“Talking to her, he realized how easy it was to present an appearance of orthodoxy while having no grasp whatever of what orthodoxy meant. In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it. They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening. By lack of understanding they remained sane. They simply swallowed everything, and what they swallowed did them no harm, because it left no residue behind, just as a grain of corn will pass undigested through the body of a bird.”
— George Orwell, “1984”
I wish it were more difficult to apply Orwell’s writing to our current social and political situations. I wish Ayn Rand had not predicted the breakdown of a flourishing society of explorers and innovators with such alarming accuracy. I wish that so many of Fredreich Hayek’s writings had not proven as prophetic as they are informative. I wish that more people would read and understand the writings of people like Thomas Sowell, Milton Friedman, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Eric Hoffer, and HL Mencken, among many others. Why they thought what they thought. What created the worldview they expressed. What compelled them to share it with the world in print. I wish a lot of things in this vein, in fact. Wishing, however, won’t make a thing true anymore than hopes and dreams will. So here we are. For you small handful who’ll spend the time reading this reflection of a devoted individualist, it falls to my less capable mind and my less eloquent expression to try to drive home a fundamental point not only about what it means to be free, but what it ultimately means to be alive at all. It is my hope, my wish, at least, that you’ll think on it and share it with someone you know, someone who needs to hear it, some stranger to you who by their bearing and actions shows you that this is a lesson they might desperately need.
I written much and thought a good deal more about collectivism in all its sorts and the threats it poses to the liberty of Man and the freedom of thought. I’ve read the works of collectivists, trying to understand the appeal of the collective. I’ve worked my way, often disgusted but attempting to remain open-minded, through the philosophies of Socialism, of Communism, of Fascism. I’ve read and pondered other philosophical and political ideologies which have at their root the requirement of submission as a core tenet for belonging and acceptance. With so few exceptions that I cannot think of one as I sit here writing this, all share a common thread no matter how different their aims, structures, or methods seem to be. While it is possible to break this singular foundation into many disparate parts and ideas, they all grow from the same seed: As a member of this collective, you exist for the benefit of someone else. You, the individual, has no value. Your only measure of worth is how completely you are willing to submit to the desires of your masters. Everything else is meaningless.
It’s a big statement, I know. But let’s look at some common themes within Collectivist ideologies. To be clear, when I use the word “collectivist,” what I mean specifically are those ideologies which require a high degree of social, political, and economic conformity to a totalitarian or authoritarian set of standards. Systems like Communism and Socialism would fit this definition, but so too would fringe ideologies like radical Islamism or fundamentalist Christian groups. If a system of government, morality, economics, political thought, or social norms is defined by a small group or individual with total control, I am defining that as a Collective. When I wrote the entry “How to Make Radical Extremists” a little over a year ago in this Journal, I put forward the notion that “An extremist radical is an extremist radical regardless of their chosen ideology.” In that same vein, a collectivist is a collectivist regardless of their chosen “ism.” The way to tell is simple.
Like any map or field guide used in identification, there are signposts all over the place. They are things like “Centralized Control,” the need to keep power localized and in the hands of a small few who can dictate as many aspects as possible of daily life and thought, who can control money and movement, who can influence information and thought. Those in power will very often try to sell you on the notion that this centralization is intended to promote a sense of unity and eliminate perceived inequalities. Whatever the intent, that is not the effect. Another signpost is the so-called “Common Good.” Collectivist ideologies tend to emphasize the common good over individual interests. Their stated idea is that by prioritizing the needs of the community or the state, they can create a more equitable and just society. Again, this has never once been the end result in the whole of human history. All that happens is that individual liberties, individual expression, the individual pursuit of purpose, and individual innovation are crushed in the name of protecting the common good. Still another signpost is Economic Redistribution. This one has a bit of leftover stink on it still, a hanger-on from the days of the Red Scourge, but it’s making a comeback for reasons I’ll detail later. Like Amway, it keeps changing its name in order to confuse and disorient those who might correctly associate it with the scheme it is, but that doesn’t change the mechanics of the ideology. Collectivist systems advocate for some degree of economic redistribution to reduce “socioeconomic disparities.” This often involves government control or ownership of key industries or the seizure of individual assets, aiming to ensure that wealth and resources are more evenly distributed among the population. Ultimately, no matter what disguise it wears, it is a kleptocracy plain and simple. Still another signpost is the authoritarian control of information and the censorship of dissent. Collectivists tend to control information and communication to maintain their authority. Censorship and propaganda are often used to shape public opinion and suppress dissent, with the aim of maintaining ideological purity and preventing challenges to the ruling regime. This is evolving now, in the era of privately owned global communications platforms, but it is ultimately the same game by new rules. What the authorities cannot own or steal, they simply co-opt