I know people who, given authority, have not gotten sick.
I know many more people who are sick (to begin with), and these thugs are just looking for any excuse to get authority over others. The most intelligent of these thugs ALWAYS end up at the top of hierarchies. That is their primary goal; to have power over others. I would say that it is more important to them than breathing.

Since we have been indoctrinated into the chain of followers (command) through 12 years of indoctrination where order following is the highest principal, then the pyramid that allows this behavior is all most can imagine.