[Sivad]

"Totalitarian government, like all tyrannies, certainly could not exist without destroying the public realm of life, that is, without destroying, by isolating men, their political capacities.

[...]

Terror can rule absolutely only over men who are isolated against each other… Therefore, one of the primary concerns of all tyrannical governments is to bring this isolation about. Isolation may be the beginning of terror; it certainly is its most fertile ground; it always is its result. This isolation is, as it were, pretotalitarian; its hallmark is impotence insofar as power always comes from men acting together…; isolated men are powerless by definition.”



― Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism


social distancing, lockdowns, and mass censorship are very effective ways of isolating people, degrading our political capacities and destroying the public realm of life.

[Sivad]

[Rich]

Terror and genocide far from being some exceptional state have been normal and endemic to human societies. Throughout most of homo-sapiens history that genocidal terrorist competition took place between small tribal /ethnic entities. In large complex agrarian societies that genocidal competition largely takes place between classes rather than between ethnicities. In pre modern Agrarian societies ruling elites rarely engaged in overt genocide of conquered populations, as the conquered populations just provided extra slaves/ serfs, labourers and artisans for the wining elite to exploit and any unsupportable, "excess" population would just dye off naturally though decease and starvation.

In pre modern Agrarian societies the ruling elite nearly always maintained their privileges through terrorist totalitarianism. Although the Spartans were to some extent democratic, they maintained their rule over the Helots through totalitarian terror. Liberties among groups for example the Roman Republican Senatorial and Equestrian classes were always compensated for by the use of terror to maintain control over others. The slaves of Athens weren't some contradiction of the political liberties of Athens's citizens, no they were absolutely vital for the sustenance of those liberties.

Rule over Black slaves in the early United States was totalitarian. This is why some southern states banned abolitionist literature even amongst its White citizens. We have no need to make any apologies for slavery over a hundred and fifty years ago. But, we certainly should be apologising and making restitution for German and Japanese. slave labour after the cessation of hostilities with their respective countries in World War II. We owe the descendants of those Black slaves nothing. But lets not pretend that American founders didn't resort to totalitarianism in their treatment of Black slaves.

[Torus34]

Continuing from the OP quote, perceived impotence is one of the beliefs fostered by would-be totalitarians. One can get some idea of its importance in Mr. Eric Hoffer's primer, The True Believer. The methodology used to achieve a strong man government in an existing democracy is detailed in Mrs. Madeleine Albrights's book, Fascism: A Warning.

In the United States of America today, we see it in the followers of President of the United States of America Donald Trump. These Americans, little or no different in the aggregate from me or you, Gentle Reader,* feel that our [US] government and its subdivisions, along with the press, do not represent them in their wants and desires. They follow President Donald Trump not because he is a paragon of truth, wisdom and virtue, but because he represents a banner waving in the breeze and emblazoned with the motto, "We're not 'them'!" President Trump makes them feel as if they have a way to impress their desires upon the country.

Regards, stay safe 'n well. Remember the Big 3: masks, hand washing and physical distancing.

* Ed.: In fact, you may well be one.