THE TRUE TEST OF CHARACTER
“If you want to test a man’s character, give him power” – Robert G. Ingersoll
Ask anyone about the claim above and they will most likely agree; we have all dealt with power tripping one way or another, whether it is pedantic and dogmatic people in positions of power or even just being teachers, managers or parents. Power has the ability to reveal what many hide behind the veil of politeness or etiquette. Many people appear fair, patient and reasonable when they stand among their so-called equals. Once power is placed in their hands, over a classroom, an office or a household, their behaviour may change dramatically. Small decisions become exaggerated displays of control, dominance and power; their leadership turns into the performance of superiority.
You are inferior
One of the most common messages communicated by power tripping individuals is the subversive declaration that you are inferior. This message is seldom said outright but instead is conveyed through tone, language and behaviour. The demand for obedience without explanation, the calling out of “underlings” publicly – these actions communicate not only a hierarchy of roles but also of worth.
The purpose of such behavior is not always efficiency or discipline, but rather it often serves the person in authority’s psychological need to affirm their position by diminishing the individuals around them. In this way, they strengthen the visible distance between themselves and those under them. Another prevalent thing is the use of honorifics (sir, miss, etc.) that function as linguistic signals of hierarchy. In most contexts, they can become symbolic of submission, reminding speakers to acknowledge their rank before voicing their thoughts, subtly sustaining the hierarchy.
Humiliate yourself before power
Power tripping often demands ritualised submission. Disagreement with individuals in power must be discouraged, yet possible corrections are visible. This requires the subordinate to acknowledge their lower position, for example when you bite your tongue, avoiding confrontation with a simple “yes sir” after being unfairly scolded; or when you are randomly picked on to read, when it is obvious you were not paying attention. Humiliation functions as a social signal: when forced to accept blame publicly or submit to unnecessary criticism, the act cements the authority of the person in charge.
Humiliation, in this sense, is one of the most effective tools of enforcement. When someone in authority forces another to apologise publicly, to accept blame or endure ridicule, the act does more than just correct behaviour. It is very similar to the spectacle talked about in the ‘despair’ article, in that it produces obedience. The message to everyone watching is that authority must be obeyed and it must be acknowledged both emotionally and socially.
Individuals in power often rely on moments of visible submission, most notably seen through a uniform that strips individuality and reinforces the divide between those in power and the plebs. The authority figure demonstrates their power while the subordinate person is placed in a position of embarrassment. When a person is forced to accept degradation to maintain their position (like keeping a job), passing a class, or maintaining family peace, they could internalise the hierarchy.
The rituals of humiliation transform authority into a spectacle, in which the rule that dignity can be conditional is reinforced; it is granted by power and withdrawn when obedience falters.
The semioptics of power
Power is not only communicated through commands or rules, it is also expressed through signs and symbols, a system understood through the lens of semiotics. Raised voices, dismissive glances and the interruption of speech can all signal authority. Managers at desks, teachers standing over seated students, parents talking over children – these are all symbolic structures that reinforce hierarchy.
Through signs, power becomes visible and thus socially recognized. This reveals how hierarchy operates beyond formal rules.
The power of the state
In the past, one was to overtly humiliate themselves before the monarch: to kneel before them, hug their knees, kiss their boots and much more. Now, in the spirit of equality, you are not expected to humiliate yourself before the state, however the power of the state is still demonstrated through its servants. One is not to submit to the state directly, but to the warden, the police and the statesman, similarly to how one would to the lord, his knights and such. This works to further build the power of the state away from abstraction and make it tangible. This is why we see little justice towards inmates facing brutality, and why police are more likely to commit domestic abuse. They are granted immunity, albeit informally, in the exact way the monarch was. Other demonstrations of the power of the state comes via the carceral system that strips all those in it of their rights. Slave prison labour is legal; those within the prison are stripped of their autonomy, showing the public that when they do not conform to the rule of law, they are stripped of their humanity and thus degraded. This is why I believe the events shown in the second movie of “human centipede” are not so fantastical, and that (apart from the body horror) is what renders the movie so terrifying (a little detour). In such the state acts outside the rules of law, while misleading the public that there is justice in their actions. We can see the state enforcing conformity through legislation that encroaches on the personal lives of people: rules against homosexuality, laws in Texas that mitigate the amount of marital aids (that are used even by those not married) that people may have, laws against polygamy and the entire concept of deviancy.
The state creates a permanent class of deviants through just its laws against loitering. This class is useful to the ruling power, as they can be managed separately to the working class and used for political or economic ends. By this I mean that, to disrupt organised labour and to label those engaging in doing so as deviants, the State works to define the difference between the normal ‘good’ people to the ‘abnormal and bad’ people. This creates the idea of an enemy, which we can clearly see through the use of certain terms, like calling protesters ‘thugs’ or calling all those who support the working class ‘dirty communists’.
What to do?
Do not subscribe to this ideology. Treat everyone equally. If the teacher calls on you when you were not paying attention, say “I don’t know”; when being scolded unjustly, respectfully voice your view; and remember you don’t “have” to do anything. Your actions will have consequences though, and you must measure those consequences against your dignity and how much you really care. Do what’s most beneficial to you; sometimes saying “yes miss” is the best way to continue your life, because sometimes it is just not worth it. It all comes down to one question we must ask ourselves: how much do we really care?
