Do you know a word for an authoritarian who is wrong?

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StuartN
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01 Jul 2011, 5:40 am

pakled wrote:
Authoritarians, by definition, can't be wrong. It must be you...;) j/k...


You are pretty close to the answer here. So what do you call someone who has all the attributes of an authoritarian, but uses that power through falsehood?

Two examples from a local school: 1) "Due to Health and Safety, all children must ... " followed by something that has no relationship to health, safety or legislation; 2) "In accordance with the Diocese, all children must ... " followed by something that the staff are unable to personally defend.



NeantHumain
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01 Jul 2011, 4:39 pm

StuartN wrote:
BlueMage wrote:
So, "authoritarian" already implies that they are wrong, thats the word you are looking for.


"Authoritarian" just does not convey the effect for me - I have worked for authoritarian bosses, and lived under authoritarian regimes (religious and miltary dictatorships), where in most aspects the authoritarian was "right" in some from of reference.

Most people in the United States would say authoritarianism is wrong (at least those of a more socially/culturally liberal bent), and the word is meant to carry negative connotations in English. For example, in developmental psychology, parenting styles may be categorized as neglectful, indulgent, authoritative, and authoritarian. Authoritative carries connotations of a balance between use of parental authority and respecting the child's budding individuality whereas authoritarianism carries the negative connotation of parental discipline taken to a suffocating, harmful extreme.



Tequila
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01 Jul 2011, 5:11 pm

"Authoritarian cocksocket" works for me.