The totalitarian mindset

Dr. Boris Bakunas wrote in our previous VilNews issue a thought provoking article he had called ‘The totalitarian mindset’.

He writes:
“When the Soviet Union collapsed, a totalitarian regime had crumbled, but the Totalitarian Mindset -- which demands absolute conformity in thought, word, and deed – survived, and in many quarters, continues to thrive.  How do we explain this spike in political and religious intolerance, hate-speech, and violence?  Why does the Totalitarian Mindset exist even after a century in which mass murderers like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao Zedong turned much of the globe into a mass grave?”

Read more…
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Great article!
Hope everyone reads it. 
Kestutis Eidukonis
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My hope was that its message would find the perfect home in VilNews
Thank you for your gracious words, Kestutis. I am very glad that you liked the article "The Totalitarian Mindset." My hope was that its message would find the perfect home in VilNews, an e-publication with a worldwide readership and a policy of continuing to act as an outspoken voice for democracy, freedom of expression, and a renewed Lithuania that faces the future with courage and determination. I look forward to an opportunity to speak to you by phone, or perhaps in person if we are ever in Lithuania at the same time.

Boris Bakunas
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I found this article very true to how I try to practice living in general
As someone who has a fascination with psychology and other social sciences I found this article very true to how I try to practice living in general. 

For many years I was a frequent blogger and forum poster on Myspace and was frequently posting in anger and other combative type emotions. I found that posting in that way had many negative consequences. It brought discussions away from the topic, caused my posts to be tainted by a negative previous history, and in the end my learning process and the learning process of others was stunted. Luckily I was able to change this style and behavior and I started to see a more positive response to my writings, and this article reminds me of the type of changes I implemented (particularly items 1-3) 

When people respond to anything in anger or other emotions it generally creates another emotional response. As soon as this occurs it creates an emotional divide, and things start to divert from the topic and even worse it diverts from logic. When I started my evolution in writing style I noticed that my writing improved and that the responses to my writing improved in many ways as well. People were more positive responsive, respectful and more open to discussion. Whereas, before this change, the majority of responses were terse, negative, and it caused topic dilution. When you rely on logic and being nice people will respond in the same way. Read more…

JP Hochbaum
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I think there is a different dynamic operating, however, when societies and the body politic gets 'out of whack’ and takes a totalitarian turn
Boris
I couldn't agree more. However, your well put commentary clearly addresses individual actions and attitudes regarding the ways to control aggression, violence, hatred etc. Obviously, society is made up of individuals and one would surmise that if individuals could better control such impulses, society would be better off. I think there is a different dynamic operating, however, when societies and the body politic gets 'out of whack" and takes a totalitarian turn. Hitler, Stalin and Mao (to name only a few recent prominent prototypes) I don't think, were necessarily psychotic killers like Breivik although the results were many times more horrific. Considering leaders of bloody minded mass political movements as psychopaths may blind us to the development of societal psychopathy and political extremism, which may be a different (albeit related) phenomenon.

Rimantas Aukstuolis
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Few doubt that Hitler would have ever attained power had it not been for economic hardships
Rimantas,
Your point about entire societies taking a totalitarian turn as a result of a complex dynamic is well-taken. Many factors seem to coalesce in order for totalitarian societies to emerge. Few doubt that Hitler would have ever attained power had it not been for economic hardships resulting from the stringent reparations imposed on Germany by the Versailles Treaty and the stock market crash of 1929 in the United States that caused many investors to call in German loans. Add to that the power struggle between German politicians like Von Sleicher and Von Papen, which Hitler was able to exploit. Neither would the Bolsheviks been able to seize power without the chaos resulting from World War I. Certainly, economic and political events play a major role in the ascent of totalitarian dictators. Read more…

Boris Bakunas
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I was surprised at how short my temper was when I encountered opinions that challenged deeply-held beliefs that I thought were self-evident
To Jp Hochbaum: 
Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences as an experienced blogger and forum poster. They mirror my own. 

When I first started posting on Facebook, I was surprised at how short my temper was when I encountered opinions that challenged deeply-held beliefs that I thought were self-evident. Like you, I responded before my anger had time to cool. And all I accomplished was to provoke angry word from others, or in a few cases, got defriended and blocked. 

One happy exception was a Facebook friend who never defriended me no matter how many jibes I flung his way. He just kept coming back, and I began to respect him for his unusual hardiness. Read more…

Boris Bakunas