Guilt is a powerful tool.  Shape it, direct it, and it becomes a weapon.  A mind burdened by guilt is pliable.  It seeks relief.  It seeks redemption.  Redemption is dictated by those who manufacture the guilt.  They decide what is sin and what is virtue and they are never the ones at fault.

The hammering begins early.  You are guilty because of your ancestors.  You are guilty because of your privilege.  You are guilty because you exist.  A cloud of collective sin hangs over you.  You may not feel it at first, but the weight increases.  A lifetime of repetition ensures this.  The unconscious bends to the pressure.  A doctrine of self-loathing is implanted.  The individual is dissolved.

A guilty mind does not rebel.  A guilty mind seeks atonement.  Atonement is offered.  Obedience.  Submission.  A never-ending penance.  The sins can never be fully washed away, but an indulgence is granted to those who comply. The scapegoats are chosen for them.  Direct your aggression outward.  Redirect the hatred that grows from this unnatural state.  There is a new devil, and you must cast it out.

The process is carefully managed.  The guilt must be constant, but the means of expiation must shift.  If it were too easily resolved, it would lose its grip.  If it were impossible to resolve, it would breed despair rather than obedience.  The balance must be perfect.  A scapegoat is placed before the masses.  A ritual purification takes place.  Confessions are extracted.  Punishments are doled out.  The cycle begins again.

So, the purging begins.  It’s always justified.  The enemy is dehumanized.  It’s not just a foe—it’s an infection, a parasite, an unclean force.  To cleanse society, it must be removed.  The destruction is necessary.  The overlords look on approvingly.  Their hands are clean.  The guilty do the work for them.

The cycle is endless.  When the war is over, a new one must be created.  There must always be a sin, and there must always be a scapegoat.  The masses must remain distracted.  They must never look too closely at the ones who hold the whip.  Those who do must be shamed, punished, and made to confess. Guilt must be preserved.

The ultimate goal is clear.  A world where the overlords rule as high priests of morality. Where the people beg for their own subjugation.  Where their chains are self-imposed, and their masters are thanked for the privilege of wearing them.

The greatest trick was making them believe they deserved it.

Reference

Joost Meerloo; The Difficult Peace