Prager: Totalitarianism ‘Is Part of Human Nature’

Totalitarian regimes don’t arise because extraterrestrials visit a country and place a totalitarian party or leader in charge. They come from within a society. And since virtually every totalitarian regime in the last hundred years has been a left-wing regime — there have been very few right-wing totalitarian regimes, there have been many right-wing authoritarian regimes. And if you don’t know the difference between authoritarian and totalitarian, it’s because you don’t read anything you differ with.

The difference was made about 40 years ago by a woman who ultimately, as a result of that article in Commentary magazine, was appointed by Ronald Reagan to be ambassador to the United Nations. In an authoritarian regime, you don’t have political freedom, but you have basically all other freedoms: religion, travel, speech that is not related to the regime. In a totalitarian regime, none of that is permitted. Or the way she put it was brilliant: In an authoritarian regime, everything is permitted except for the following things that are not permitted; in a totalitarian regime, nothing is permitted except for the following things which are permitted. A very brilliant distinction.

The totalitarian impulse in the human being is apparently quite, quite profound. The desire to control other human beings, which is the defining characteristic of leftism, is part of human nature, apparently. For those of us who don’t have it — I have to admit I don’t relate to it, but I don’t relate to the desire to have alcohol, but it is clearly a very deep human desire. So the fact that I may not have a desire does not mean that it is not innate in human nature. Just in some, it expresses itself. And in others, it’s a recessive gene, if you will. This is the human race. The desire to control others when you think that you are doing good by doing that. “We’re saving the country!” Theoretically, Chinese authorities will say “we’re saving Shanghai by locking people in their homes and allowing two people per building to leave for two hours to bring food to the others.” But it’s not working. So some are starving. But what is the price of a few starving compared to the numbers we’re saving? That’s left-think.

Transcription from The Daybreak Daily.

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