Possible counterargument:

the obeyers are too dumb and also not fun.

People who would bend over to lick assholes are not fun.

Breaking us down to that point would be a perfect war prize and true sign of power.

Much like getting the whore vs the virgin.

Plan: remove the dumb meatwalls that make the population too big, get us to not trust each other, remove possible form of sustenance independent from government, make it legal to hunt us with bogus reasons, basically force us between certain death and asshole licking.

Spoiler alert: once you start licking, it's not too far from when you stop being fun too.

Possible counterargument:

the obeyers are too dumb and also not fun.

People who would bend over to lick assholes are not fun.

Breaking us down to that point would be a perfect war prize and true sign of power.

Much like getting the whore vs the virgin.