Description

This is the 4th volume of the series Colorful and Totalitarian, a critical dictionary by the German sociologist Rudolph Bauer, translated by ProMosaik LAPH. Rudolph Bauer (*1939), Sociologist, Political Scientist and Artist; from 1972 through 2002 Professor of Welfare Policy and Social Services at University of Bremen; 1979/80 expert at the Foreign Language Institute in Beijing; 1989/90 fellow in Philanthropy in Baltimore/Mass. / USA. The dictionary Colorful & Totalitarian deconstructs the language of hypocrisy and exposes the goal associated with the separation of appearance and reality. The recent developments surrounding the long-established ban on cynicism and the suppression of any criticism based on ominous "values" require a clear stance. (Olaf Arndt)In his interview with ProMosaik, the author explains the title as follows:The title identifies the overall political trend of the countries of the Western world towards a totalitarian rule disguised as colorful. "Colorful" and "totalitarian" seem to contract each other. Indeed, classical totalitarianism was uniform: with one party, one ideology, one leader, one people, one race, on collective, and one single destiny, namely to rule the world. However, the contemporary totalitarianism that is emerging in front of our eyes seems to be the opposite. It is diverse and colorful like the rainbow: gender-diverse, migrant, anti-fascist, and anti-racist, "self-determined", diverse and woke. It shows itself as liberal, cosmopolitan, freedom-oriented, and democratic. From an external point of view, it separates itself from the ideology of retro-fascism. But the crucial element of this system of rule is totalitarianism. It censors and suppresses, segregates and demarcates, imprisons and locks out. And it is militaristically oriented towards the conquest as well as the domination of the world. By its colorfulness on the surface, the emerging totalitarian regime deceives about its true character and deeper core."