When the Danegeld (a tax or tribute historically paid by Anglo-Saxon England to Viking raiders, particularly during the ninth to 11th centuries, to prevent invasions and plunder) is paid, the only one happy about it is the Dane.

Of course, Americans are not likely to see a Viking longship show up on the Jersey Shore, but moral blackmail has taken the place of a horde of warriors attacking and plundering the local subway. Moral blackmail is a pervasive force behind many — if not most — political and socioeconomic policies today, often overshadowing genuine efforts to improve lives through better wages, safety, or long-term solutions. Instead, it’s a manipulative tactic used to induce guilt and compliance.

Moral blackmail involves guilting someone into believing they’re responsible for dire outcomes unless they act as demanded. It’s the “if you don’t do this, you’re to blame” narrative.

Examples abound: welfare debates frame dissenters as heartless toward the homeless or elderly; cutting USAID will kill everybody in Africa; immigration discussions paint skeptics as cruel to vulnerable children; tax policy disputes warn that rejecting new levies will harm schools or public safety, leaving the burden on your conscience.

This tactic has been aggressively deployed in public health, race relations, and domestic and foreign policy. During the COVID pandemic, mask-wearing and vaccinations became moral litmus tests. Despite scientific uncertainty, refusing masks or vaccines labeled you a “murderer,” even though vaccinated individuals, if protected, face no risk from the unvaccinated. Remember when it was proposed that American citizens were to be prioritized by skin color rather than risk for access to vaccinations? The guilt trip is relentless: who wants to be seen as endangering minorities, grandparents, or children?

However, the most damaging application of moral blackmail has been Critical Race Theory (CRT). CRT operates on the premise that American systems are inherently and perpetually racist, created by white people who are thus eternally guilty. Equality isn’t enough; systems must favor black Americans or be controlled by them to punish whites until a vague “moral debt” is repaid. Yet no number of apologies, reparations, or concessions satisfies the blackmailers. It’s like a kidnapping where the ransom is undefined — pay, but they’ll never say it’s enough.

CRT was/is nothing short of state-sanctioned moral blackmail, far surpassing any organized crime scheme. It thrives in environments where people with low self-esteem or conflict-averse tendencies question themselves: “Maybe I am a racist?” These individuals may comply to avoid confrontation, even when innocent. No living white American owned slaves from the Atlantic trade, nor has any living black American been enslaved, yet the guilt persists. Tradition and common sense reject inherited guilt, but blackmailers exploit it relentlessly.

Like terrorists, moral blackmailers thrive on reward.

It also applies to foreign policy. If one considers the foreign policy of both the Republican establishment and the liberal Democrats, America has allowed itself to be put in the position of fighting the wars of others. And when not fighting someone else’s fight, we pay the Danegeld to keep the activities of those same factions tamped down — while in the process, achieving nothing other than guaranteeing the pattern will continue.

Paying the Danegeld only ensures the Danes will return for more. Governments don’t negotiate with terrorists for this reason — conceding only emboldens them. Similarly, giving in to moral blackmail guarantees endless demands.

At its core, moral blackmail is about money. Every grievance has a price tag, but the cost is never fixed or final. It’s a perpetual down payment, never a settlement. Blackmailers always return, banking on guilt and compliance.

The only way to counter moral blackmail is to refuse to play the game, as illustrated in the 1983 film “WarGames,” in which the computer WOPR concludes, “The only way to win is not to play.” Resisting requires recognizing manipulation and standing firm, knowing that no payment will ever satisfy the blackmailers. Only by rejecting their guilt-driven demands can we break the cycle and preserve social cohesion.