One of my main characters, a behind-the-scenes power broker, is fixated on the trappings of power and his self-impressed ability to manipulate people to get what he wants. At the conclusion of chapter 1, we read:
The man slowly replaced the grey polycarbonate receiver handset into its waiting cradle. The precision of the fit felt good in his hand. Oh, the power of power is intoxicating, he thought, as his hand caressed the array of buttons underneath the phone’s touch screen display. He unconsciously inhaled deeply then slowly exhaled, his eyes twinkling in the low light, completely satisfied that the California operation was proceeding smoothly.
He is smug, and as chapter 2 comes to a close, we note:
I’m on a roll, the man behind the desk thought. The latest report from the left coast couldn’t be better. Time to accelerate the program, he decided. Funding was strong and more assets could be deployed into the theater. He felt good, the trappings of power fitting snugly and the pleasure of pushing people’s priorities intoxicating. The man quelled his urge to laugh, as he hummed, California, here I come…
What gives rise to such powerful people in positions of authority? One researcher, in a 2010 study, compared “the feeling of power to brain damage, noting that people with lots of authority tend to behave like neurological patients with a damaged orbito-frontal lobe, a brain area that’s crucial for empathy and decision-making.”
It all boils down to the dangers of gaining authority. According to psychologists, authority makes those with power less sympathetic to the concerns and emotions of others. They typically rely on stereotypes and generalizations when judging other people. Could this behavior ultimately be the undoing of powerful people? Can the little guy, if he or she survives the wrath of the challenged authority, take down such an ego-maniac?
Possibly, and we explore this theme in my novel.
Powerful people who have been found breaking the rules of conduct often show little sign of contrition. “It is not just that they abuse the system; they also seem to feel entitled to abuse it,” writes one journalist in 2010. People with authority in positions of power actually believe rule-breaking and cheating are justified. Intuitively, they feel they are entitled to behave this way and can take what they want. They view themselves as privileged and above the law.
And when it comes to governments and presidential leaders, the stopping of power getting out of hand is embodied in the Senate checking the power of the House, or Congress reigning in the power of the Executive branch.
Perhaps one of the lessons from my murder mystery, then, is that the abuse of power and the associated corruption are the price society pays for being led by an alpha male (in this case). An interesting question to consider, “How much does art (murder mystery stories) imitate life?”
Enjoy the read!
The man slowly replaced the grey polycarbonate receiver handset into its waiting cradle. The precision of the fit felt good in his hand. Oh, the power of power is intoxicating, he thought, as his hand caressed the array of buttons underneath the phone’s touch screen display. He unconsciously inhaled deeply then slowly exhaled, his eyes twinkling in the low light, completely satisfied that the California operation was proceeding smoothly.
He is smug, and as chapter 2 comes to a close, we note:
I’m on a roll, the man behind the desk thought. The latest report from the left coast couldn’t be better. Time to accelerate the program, he decided. Funding was strong and more assets could be deployed into the theater. He felt good, the trappings of power fitting snugly and the pleasure of pushing people’s priorities intoxicating. The man quelled his urge to laugh, as he hummed, California, here I come…
What gives rise to such powerful people in positions of authority? One researcher, in a 2010 study, compared “the feeling of power to brain damage, noting that people with lots of authority tend to behave like neurological patients with a damaged orbito-frontal lobe, a brain area that’s crucial for empathy and decision-making.”
It all boils down to the dangers of gaining authority. According to psychologists, authority makes those with power less sympathetic to the concerns and emotions of others. They typically rely on stereotypes and generalizations when judging other people. Could this behavior ultimately be the undoing of powerful people? Can the little guy, if he or she survives the wrath of the challenged authority, take down such an ego-maniac?
Possibly, and we explore this theme in my novel.
Powerful people who have been found breaking the rules of conduct often show little sign of contrition. “It is not just that they abuse the system; they also seem to feel entitled to abuse it,” writes one journalist in 2010. People with authority in positions of power actually believe rule-breaking and cheating are justified. Intuitively, they feel they are entitled to behave this way and can take what they want. They view themselves as privileged and above the law.
And when it comes to governments and presidential leaders, the stopping of power getting out of hand is embodied in the Senate checking the power of the House, or Congress reigning in the power of the Executive branch.
Perhaps one of the lessons from my murder mystery, then, is that the abuse of power and the associated corruption are the price society pays for being led by an alpha male (in this case). An interesting question to consider, “How much does art (murder mystery stories) imitate life?”
Enjoy the read!