The Difference Between Totalitarian Regimes And Free Democracies 

Politics and Social Issues
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My friends Caitlin is one of my favourite journalists

 

The Difference Between Totalitarian Regimes And Free Democracies

 

By Caitlin Johnstone

June 13, 2021 “Information Clearing House” - In totalitarian regimes they have massacres and wars. In free democracies they have humanitarian interventions.

In totalitarian regimes they use torture. In free democracies they use enhanced interrogation techniques.

In totalitarian regimes they fund terrorist groups to create instability. In free democracies they fund terrorist groups to create stability.

In totalitarian regimes evil dictators bomb their own people. In free democracies we do it for them.

In totalitarian regimes a single party upholds and enforces the status quo. In free democracies, two parties uphold and enforce the status quo.

In totalitarian regimes the government controls the press and determines what information the public is allowed to have access to. In free democracies it is billionaires who do this.

In totalitarian regimes they wage brutally violent crackdowns on protesters to quash dissent. In free democracies they do this also, but then they kneel while wearing kente cloth.

In totalitarian regimes you know exactly who rules over you. In free democracies the true rulers hide behind fake puppet governments.

In totalitarian regimes any elections they have are rigged, and challengers are hand picked by the authoritarian rulers. In free democracies the rulers rig the elections and hand pick the candidates, and they do this to other countries as well.

In totalitarian regimes they imprison journalists for revealing inconvenient truths about the powerful. In free democracies they imprison journalists for revealing inconvenient truths about the powerful, and all the other journalists jump on social media to say he deserved it.

In totalitarian regimes they don’t let political dissidents speak. In free democracies they just refuse dissidents any influential platforms and use algorithms to keep revolutionary ideas from being heard by a significant number of people.

In totalitarian regimes they circle the planet with military bases, wage endless wars which kill millions, and work to destroy any nation which disobeys their government. Whoops, sorry, that’s actually free democracies.

In totalitarian regimes political speech is heavily regulated by the government. In free democracies political speech is heavily regulated by the government via Silicon Valley.

In totalitarian regimes the citizenry are kept impoverished while the rulers live lavishly with more than they could ever spend. In free democracies the citizenry are kept impoverished while the rulers live lavishly with more than they could ever spend.

In totalitarian regimes there is lack. In free democracies there is artificial lack.

In totalitarian regimes the government spy agency tells the news media what stories to run, and the news media unquestioningly publish it. In free democracies the government spy agency says “Buddy, have I got a scoop for you!” and the news media unquestioningly publish it.

In totalitarian regimes bands of armed thugs patrol the streets to enforce obedience to authority. In free democracies bands of armed thugs patrol the streets to enforce obedience to authority and Hollywood makes movies about how heroic they are.

In totalitarian regimes students are taught to mindlessly worship a picture of the evil dictator. In free democracies students are taught to mindlessly worship the flag.

In totalitarian regimes students are taught never to question authority. In free democracies students are taught never to question the news reporters.

In totalitarian regimes they commit evil deeds which free democracies could never get away with doing. In free democracies they have totalitarian regimes commit those evil deeds for them.

In totalitarian regimes the people are kept too brutalized and cowed to rise up against their rulers. In free democracies the people are kept too propagandized and brainwashed to rise up against their rulers.

In totalitarian regimes the powerful determine what happens regardless of the desire of the people. In free democracies the powerful determine what the people will desire to happen.

In totalitarian regimes everyone is a slave to the powerful. In free democracies everyone is a Slave™ to the Powerful™.

In totalitarian regimes you are forced to obey. In free democracies you are trained to think your obedience was your own idea.

In totalitarian regimes you are not free, and you know it. In free democracies you are not free, and you don’t know it.

 

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Johnstone never really says anything. She doesn’t do real journalism. She just cuts and pastes from the internet

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my friends. I would say this is Caitlin at her succinct best…

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I’ll just take one.

In totalitarian regimes they use torture. In free democracies they use enhanced interrogation techniques.
One administration crossed the line with this. They were severely critiqued for it. We paid a huge price on the world stage. Obama scaled it all back and we returned to accepting international law. Just because some of our leaders use propaganda sometimes, that doesn't make us a totalitarian regime. North Korea is still North Korea because the restrict free speech to almost nothing. There would not have been Civil Rights legislation in 1965 without free speech. We would not have gay marriage if we were like other countries and killed gay people just for existing. If we were not a democracy, there wouldn't be debates about woke culture and whether or not protesting was effective, people would just be rounded up and shot.
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My friends. I looked up definition of. EIT. I believe Guantanamo Bay prison is still in operation with who knows how many other black sites around the world. Consistent with her points about outsourcing terror

Enhanced interrogation techniques" or “enhanced interrogation” is a euphemism for the program of systematic torture of detainees by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and various components of the U.S. Armed Forces at remote sites around the world, including Bagram, Guantanamo …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki
 

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In totalitarian regimes they use torture. In free democracies they use enhanced interrogation techniques.

