This latest blog to a certain extent is quite disturbing and depressing. I have discussed the issues raised in this blog with several friends and they almost all tend to concur with my point of view.
Since the start of the corona events in the UK in early March 2020 there has been a growing move in my opinion towards a herd society. To a certain extent it already existed before March 2020. But in the last year this move has been accelerated on a major scale.
Myself and other close friends who oppose the lockdowns and the official narrative feel increasingly alienated from the herd mass who go along with the governments actions in the lockdowns.
Some statistics are quite telling. 79% of UK public opinion supported the third national lockdown. Yes the third national lockdown. Only 13% opposed the compulsory introduction of facemasks in shops, public buildings and public transport.
The mass of people now just seem to accept whatever is imposed as the latest corona events lockdown measures without question. The masses now just seem to be an unquestioning herd who accept whatever narrative is given by the government and mainstream media.
Of course we need to analyse why this present totalitarian mood exists. Goethe the early 19th century German philosopher in ‘The sorry of young Werther’ said ‘that what little freedom people have fills them with fear. That they by any means try to get rid of it’
However I feel that the best reason for the acceptance of totalitarianism and people being resistant to being free is provided by the German psychoanalyst Eric Fromm in his classical 1941 book Escape From Freedom. Fromm who fled Nazi Germany to America in the 1930s politics were that of a libertarian socialist.
Fromm felt that the freedoms that ordinary people gained in the 19th century were what he called negative freedoms. By this he meant that these were just freedom from social conventions. They were no creative positive freedom of economic security and cultural freedom.
So people were left with a sense of economic insecurity and helplessness. So they wished for a return to submitting to a new higher authority.
Fromm felt that the only solution to this crisis is for people to fight for what he called real freedom. This he called positive freedom. Where people were in control of their own lives both culturally and economically. Basically he favoured a libertarian socialist society.
Personally I feel that his point of view in his book Escape From Freedom is largely correct. Peoples sense of helplessness and lack of control in their lives has turned the masses into a totalitarian accepting herd who largely seek to submit to the will of authoritarian leaders.
Also his view of fighting for positive freedom is largely correct. However at the present time alas I must say it does not seem as if the submissive masses are willing to join this fight. This will have to be the task of the small percentage of us who are willing to fight for real positive freedom.
Best wishes to all for the future.
kevinclarion 