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Most people are totalitarian in a few ways. Some people hate drugs. Everyone hates crime. The homeless cause social issues. Some people want their religion enforced. Some people hate foreigners.

Most people grant these powers to the government hoping to get their pet peeve taken care of, and are surprised when the government not only doesn't do what they promised, but turn those powers onto its own favorite victims instead.



I don't see any of those "pet peeves" as justifying totalitarian policy, and people who do are useful idiots for authoritarian projects


I think that was the point. There are a lot of useful idiots out there.


That word, I do not think it means what you think it means.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origins_of_Totalitarianism


Totalitarianism means the state has total authority. There’s no such thing as à la carte totalitarianism. How we deal with crime, drugs, religion, homelessness, and assimilation falls under social contract theory.




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