When I was little and I asked adults how atrocities in human history happen, they say stupid things like "we had no idea what was going on". Why couldn't they be more realistic and say, well kid: most people are the type to shut up and do what they're told to avoid trouble for themselves. And when the things they're told to turn a blind eye to things that are gradually more and more evil, they then must to put up psychological defence mechanisms (like cognitive dissonance through compartmentalizing information) so that the lie they tell themselves (I'm on the side of the good guys), it doesn't feel congruent, because really they're not good.

But that isn't greedy, because you're not trying to get more stuff for yourself, right? Just more security? The key is lying to yourself! Say the mantras "I'm a good guy, nothing bad is going on here, other people are bad for trying to rock the boat, I'm not deluded - they're paranoid". They're throwing everybody else under the bus to try to get a little more protection for themselves and calling it love and anything else fear-mongering.

Fear is an ironic, self-fulfilling prophecy: if you're paralyzed by fear, you collectively give power to the people trying to scare you!