through abuses of power, political favors, corruption, or legal maneuvering to force compliance. Plus ca change, plus ca meme chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Now I’d like to discuss a few of Collectivism’s more insidious tools. First is their presumed authority to define a collective moral or ethical framework. Many collectivist ideologies claim first and foremost to be underpinned by a strong moral and ethical framework. This framework guides behaviors and decisions in line with the ideology's core principles, and deviation from these principles can be seen as a threat to the collective's well-being. No matter how sincere the authoritarian leaders of a collective might be in devising this moral code, no matter how justified they may be in their claims that it is necessary, it always ends the same way - with subjects existing only in the form and fashion their leader says they may. Again, I’m not just talking about governments here. Your social collective does the same to you. If you step out of line, make a joke we don’t like, challenge an assertion we’ve made, pack your bags - you’re out of here, Jack. Another of the insidious tools of the collective is the promotion of (or demand for) uniformity and conformity. Collectivist systems may promote a sense of uniformity and conformity within society and will punish harshly those who deviate from or challenge it. This can manifest in standardized education, cultural expression, and even dress codes. Their stated goal is often to foster a sense of shared identity. More commonly, the real goal is to foster loyalty to the state or ideology. “Be Yourself,” they’ll preach, just as long as you do it the same way we do. Finally, we come to perhaps the most poisonous Collectivist idea of all. Collectivist ideologies often view society as divided into classes, with the dominant class oppressing the working class or other marginalized groups. This perspective supposedly drives their push for social and economic change to eliminate these perceived inequalities and create a more equal society. What happens, then, when they are in charge? What happens when the “oppressed” control things? When the oppressed minority sits in the highest seats of government, controls the media, controls private information sharing platforms, controls the legal system and wields the power to imprison and silence dissenters and opposing voices? Do they act then as unifiers? Or do they simply up the ante and deepen the divides so that no matter how much power they have managed to amass, they’re still seen somehow as “the minority?”
Something is happening to you right now, isn’t it? It’s happening to me as I list these signposts and describe them for you here. With each one, I see examples all around me. I see each and every signpost in bright neon, spotlighted against the scenery to make sure it isn’t missed, worn in various logos on hats and T-shirts for all to see. I see the collectivists walking around proud that they belong to the collective, aghast that anyone wouldn’t want to be counted among their numbers. If it’s not walking down the sidewalk outside your window, then open any news outlet in your browser and take stock. How is it possible that so many warnings can exist about the end state of this sort of thinking and at the same time so many people who ignore it all completely? How can the members of the collective ignore with such willful blindness the treatment of those who offend the collective? Treatment for the dissenters is harsh enough, but my God, the punishments saved for those members of the collective who dare to think or act outside the lines! How is all of this lost on them? Perhaps Orwell was right. Perhaps it really is a defense mechanism. The only way to stay even remotely sane amidst such madness is to keep oneself as ignorant as possible. Refusal to understand what’s happening, the scope and the gravity of it all, is the only way to exist within such a system and still manage any sense of contentment. They are the zombie-like patients at the old insane asylums, ambling up each day to take their medication, then ambling on again to wait for tomorrow’s dose, trusting that their medicine will keep out any real comprehension of what’s being done to them. They’d simply rather laugh at the idiots of Tik Tok or smirk at the free-thinkers and all their wild theories, going on about their day as an accepted and protected member of the collective. It’s easier that way. And as long as they stay that way, as long as they can be kept in that state, anesthetized to comprehension, they are good little members of the hive. In that state, clothed in the fervent faith in Party ideals, they’ll accept the “flagrant violations of reality” fed to them by those in control. Waking up to such control or to its consequences, understanding it even a little bit, is a threat to the whole house of cards. It’s why their punishments are so much more intense for apostates than for garden variety infidels.
The collective sleep works best for those who begin as outsiders seeking acceptance. Come in, get warm. We’ll protect you and empower you. Just don’t ask any questions and don’t try to exert any of that so-called “power.” It’s not really yours. It’s ours, and you can enjoy it vicariously so long as you don’t attempt to think for yourself. Just crawl into the cage we’ve made for you here and you’ll have food and security and a place to sleep. Nevermind that freedom and individuality nonsense. Where has that gotten you? Shhhh. Go to sleep now. For some, you can see how attractive a prospect that might be. For some. That’s why it works, of course. Because there are an awful lot of disaffected people out there who cannot fathom or accept the notion that they have the power, the agency, to change their lives and their world by their own thoughts, words, and deeds. That’s a hard path, both because it takes courage and resilience, and because the path is never clear - it isn’t defined for you, so you have to make your own roadmap as you go. Trusting the Collective’s “They” seems so much easier. It’s an idea that all collective authoritarians use. It’s a strategy they’d try to employ on the whole world if they could. And most times, if we’re honest with ourselves, it works. But it’s a lot easier if you’re stupid.
Less intelligent equals higher rate of happiness.