Why do we love dictators? You may say we do not, but a lot of us actually do. Adolf Hitler, the cruelest dictator in world history, was loved by the majority of German citizens at that time. Rhee Syngman, who killed millions of innocent people, falsely accusing them as communists, is loved by a lot of Korean politicians. Donald John Trump, who promised that he will deport “worst of the worst people” and is violating human rights of immigrants who have no criminal records, is still loved by his MAGA supporters. Why? Why do people love them? It is because those dictators succeeded in controlling the brain chemistry of their followers, which means that we should also use neuroscience to fight back.
Image sources: Who was Adolf Hitler? :: About Holocaust, 國父 논란 이승만의 功7過3, Donald Trump: Who He Is and What He Stands For- The New York Times
Before committing violence toward human dignity, dictators make sure that their followers hate their target victims, using propaganda. Before Holocaust, Adolf Hitler made a propaganda that minorities, which include disabled people, children, and Jewish people, are making Germany a weak state, promising that he would eliminate those people to make Germany great again (The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, n.d.). This made him a popular leader in Germany, and made people love him when he brought one of the most inhumane war crimes in human history. (Chamberlain, 2014) Germans believed that Germany would become great again if people that they hated become eliminated. Rhee Syngman slayed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians through the Bodo League Massacre and fifteen thousand victims through the April 3rd incident and then claimed that his victims are communists, justifying his actions (Kim, n.d.). This made him still be praised by some of the Korean citizens, even politicians, who say that Rhee saved Korea from communists, while what he actually did was to kill innocent, precious lives, accusing them of being communists (Kim, 2023). Donald John Trump gained his popularity by claiming that Joseph Biden’s immigration policies brought criminals to America and the solution is to deport “worst of the worst” people. During his presidency, however, his targets were not “worst of the worst” people. The majority of people who were captured during his administration did not have criminal records (The Wall Street Journal, 2026). The worst guilt that they have committed was undocumented immigration, which means they are not criminals and their deportations are necessary only when they are convicted (Golash-Boza, 2010, 84). Furthermore, he is currently violating the rights of due process of his targets that are ratified in American law for both citizens and non citizens in that process (Wagner, 2025; Cole, 2003, 368). Still, he is loved by his supporters (The Economist, 2026).
Image source: 제주4.3유족회, 뒤틀린 가족관계 복원 4.3특별법 개정안 ‘환영’
Image source: Chicago Elementary School Successfully Stops ICE Agents From Entering Building
When we begin to hate some group of people, we begin to wish the worst of them. According to research, dopamine, a chemical agent that brings happiness, not only gives happiness, but sometimes removes our empathy so that we can love the suffering of others (Harvard Medical School, n.d.; Lantos & Molenberghs, 2021, 81). Amygdala, the part of the brain that responds to fear, is activated when we perceive certain groups of people as threats (Fell, 2024; Lantos & Molenberghs, 2021, 80). Then, the function of the medial prefrontal cortex, which makes us feel empathy toward others, is decreased, eliminating empathy in our brain (Lantos & Molenberghs, 2021, 79; Meyer et al., 2012, 446, 449). This makes us
perceive suffering of people who we hate as reward in our brain, activating dopamine (Harvard Medical School, n.d.; Lantos & Molenberghs, 2021, 81). When Adolf Hitler said Jewish people are making Germany a weak state, when Rhee Syngman claimed that his victims are communists who deserve to die, when Donald John Trump said people who crossed the border during Joseph Biden’s administration are making America a dangerous country, people hated and feared or hate and fear those people. Then, Rhee and Nazi kill innocent people who did not harm others, gaining support from their supporters whose brains are hijacked by fear and hate. Trump’ s administration also deports people who are only undocumented immigrants, without committing crimes, which means their deportations are not necessary, in such an inhumane way, with support from his followers who have brains manipulated by propaganda of fear and hate.
How do we stop this? How do we stop these dictators dehumanizing their victims when those inhuman actions are supported? How do we liberate our hijacked brain from dictators and have courage to stand up for what is right instead of supporting cruel, inhumane violence? The answer is empathy. What we need is an empathy toward people, which can bond us. According to research, when we feel empathy for people who are suffering, the concentration of oxytocin, a chemical of love and social bonding, increases (Barraza & Zak, 2009, 182; Xiao, 2025). Furthermore, empathy also activates the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, part of our brain that’s responsible for positive feelings toward others, allowing us to have positive social emotional regulations (Pluta et al., 2023, 2 – 12).
This empathy and social bond free us from dictatorship and make us head toward a brighter future. After World War 2, Germany’s new constitution began to state that “[h]uman dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority”(Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, n.d.). Not only that, Germany’s education system and diplomacy are now based on acknowledging the danger of hate, such as Xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti – Semitism, and radicalism and apologizing for the pain of victims of Germany’s tyranny(Vitale & Clothey, 2019, 45; British Broadcasting Corporation, 2019). This made Germany, the state that used to be ruled by fascism, take the third place in education and the seventh place in the quality of life in the
world (World Population Review, n.d.; US News & World Report, n.d.). After the death of students who fought against the Rhee’s autocracy, Koreans were outraged by such injustice, demanding the democratization of South Korea (Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, n.d.). Their brave actions are now ratified in the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, emphasizing their contributions in Korea’s democracy today. People in Minnesota were also outraged by ICE terrorizing their community after the death of two victims, marching peacefully to resist violence (Faguy, 2026). Their efforts made a Minnesota judge acknowledge the fault of ICE (Feuer, 2026). The courage of Minnesotans and Americans also made the Trump administration remove ICE agents from Minnesota after people’s peaceful demand (Kim, 2026).
Dictators are controlling our brain. Dictators are filling our brain with hate and fear so that they can get fear driven support from their followers. One way to protect lives from that is to have empathy and social bonds. When we feel the suffering of victims and take steps with each other to stop that, a society will be able to find light in the darkness.
By. Hangyul Park
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