This is absolutely true, and there’s a mountain of evidence that Stalin considered himself to have lost World War II. Gigantic new gains in Europe, yet Stalin thought it was a defeat because no gains are enough unless you conquer everything. His was an ideology that needs to dominate totally. Knowing that there’s one person somewhere in Timbuktu or Patagonia who deep inside disagrees with the ideology is perceived as a terrible, unbearable injury.
Stalin is long dead but there are so many little stalins who feel mortally wounded because somebody somewhere disagrees.
Clarissa's Blog 
Talking about Stalin, there are a surprising number of Stalinists in South Africa. Although one could argue that there isn’t much difference between Stalinism and traditional African big man politics.
https://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/our-potemkin-constitution
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This is fascinating. I had no idea but it does make sense once I think about it.
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Just to be clear, when you disagree in a very public way and expose embarrassing and illegal stuff that they did, they go totally nuts, yes?
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Unfortunately, I no longer do it. I used to, and several people told me they miss my “feisty contrarianism.” However, I can no longer speak in my own name and live with the consequences. I’m now department chair. I believe it would be immoral to have other people pay the consequences of my personal opinions and the pleasure I derive from expressing them. If I speak out, the department will be punished. This is people’s livelihood. I can’t risk that.
It makes me feel like shit, believe me. But I’d feel like a bigger shit if I did risk it.
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This weighs on me so heavily that I even discussed it with my priest. Both solutions feel wrong and dishonest.
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I think that you’re doing the right thing 🙂 The primary responsibility of the human being is to preserve themselves and build up an existence, then to extend the same to family, extended family, community etc in a logical order.
If the world changes in such a way that your normal rightful behaviours result in excessive or undue detriment, then it is immoral for you to continue in the same wise. It becomes necessary to avoid those consequences or even adapt your ethics to do things that you would normally consider bad.
The logic is the same as that for soldiers pressed into war, but that’s too long to type out today.
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