Authoritarians don’t have to seek power. The core authoritarian concept is that the people in power should be obeyed, because they are the authority.
The people at the top think that they should have essentially dictatorial control, and the people below them think that all they have to do is follow the commands of those above them and then everyone below them should be obedient to them. And it continues like that all the way down the hierarchy.
And then the people at the bottom just want to keep their heads down and survive.
But for the most part, even true believers can be cajoled into acting differently. I do feel like Odo’s true personality is fairly authoritarian, but opinions may differ.
Well, there’s a bit of a difference between “Doing less murder than you could have done, in return for sexual favours” and “doing your best in a situation where you don’t have all the power”.
But you are right. Treating it like a numbers game lets you justify the evil status quo, and be afraid of rocking the boat. Odo demonstrated that he had grown beyond that in the time-travel episode where we saw all this get explored, and we saw the past he was so mortified about.
Authoritarians don’t have to seek power. The core authoritarian concept is that the people in power should be obeyed, because they are the authority.
The people at the top think that they should have essentially dictatorial control, and the people below them think that all they have to do is follow the commands of those above them and then everyone below them should be obedient to them. And it continues like that all the way down the hierarchy.
And then the people at the bottom just want to keep their heads down and survive.
But for the most part, even true believers can be cajoled into acting differently. I do feel like Odo’s true personality is fairly authoritarian, but opinions may differ.
Odo does not obey the people in power if they don’t achieve justice.
He obeyed the Cardassian authorities on Terok Nor despite knowing how unjust their occupation of Bajor and their use of prisoner slaves was.
Because if he didn’t, there would be even less justice. But you are right, that was part of how he learned not to embrace order at ALL costs.
Isn‘t that the same reasoning of Gul Dukat? Like how he was so merciful and saved Bajor from much worse?
Well, there’s a bit of a difference between “Doing less murder than you could have done, in return for sexual favours” and “doing your best in a situation where you don’t have all the power”.
But you are right. Treating it like a numbers game lets you justify the evil status quo, and be afraid of rocking the boat. Odo demonstrated that he had grown beyond that in the time-travel episode where we saw all this get explored, and we saw the past he was so mortified about.
Order at any and all costs is pretty much authorianism.
Ever heard of entropy?
It affects sociology as well.