In totalitarian regimes they fund terrorist groups to create instability. In free democracies they fund terrorist groups to create stability.

In totalitarian regimes evil dictators bomb their own people. In free democracies we do it for them.

In totalitarian regimes a single party upholds and enforces the status quo. In free democracies, two parties uphold and enforce the status quo.

In totalitarian regimes the government controls the press and determines what information the public is allowed to have access to. In free democracies it is billionaires who do this.

In totalitarian regimes they wage brutally violent crackdowns on protesters to quash dissent. In free democracies they do this also, but then they kneel while wearing kente cloth.

In totalitarian regimes you know exactly who rules over you. In free democracies the true rulers hide behind fake puppet governments.

In totalitarian regimes any elections they have are rigged, and challengers are hand picked by the authoritarian rulers. In free democracies the rulers rig the elections and hand pick the candidates, and they do this to other countries as well.

In totalitarian regimes they imprison journalists for revealing inconvenient truths about the powerful. In free democracies they imprison journalists for revealing inconvenient truths about the powerful, and all the other journalists jump on social media to say he deserved it.

In totalitarian regimes they don’t let political dissidents speak. In free democracies they just refuse dissidents any influential platforms and use algorithms to keep revolutionary ideas from being heard by a significant number of people.

In totalitarian regimes they circle the planet with military bases, wage endless wars which kill millions, and work to destroy any nation which disobeys their government. Whoops, sorry, that’s actually free democracies.

In totalitarian regimes political speech is heavily regulated by the government. In free democracies political speech is heavily regulated by the government via Silicon Valley.

In totalitarian regimes the citizenry are kept impoverished while the rulers live lavishly with more than they could ever spend. In free democracies the citizenry are kept impoverished while the rulers live lavishly with more than they could ever spend.

In totalitarian regimes there is lack. In free democracies there is artificial lack.

In totalitarian regimes the government spy agency tells the news media what stories to run, and the news media unquestioningly publish it. In free democracies the government spy agency says “Buddy, have I got a scoop for you!” and the news media unquestioningly publish it.

In totalitarian regimes bands of armed thugs patrol the streets to enforce obedience to authority. In free democracies bands of armed thugs patrol the streets to enforce obedience to authority and Hollywood makes movies about how heroic they are.

In totalitarian regimes students are taught to mindlessly worship a picture of the evil dictator. In free democracies students are taught to mindlessly worship the flag.

In totalitarian regimes students are taught never to question authority. In free democracies students are taught never to question the news reporters.

In totalitarian regimes they commit evil deeds which free democracies could never get away with doing. In free democracies they have totalitarian regimes commit those evil deeds for them.

In totalitarian regimes the people are kept too brutalized and cowed to rise up against their rulers. In free democracies the people are kept too propagandized and brainwashed to rise up against their rulers.

In totalitarian regimes the powerful determine what happens regardless of the desire of the people. In free democracies the powerful determine what the people will desire to happen.

In totalitarian regimes everyone is a slave to the powerful. In free democracies everyone is a Slave™ to the Powerful™.

In totalitarian regimes you are forced to obey. In free democracies you are trained to think your obedience was your own idea.

In totalitarian regimes you are not free, and you know it. In free democracies you are not free, and you don’t know it.


You could argue some details but in the end this is fairly accurate. The only one I disagree with is this:

In totalitarian regimes political speech is heavily regulated by the government. In free democracies political speech is heavily regulated by the government via Silicon Valley.
Tech is actually becoming more powerful than the government. It has a much bigger ability to shape public discourse.
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What about this brand of totalitarianism?

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Inside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century

On a leaked conference call, leaders of dark-money groups and an aide to Mitch McConnell expressed frustration with the popularity of the legislation—even among Republican voters.
By Jane Mayer - March 29, 2021

Inside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century | The New Yorker


Any concerns there? Dark Money and utter disregard for society or Earth’s health?

In public, Republicans have denounced Democrats’ ambitious electoral-reform bill, the For the People Act, as an unpopular partisan ploy. In a contentious Senate committee hearing last week, Senator Ted Cruz, of Texas, slammed the proposal, which aims to expand voting rights and curb the influence of money in politics, as “a brazen and shameless power grab by Democrats.” But behind closed doors Republicans speak differently about the legislation, which is also known as House Resolution 1 and Senate Bill 1. They admit the lesser-known provisions in the bill that limit secret campaign spending are overwhelmingly popular across the political spectrum. In private, they concede their own polling shows that no message they can devise effectively counters the argument that billionaires should be prevented from buying elections.

