“The mechanism is ages old. Tyrants used it centuries before the word "psychology" was ever invented. It works, too.”

— Robert A. Heinlein , book Revolt in 2100

Revolt in 2100 (1953)
Context: Take sex away from people. Make it forbidden, evil. Limit it to ritualistic breeding. Force it to back up into suppressed sadism. Then hand the people a scapegoat to hate. Let them kill a scapegoat occasionally for cathartic release. The mechanism is ages old. Tyrants used it centuries before the word "psychology" was ever invented. It works, too.

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Robert A. Heinlein 557

American science fiction author 1907–1988

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