Suicide by coercion,by either physical or psychological stress, is the implied goal of the tactic. What is torture and what are the objectives? The saddening aspect of all this is that it has been happening since the beginning of recorded history and that it is self inflicted. A colleague is promoted into management, a neighbor becomes part of the justice/political system and how it affects our personalities;the way our leaders are, and always have, played to the military (is very telling). We are all pliable drones liable to be influenced by the right carrot or toy. The neutralizing of mass action or reaction to unpopular acts or activists is the great motivator for gov't action. The reaction to the Vietnam War taught the power structure a big lesson and the different objectives of political parties is how to best neutralize anything that will upset the masses. Anything that approaches critical mass is toned down, moved to the backburners. They may have seemingly different strategies but the same goals. It's a balancing act between left and right but who controls the center? The illusions revolve around equality (socially) and the designation of value (economic). Our system has been successful for awhile, one and made some great achievements; successfully circumvented many obstacles and makeovers but all systems have had finite lives. Economic imbalances are a constant but added to the mix technological advances, the internet, and impending ecological / medical emergencies. The risks we face are great and small minds can add to the impending chaos but unfortunately that is one of the qualities necessary to advance in the economic/political arena.