A recording obtained by The New Yorker of a private conference call on January 8th, between a policy adviser to Senator Mitch McConnell and the leaders of several prominent conservative groups—including one run by the Koch brothers’ network—reveals the participants’ worry that the proposed election reforms garner wide support not just from liberals but from conservative voters, too. The speakers on the call expressed alarm at the broad popularity of the bill’s provision calling for more public disclosure about secret political donors. The participants conceded that the bill, which would stem the flow of dark money from such political donors as the billionaire oil magnate Charles Koch, was so popular that it wasn’t worth trying to mount a public-advocacy campaign to shift opinion. Instead, a senior Koch operative said that opponents would be better off ignoring the will of American voters and trying to kill the bill in Congress. …

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Or this totalitarian crowd. No masks or social distancing for them!

 

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Well, Coluche, a French humorist said once: " « La dictature c’est « ferme ta gueule » ; la démocratie c’est « cause toujours » » –

If i translate : " In a dictatorship, rule is " shut up " in democracy : " Keep talking, " ( meaning power holders do not give a dam).

The big difference is that in a democracy, one may talk ! More, in a democracy, even if money decides who gets to be listened, there are interstices by which free speech can access to people. In a dictatorship, Black lives matter would have ended in a blood of bath. In a democracy, the rules can be breached but most people acknowledge they have been.

Honestly, i prefer to live in a western imperfect democracy, rather than in Hitler Germany or Stalin Russia. If you think that there is no difference,your problem.

A side point: all totalitarian states are dictatorships, but not every dictatorship is a totalitarian state !

In a dictatorship, the ordinary citizen who does not get involved in politics and who does not affects the interests of power can go on in his ordinary life. He may think freely.

In a totalitarian state, the ordinary citizen is not free to think, but must adopt the ideology of the power and must show it. And even if he does, at any time he can be tagged as an enemy and destroyed. totalitarian powers need enemies and create them.

Read 1984 by Georges Orwell !

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Johnstone never really says anything. She doesn’t do real journalism. She just cuts and pastes from the internet
Yes it does look like one of those internet memes that gets dug up every now and then.
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Or this totalitarian crowd. No masks or social distancing for them! -- Sabolina
Because the industrialized democratic world supported science and worked cooperatively to sequence the virus and fund the vaccine in an amazingly short time. If not for Trump, it would have been faster.

 

 

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Tech is actually becoming more powerful than the government. It has a much bigger ability to shape public discourse. -- One
They just made the tools, and in capitalism, that means they get to profit them and maintain them. Read WIRED magazine 40 years ago and you'll see they all believed they were creating some kind of utopia by improving world communications. What they missed, and most of us missed this too, is the printing press caused war and propaganda, radio, a couple other examples. We should have seen this coming.

This guy sums it up nicely early in this interview. https://braverangels.org/a-defense-of-truth-jonathan-rauch-with-john-wood-jr-april-lawson/?fbclid=IwAR3ttT8KJtF3gBo7zxKWS2gYzjjVMGVhkpaLFw4fMy9uBi6xKaXKVu4FF0k

He starts at early communist Russia, who figured out that if you just lie like crazy, putting out all sorts of alternatives to whatever crime you just committed, people get confused, frustrated, and just throw up their hands. They then make their choice of who is “right” based on ideology and personality. So you only need to appear to be on their side, and you have the people’s support.

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My friends. I looked up definition of. EIT. -- Sabo
And if you read past the dates in that wiki article, it's exactly what I said. Try reading past the first sentence when you link an article.
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He starts at early communist Russia, who figured out that if you just lie like crazy, putting out all sorts of alternatives to whatever crime you just committed, people get confused, frustrated, and just throw up their hands
That's how I felt during the trump campaign ... and the following 4 years.

by the time you straighten out one lie, 5 more have been spewed.

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Yeah, I know what you mean:

 

All the President’s Lies About the Coronavirus
An unfinished compendium of Trump’s overwhelming dishonesty during a national emergency

By Christian Paz -

November 2, 2020.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly lied about the coronavirus pandemic and the country’s preparation for this once-in-a-generation crisis.

