DARVO: Old-New Method of Moving
Hermetic Dialectic Synthesis
America, land of fair play and standing up against oppression and bullying(ish); or so the myth goes in nearly every propagandic movie, television show and even music. The current popular, Rich Men North of Richmond, song is about citizenry being the victim(s) of political oppression. It is part of Hegel’s reliance on Pathos over Logos or even Ethos to move people toward his hermetic dialectic statism. This new, I use the term reservedly, acronym, DARVO, is simply a catchy way to lodge the methodology in your brain even while it is being used against you. What is DARVO?
The acronym DARVO was coined by Dr Jennifer J. Freyd, PhD of the University of Oregon in the mid 1990s to help women deal with the domestic abuse in which men appeared to be the offenders but claimed the role of victim to avoid arrest and prison. It also coincided with the public realization that women are not all helpless creatures needing rescue but may in fact be aggressors themselves and claim the victim role as a means of manipulation the legal system to their advantage. Dr. Freyd put forth this hypothesis as a means to discredit men while justifying women without actually looking at the facts of each case. Thus, it is based on a logic fallacy of appeal to pathos in this case; i.e., appeal to emotions rather than to logic or ethics-truth. If you appeal to logic or truth then you support oppression and the current patriarchy; or so they say.
DARVO is strangely reminiscent of an old management technique I encountered as a naval officer, though it is rampant in every management system: 1) Admit nothing; 2) Deny everything and 3) Make counter accusations. DARVO has the added advantage of enlisting feelings in the battle making the goal much easier to accomplish.
D-Deny everything dealing with the specific accusation whatever it is. It may range from, “I never had sex with that woman,” to I do not abuse my wife, husband, significant other, etc. Notice that this extends from the very intimate of relationships to the highest, most public of relationships: State and citizen.
A-Attack the accuser. This is not new but then neither is DAVRO for that matter. The question is not about attacking the accuser but how to attack the accuser such that the accuser is discredited while you gain in credibility? At this point it appears simply as a, he said, she said situation since most altercations are in private. How can one tell who is telling the Truth?
RVO-Reverse Victim and Offender roles. This brings a nuance approach often missing in past exposes. Human nature, feelings or pathos, longs to support the weak against the strong even though evolutionary theory demands that the strong survives better over the weak, causing a disconnect between accepted human improvement theory and actual results. Would you rather support Rep. Nancy Pelosi when she hoped to physical attack President Trump on the January 6 demonstration or when she publicly decries the violent January 6 insurrection that stole knick-knacks from her office? The former was hidden from the public while that latter was decried from nearly every major medium platform so the public would turn against those demonstrators that sought to destroy our State. And it worked until finally the full videos were released showing the reality was very different from the propagandic guidance so carefully crafted for your viewing guidance.
Hence, DARVO is simply another Reflexive Lie used at every level of relationships to justify the leverage of Control of one over another without appearing to Control or oppress. Is this a new technique? The acronym is new but the technique is very ancient. It is first encountered in the Bible during the original sin debacle (Ge 3:9-12). God sought out Man and asked him if disobeyed God. Man, who was not tricked into disobeying God, claimed to be the victim of the Woman AND God; i.e., it was not his fault when most assuredly it was his direct, conscience decision to disobey (1Ti 2:14). Later, a descendant of Cain also claimed victim status of self-defense when he killed another showing this became a common methodology from history’s earliest stages (Ge 4:23-24).
It is our nature, made in God’s image, to support the weak over the oppressor (Ge 1:27; Ex 22:22; De 24:17-18). This is then turned on its head to manipulate YOU to support the oppressor over the victim by switching their roles. But, are the roles switched or are you duped into believing the propaganda? What is often occurring is that the claims laid on the opposing group are actually the methodologies used by the accusing group such that they reveal to the listen what their goals actually are! When the Left accuses the Right of destroying our democracy, the Left is actually revealing what methodology being used. Of course, DARVO is not limited to Left but is common to Right and beyond politics has become common in many marital conflicts with everyone claiming victim status; even the cat and dog!
Hegel, father of the modern State hermetic dialectic, supported Pathos over Logos and Ethnos. For Hegel there was no higher form of truth seeking than the State which was the expression of current truth and the basis for society-culture through the unwritten Social Contract, which he borrowed from Rousseau who borrowed it from others. But then Hegel borrowed the Dialectic from Kant and modified it for his purposes just as Dr. Freyd borrowed common human conflict behavior from history and made her mark by making an acronym. All of it comes down to manipulating you to obey the State, the highest form of socialized peace; except, there is no peace.
Nowhere is this more evident than Hegel’s statement that the State is God. This thought was appropriated by Marx who made Man the god and judge of all peoples. Based on what? Nothing more than his opinion! Marx sought to demystify Hegel, bring it into the material, through the door of economics, of which he knew little. However, his interpretation of Hegel’s Hermetic Dialectic inspired others to extend his thesis into societies through the realms of Education, Medicine (Psychology) and Propaganda mediums of Information, Entertainment and even Religion. Has this been effective?
The proof is in the pudding, so to speak. The fact that DARVO is used at nearly every level of society shows its effectiveness. The massive public interest in the Jonny Depp-Amber Heard trial in which both parties sought to claim victim status over the other. Both parties were obvious offenders but who was less offensive or more victim? This showed the effectiveness of this manipulative technique. Truth is of less importance than belief in the lie of victimhood. George Floyd is another example of the importance of victimhood over truth. There were show trials that were previously emblematic of socialistic countries but are now common in America.
As a nation, America has long portrayed itself as the victim simply seeking to bring democracy to the oppressed masses of the world. It was just forced to use military means to defend itself. The North was simply forced to preserve the Union from the predatory South. Spain blew up an American ship in Cuba forcing us into a war. Germany attacked a harmless tourist ship forcing us into World War I. Japan, through long provocation by FDR, attacked Pearl Harbor forcing us into World War II. Notice, DARVO works because Americans support their government even when America obviously overthrew another country’s duly elected government, which we claim is democracy; I speak of Ukraine of course.
Presidential elections are occurring again with another round of DAVRO assailing the American people to support the best, but weakest, candidate based on his, or her, victimhood. Christians should not be fooled by such obviously propagandic techniques, but we are. It is part and parcel of our history with the Great Awakenings fueling every major succeeding conflict by portraying them as religious wars for right and honor and God! Jesus taught to turn the other cheek; but Christians are being manipulated to storm the gates of Hell; which is not Scripture (Mt 5:38-42; 16:18; Ep 6:12-13). We are to Stand! We, in the Spirit, Stand in Truth as neither Left nor Right promote the Kingdom of Heaven or its Gospel. Sin makes victims of everyone as it brings only violence, degradation and death (Ro 1:18-28). The only path out of victimhood is the Gospel which makes us new creations in Christ (2Co 5:17).