Domesticated Humans?
News stories on the horrors perpetrated by authoritarian governments and a bunch of life-on-earth natural history documentaries cross-pollinated in my mind and made a nasty baby.
What if populations dominated by authoritarian governments are genetically pre-disposed to keep their heads down and accept the Boss Man?
You are a “hell no!” individualist in China under the Ming dynasty — and don’t leave any descendants. You protest in Moscow under a nasty Czar — and don’t leave any descendants.
Might millennia of survival of the meekest explain why some countries swap one horrible authoritarian government for one that becomes equally bad?
Did a bit of investigation, this time, to find other opinions and the take on this by Robert Sapolsky, in his interview with Mikhail Zygar, was interesting. He touches on the possible gene pool aspect, but spends more time on research related to culture.
References
Mikhail Zygar. (2022, Oct 5). Robert Sapolsky: why the Russians do not protest, how to cure imperialism and stop wars. [Video]. Youtube.com. https://youtu.be/9YYZQAXoghc