Here, a collection of the biggest lies he’s told as the nation endures a public-health and economic calamity. This post will be updated as needed. …

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/11/trumps-lies-about-coronavirus/608647/


 

Compiling the Truth: A Resource to Refute Trump’s “Stolen Election” Lies JUNE 1, 2021 - campaignlegal.org
Former President Trump’s lies that he won the 2020 election in a “sacred landslide,” and that the election was “stolen” from him, continues to be a cancer in our body politic – detrimental to our democracy in both the short-term and the long-term.

Trump’s “Stop the Steal” narrative is being used as a justification to roll back access to voting across the nation. And because this false narrative has been repeated so often by Trump and amplified by national news media friendly to him and by his supporters on social media, significant numbers of Trump voters still believe it.

It has also led to attempts by partisan actors to revisit certified state election results – as the Republican majority in the Arizona Senate is doing now after it hired an unqualified firm to do a non-professional “review” of the ballots in Arizona’s largest county (which voted for Biden.) Similar partisan efforts are being proposed in other states, paid for by political funds.

“…I find myself absolutely gobsmacked that today’s party is shaping itself around the Big Lie that Democrat Joe Biden did not win the 2020 election,” wrote historian Heather Cox-Richardson in the April 18 installment of her blog. “This is a lie. There is no doubt that this is a lie. Trump or his surrogates filed and lost at least 63 lawsuits over the 2020 election, most of which were dropped for lack of evidence.”

Tweetable quote: Trump’s claims of a stolen election are lies. As such, CLC will continue to share the truth about the 2020 election, and about our election systems in general.

The Ongoing Battle Over Trump’s Claims Highlights Their Continued Relevance …

 

COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTION RESULTS

Was There Any Evidence of Widespread Voter Fraud?

No. To start, credible sources have drafted factcheck reports and studies on this issue: …

 

Post-Election Cases Decided on the Merits: … https://campaignlegal.org/update/compiling-truth-resource-refute-trumps-stolen-election-lies

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Washington Post - Fact Checker - Analysis

Trump’s false or misleading claims total 30,573 over 4 years

By Glenn Kessler, Salvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly

Jan. 24, 2021 at 1:00 a.m. MST

When The Washington Post Fact Checker team first started cataloguing President Donald Trump’s false or misleading claims, we recorded 492 suspect claims in the first 100 days of his presidency. On Nov. 2 alone, the day before the 2020 vote, Trump made 503 false or misleading claims as he barnstormed across the country in a desperate effort to win reelection.

This astonishing jump in falsehoods is the story of Trump’s tumultuous reign. By the end of his term, Trump had accumulated 30,573 untruths during his presidency — averaging about 21 erroneous claims a day.

What is especially striking is how the tsunami of untruths kept rising the longer he served as president and became increasingly unmoored from the truth.
Trump averaged about six claims a day in his first year as president, 16 claims day in his second year, 22 claims day in this third year — and 39 claims a day in his final year.

Put another way, it took him 27 months to reach 10,000 claims and

an additional 14 months to reach 20,000.

He then exceeded the 30,000 mark less than 5 months later. …

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/24/trumps-false-or-misleading-claims-total-30573-over-four-years/


tRUMP’s lies seems like a style of totalitarianism in itself.

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According to this guy, that style is strategy.

By giving people so much to fact check, they just give up. I know it seems like a bad strategy, but most people barely have time wash the dishes and get enough sleep to get back to work and keep paying the bills.

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Put another way, it took him 27 months to reach 10,000 claims and

an additional 14 months to reach 20,000.

He then exceeded the 30,000 mark less than 5 months later. …


I wonder how that graph would compare to the COVID infections in the early months, which he is at least partly responsible for.

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They just made the tools, and in capitalism, that means they get to profit them and maintain them. Read WIRED magazine 40 years ago and you’ll see they all believed they were creating some kind of utopia by improving world communications. What they missed, and most of us missed this too, is the printing press caused war and propaganda, radio, a couple other examples. We should have seen this coming.

This guy sums it up nicely early in this interview. https://braverangels.org/a-defense-of-truth-jonathan-rauch-with-john-wood-jr-april-lawson/?fbclid=IwAR3ttT8KJtF3gBo7zxKWS2gYzjjVMGVhkpaLFw4fMy9uBi6xKaXKVu4FF0k

He starts at early communist Russia, who figured out that if you just lie like crazy, putting out all sorts of alternatives to whatever crime you just committed, people get confused, frustrated, and just throw up their hands. They then make their choice of who is “right” based on ideology and personality. So you only need to appear to be on their side, and you have the people’s support.


Yes, communication is always a double edged blade. However, “Capitalism” is probably not playing a big role in Tech’s dominance since it’s happening everywhere in the so-called free world, which is not uniformly winner take all like America.