Social Distancing - Why They want You Isolated and Alone

Summary

This video script explores the historical and psychological underpinnings of totalitarianism, highlighting how social isolation and the destruction of community associations have historically paved the way for its rise. It delves into the writings of Hannah Arendt, Robert Nisbet, and others to argue that the loss of social belonging can lead to a dangerous swing towards extreme collectivism and state control, urging a revival of smaller, more personal community associations to counteract this trend.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ Totalitarianism thrives on the loneliness and isolation of individuals, exploiting their need for belonging to a community.
• 📚 Robert Nisbet in 'Community and Power' highlights the totalitarian regime's strategy of making people feel that absolute power is the only form of community available.
• 👥 Humans have an innate social need that has historically been met through tribal or local communities, providing a sense of belonging and psychological health.
• 🏡 Erich Neumann's work points out that the individual was once inseparable from the group, and only later emerged as an independent entity in society.
• 🏙️ The Middle Ages provided a variety of community associations that contributed to a strong sense of belonging and resistance against oppressive powers.
• 🤝 Nisbet emphasizes the importance of a web of decentralized authorities that prevent societies from being dominated by a single centralized power.
• 🏛️ The rise of the modern state in the 17th century led to the destruction of traditional community associations, paving the way for a more pervasive political community.
• 💡 19th and 20th-century intellectuals contributed to the dismantling of traditional communities by portraying them as outdated and oppressive, inadvertently leading to social isolation.
• 🔄 Heraclitus's law of enantiodromia suggests that extreme social atomization can lead to a counter-reaction towards extreme collectivism, often manifested in political communities.
• 🌐 Hannah Arendt connects social isolation with the rise of totalitarianism, noting that loneliness has become a common experience that totalitarian regimes exploit.
• 🔄 Hitler and other totalitarian leaders used mass meetings to create a sense of community among isolated individuals, thereby strengthening their control.
• 🤝 Nisbet advocates for the revival of smaller-scale community associations to counteract the growth of the modern state and totalitarian ideologies.

Q & A

What is the main argument presented by Hannah Arendt in 'The Origins of Totalitarianism' regarding the experience of loneliness and totalitarian domination?

Hannah Arendt argues that totalitarian domination is a form of government that capitalizes on the loneliness and the experience of not belonging to the world, which is one of the most radical and desperate experiences of humans.

What was the intention behind the extreme social isolation measures taken a few years ago as mentioned in the script?

The intention behind the extreme social isolation measures was ostensibly to protect people, but the script suggests that there might be more nefarious reasons behind such measures, linking them to the historical tactics of tyrants and totalitarians to control individuals by isolating them.

According to Robert Nisbet in 'Community and Power', what does the genius of totalitarian leadership lie in?

Robert Nisbet suggests that the genius of totalitarian leadership lies in its awareness that human personality cannot tolerate moral isolation and that absolute power will be acceptable only when it appears as the only available form of community and membership.

How did the tribal identity provide a sense of social belonging to our ancestors?

The tribal identity provided our ancestors with an unwavering sense of social belonging because each member's sense of self was deeply intertwined with the group, fulfilling their social needs at a tribal or local level.

What role did community associations play in medieval society in terms of fulfilling social needs and resisting external threats?

In medieval society, community associations such as markets, guilds, and local assemblies provided a strong sense of social belonging that bolstered psychological health and the courage to resist external powers threatening their social groups.

How does Robert Nisbet describe the effect of a multitude of community associations on the decentralization of authority in medieval society?

Nisbet describes that the multitude of community associations created a web of decentralized authority, which safeguarded societies from being overtaken by any single centralized power, keeping society mobile and free.

What was one of the primary trends that accompanied the development of the modern state in the 17th century?

One of the primary trends was the destruction of traditional community associations, with the state imposing itself as the intermediary, regulator, or manager of almost all forms of social organization and interaction.

How did the intellectuals of the 19th and 20th centuries contribute to the dismantling of traditional community associations?

Intellectuals argued that institutions such as the church and the family were outdated, obsolete, and oppressive, contributing to the dismantling of traditional community associations and promoting the idea that traditional communities limited individual freedom.

What is the law of enantiodromia, and how does it relate to social atomization?

The law of enantiodromia, formulated by Heraclitus, states that when an individual or society is too one-sided or excessive, a counterreaction to the opposite extreme will occur. In the context of social atomization, it suggests that extreme isolation can trigger a swing to extreme collectivism.

How did Hitler use mass political meetings to counteract the social isolation felt by individuals?

Hitler used mass political meetings to provide individuals who felt lonely and isolated with a sense of belonging to a large community, which had a strengthening effect on most people.

What does Robert Nisbet suggest as a solution to the problem of social atomization and the growth of the modern state?

Nisbet suggests a revival of smaller scale community associations and the establishment of new forms relevant to contemporary life, which would act as effective barriers to the spread of centralized political power.

What does Carl Jung say about the necessity of social connections for individuation?

Carl Jung emphasizes that individuation is only possible with and through people, and that one must realize they are a link in a chain, not an isolated entity, to truly cultivate their individuality.

What warning does Carl Jung give about the consequences of a lack of social connections for an individual?

Carl Jung warns that a person whose life is meaningless due to a lack of social connections is on the road to state slavery, becoming an unwitting proselyte of it.

How does Nisbet describe the appeal of totalitarianism to individuals who have lost their sense of community and belonging?

Nisbet describes the appeal of totalitarianism as immense and burning for masses of individuals who have lost or had their accustomed roots of membership and belief taken away, highlighting the positive goal that draws them in.