History shows that when political choice is lacking and people see no prospect of relief, they become highly susceptible to the transfer of blame.[3] This transfer—attacking refugees and fomenting culture wars—is already well under way. Techniques of distraction—scapegoating, an intense focus on issues that have little impact on general welfare (“woke” academics, curatorial decisions in museums and historic houses,[4] unisex bathrooms, young people allegedly identifying as cats[5])—coupled with frustration and the transfer of blame, open the door to authoritarianism.
