Total Awareness: That abstracted awareness separated from the structure, which oversees the structure. The image of the “Eye of Providence” has historically been used to symbolize an omniscient God.
Totalitarian/Totalist Ideology: There are multiple variants of totalitarian ideology, for example fascism and communism, Nazism and Stalinism. These systems have clear differences, though these are not fundamental differences but differences in application and detail. Fundamental totalitarian ideology (that which underlies all the permutations) transcends the classical political spectrum of “left” and “right.” At its core, totalitarianism is predicated on the belief that a single, centralized power is the only thing capable of correctly and effectively managing the society and is members. This centralized power, or state, is supposed to be in many respects like a god: omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. In the words of fascist progenitor Benito Mussolini (whose Minister of Public Education, Giovanni Gentile, is credited with coining the term “totalitarianism”): “All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.” This approach is inherently mythological, as it assumes the possibility of complete and utter obedience and conformity of all people, not only in word and deed, but in thought and feeling. This myth is perpetuated in part by propaganda that over-simplifies (or even deceptively contrives) problems facing the society (or not), and in response posits one simple and solitary solution to the problem, to be carried out by a highly complicated government bureaucracy and enforced by unforgiving state police. To accomplish this, the emotions of the masses must be appealed to as opposed to their intellect. The totalitarian state values reason – the efficient and harmonious, “logical” organization of the systems of society – above all else, while simultaneously and frantically crushing the critical and logical impetus of the individual. Logic and reason are for the central managers; the leaders. For the masses there is only conformity and obedience. It is the “head” that does the thinking; the “hands” exist only to perform in accordance with those thoughts. Any dissent or deviation from the approved patterns of behavior is taken to be a danger to the society as a whole; a disease within the body politic, and is thus justifiably exterminated. The concept of totalitarianism is intrinsically mythological, as no member or group within the system (even the leader him or herself) can actually be aware of the totality of occurrences. “Totalitarianism” – that is, the claim that the state is all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present – is itself a lie told by those who aspire to the totalitarian ideal, serving to convince the public (i.e., the victims of this group and its ideology) that they live in a system which in reality does not (and perhaps cannot) truly exist, thus cementing the system and its positions in the minds of the masses. Theoretically, the totalitarian system is all-encompassing, yet each “component” individual or organization within the totalitarian society is atomized, compartmentalized, and specialized, implying that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Body Politic/Corporatism: From corp or corpus, meaning “body” (note than another word that is derived from these roots is “corpse,” which refers to not just any body, but a dead one). Generally, these concepts both liken a society (or a societal organization such as a school, church, city, etc.) to a human body. Such a notion, when applied to a social system, removes autonomy (or sovereignty) from the constituent individuals, as, in order for the “body” to function properly, all of the “organs” and “cells” must perform their function without deviation. Therefore, dissidents or nonconformists in such systems are often described as “unclean,” “cancerous,” “viruses,” “parasites”; as “ailments” to the “social body.” This form of governance implies compartmentalization and atomization of social organization, as the heart can no more breathe than the lungs can pump blood. Inherent within it is also centralization: every body must have a brain; that is, a management system that regulates, monitors, and controls all constituent elements of the “body.”
Compartmentalization: A by-product of specialization. Access to information is limited to a need-to-know basis, in effect creating a chain of plausible deniability. If, for instance, a political assassination were to take place, the instigator of the conspiracy may not know or even be aware of the actual assassin, having passed the task of finding an assassin to a subordinate, adding degrees of separation between him or herself and the assassination itself. Likewise, the instigator may not be aware of other details of the assassination and, more importantly, the hired-help (assassin, getaway driver, arms supplier, etc.) will not know the identity of the instigator. This removes the likelihood of being found out, as even the people involved don’t really know what happened in any holistic sense. A more mundane example might be the goings on of an office building. Those in the mail room are unfamiliar with the duties and secrets of accounts receivable; the public relations department’s work is almost entirely foreign to the janitor and perhaps even to the CEO. As mentioned above, the body is also an example of a compartmentalized system.
Concentric Circles of Power and Influence/”Rings Within Rings”: The top-down organization and manipulation of the principles of compartmentalization. “Rings within rings” of power comes from the work and aims of British imperialist Cecil John Rhodes. In order to spread the empire’s power and influence, Rhodes set up a series of secret societies, wherein the farther one was from the center circle or “ring,” the less one knew about the group’s true agenda and activities. The bigger the circle (i.e., the more people there are within a given part of the system), the less knowledge they possess, creating layer upon layer of insulation between the core group and the general population. Another symbol for such an arrangement might be a pyramid, with the uninitiated masses at the bottom, party members, administrators, and bureaucrats at the bottom middle, party directors and elite “inner circle” members at the top middle, and the actual leader or leaders at the top (and perhaps, above the leaders and the pyramid itself hovers the combined guiding ideology of the structure itself: the Eye of Providence).
Contempt-Gullibility Dichotomy: One’s position within the social hierarchy (proximity to the center of the circle or the top of the pyramid) determines their attitude toward others in different positions. One will have contempt or disdain for those of lower status, while holding a gullible or naive regard for those of higher status. This is another aspect of compartmentalization, as it dehumanizes the other social stations (deifying those above and demonizing those below), removing them from critical consideration and discouraging inter-class mingling and holistic understanding.
Uniformity: Just as the totalitarian society as a whole simultaneously reveres reason and crushes reason, so too does it enforce compartmentalization and specialization, while at the same time demanding total uniformity on a massive scale. Insofar as the citizenry goes, no deviation from the state ideology can be tolerated, as nonconformity endangers the system as a whole. A large part of uniformity is aesthetic; individuality and self-expression threaten the homogeneity of the system. This is perhaps best exemplified by the architecture of self-proclaimed totalitarian states in the past, as well as by the restrictions on clothing fashion in such societies. Uniformity extends beyond the aesthetic, however. In the economic realm, whatever design of a product (automobile, toothbrush, overcoat) is determined by the state to be the most efficient is the one that is mass-produced and distributed in a government monopoly system free from competition and the advancements it brings. Uniformity in thought is of course the people’s mass-internalization and acceptance of the totalitarian ideology of collective “oneness,” and this is manifested in the citizenry’s behavior and speech which reflects the state’s will as it is presented. Stimulus-response queues are trained into the public mind beginning in school and continuing throughout adulthood. These are reflexive, ritualistic behaviors not unlike those employed by the Catholic Church. A committed Catholic will dip his or her fingers in holy water and perform the Sign of the Cross upon entering the church, genuflect before sitting, and reply “And also with you” in unison with the rest of the crowd every time the priest says “May the Lord be with you.” Likewise, citizens in a given society (not necessarily even a totalitarian one) are likely to be conditioned to react to flags, anthems, parades, military, and other state emblems or institutions in a particularly reverent manner. In relatively free societies, one who defies such social response queues might be considered controversial; in an authoritarian or totalitarian society, one might be considered dead. As one unspoken rule of the Soviet Union declared: “Never be the first to stop clapping.”
