Sunday, May 11, 2014

Ideology and Terror Discussion Questions


  1. What is totalitarianism in comparison to the other forms of political oppression?
  2. Is totalitarianism a legal form of political ruling, or is it an arbitrary power?
  3. How is terror different from fear? Is there a difference?
  4. If you abandon solitude, will there be no feelings of loneliness? 



2 comments:

  1. 1, Other political oppressions, such as tyranny, is marked by the centralized power of one man, and this type of political oppression can end with the death of this man. Any unlawful or unjustifiable doings of tyranny can be easily identified as unlawful or unjustifiable. While for totalitarianism, it claims itself capable to establish justice on earth. Unlike the lawlessness state in tyranny, totalitarianism tries to make itself justifiable. However, it's a defiance of all at the same time, even its own positive laws. It seems that totalitarianism claims itself to be the ultimate truth and superior to laws.

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  2. 4. I think yes. In class we say that loneliness is a state that you are not necessarily alone, but you are somehow alienated from others. If you abandon solitude, you are not literately alone, but still couldn't get rid of the feeling that you are alienated. For example, in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China during 1960s, everyone is under constant fear of being accused by others. It's a movement to enforce communism in the country by removing all so-called "capitalist values" from the society. People are encouraged to expose others around them for taking the "capitalist road" in life. Anyone who lives or wants to live better-off than others are constantly under the threat. There are even comic books for children telling them to expose their parents and relatives. People form a mass army of " Red Guards" to enforce this movement, but people in the "red guards" accuse each other as well. They are not alone, but they still have the feeling of loneliness since there's no one they could trust beside themselves.

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