective that a developed intellect allows. In other words being tribally focused on like kind and hostile to the “other” does not technically equate to dumb, but it does mean that one is inherently blinded by one’s basic survival needs.

For instance Vladimir Putin is a ruthless dictator with a high favorability rating among his countrymen. He loots Russia out of hundreds of billions of rubles, along with the rest of his circle of plutocratic friends, but because he is ever mindful of playing to the masses tribal impulses of us against the world, they simple don’t care. He tells them that he is making Russia great again. It is, therefore, no accident that the, want to be dictator, Trump, has built his political following around the slogan of “make America great again.” This meme automatically triggers an effective tribal impulse among those with whom he intends to make his political base.

No thinking is required, just feeling. Moreover, as part of the control ploy, devious leaders like Putin and Trump constantly stir up fear and uncertainty about the world in which and then offer up themselves as the certainty that the masses crave. They aim to become the ultimate daddy figure to their followers, no wishy-washy mommy need apply, Hillary.

And so the Donald strives to imitate strong men like Putin, hoping to loot America along with the rest of those, but not all, Americans of great wealth who carelessly jeopardize the lives of the many for the over the top benefit of a select few. Aiming for the base ego and circumventing the intellect is the magic key for those craving dictatorial power.

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James M. Ridgway, Jr.
James M. Ridgway, Jr.

Written by James M. Ridgway, Jr.

Jim Ridgway, Jr. military writer — author of the American Civil War classic, “Apprentice Killers: The War of Lincoln and Davis.” Christmas gift, yes!

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