Thug, from the Hindu word thag, from the Sanskrit word sthagah, a cheat, from sthagati, sthagayati, he conceals.
Vincent Smith writes in the Oxford History of India, 1923 “ The gangs had little to fear, and enjoyed almost complete immunity; … they always had powerful protectors. The moral feeling of the people had sunk so low that there were no signs of general reprehension of the cold-blooded crimes committed by the Thugs. They were accepted as a part of the established order of things; and until the secrets of the organization were given away, … it was usually impossible to obtain evidence against even the most notorious Thugs. “
So it appears that many suffer from a variety of ailments, but lukewarm and fearful complacence and a bad case of Thug worship seem to be the most prevalent.
Smith's observation offers us a worthy clue that is contained in the words “until the secrets of the organization were given away”.
Their once-guarded secrets are mostly not very secret anymore, and so we have, or should have by now, all of the evidence needed to identify the cheats, and so must now go about the work of scrubbing them clean from our midst.
Most, though, it is apparent, are all too willing to go along with the mobsters in order to maintain the modest lifestyle that they have grown accustomed to, and I just can't be bothered terribly by such drones as are willing to bow down to and accept as Master these deft mercenaries; but such as there are that would see a simple balance returned to a more properly held life, these might surely be roused to righteous indignation, and to stand united in direct opposition to this abomination that still grows as I think and type, and have it cast out from the worthy Garden.
Or… suffer the consequences of being spineless toadies, while sucking up the moldy crumbs that are tossed to you. And if you think to yourself that you've seen no mold, then you haven't looked closely enough.
