A quote loosely attributed to Aldous Huxley, but contested here.
“The perfect dictatorship would have the appearance of democracy, a prison without walls in which the prisoners would not dream of escape. A system of slavery where, through consumption and entertainment, slaves would love their servitude.”
I interpret this as pro-socialist, but it seems it has roots in anti-communism? Food for thought nonetheless
That quote is seriously scary.
How do you interepet this as pro-socialist? I did a report on Alduous Huxley in high school and loved him. Maybe time to revisit.
Maybe pro-socialist isn’t as accurate so much as anti-capitalist. I thought that this was an allegory describing the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. I still feel like it strongly applies and describes the concept of wage slavery and and media manipulation. But after reading the linked post, I think my internal biases were doing some heavy lifting. In a way, the same quote could be utilised by anti-communists and anti-capitalists alike. I do have some more opinions but I don’t want to create an inflammatory discussion, I don’t want to create a socialist vs capitalist conversation.
It’s a bit sobering how sometimes the arguments can align like this; we can fear the same thing but attribute it to somewhere else.
I also don’t want to start anything inflammatory but your comment got me thinking. My dad is an unapologetic fascist. And me being a general socialist (still figuring things out), we share a lot of the same concerns and criticisms of the US, but we have wildly different ideas on how to approach these things. I feel like its just one of the many ways the proletariat are kept divided. We all hate the same things but are manipulated into different camps to keep us at each other’s throats. I have no idea how to address class consciousness and unity in the US but its apparent now more than ever how desperately it is needed
I agree. Sometimes I have harsh moments that feel akin to de-realising. I see people address the same concerns, but instead of attacking legislators or the system that allowed it to prosper in the first place, people often attack eachother instead. The distinction between opinion, race, gender identity or religion seems to take precedence over class-wide fraternity.
Thanks for sharing.