The Totalitarian Playbook in Plain Sight

How to Spot Authoritarian Control in Spiritual and Academic Groups

Who Shot the Sheriff?

A Whimsical Look at the Virtue-Vigilante Inside Us All

Hello, dear reader. Let’s sit together for a moment in the quiet space between our ideals and our imperfections. If you’ve ever sought to be better, kinder, or wiser, you’ve likely met a curious character along the road—the part of you (or someone else) that mistakes virtue for a weapon, and compassion for a compliance checklist.

With a gentle smile, let’s call this character the Virtue Sheriff.

It’s that internal (or external) voice that patrols the borders of right thought and correct behavior, siren blaring, ready to pull over any soul speeding too fast toward enlightenment—or idling too long in doubt. It confuses righteousness for being right, and policing for peacekeeping.

“Power-Under”

We talk a lot about bullies, tyrants, and narcissists—those who wield "Power-Over" others with threats, manipulation, and control. We can list their tactics: gaslighting, intimidation, love-bombing, stonewalling. But we miss the other half of the story, the silent partner in this toxic dance.

This is the story of the "Power-Under" position. It's not about weakness. It's about the brilliant, heartbreaking, and ultimately self-caging survival script a person learns when "Power-Over" is the only language spoken in their world.