Authoritarianism and Cynics

Post-“June Fourth” China has become swamped with cynicism.

As John Stuart Mill long ago pointed out, authoritarianism transforms the populace into cynics. (This reminds us of what Wang Fuzhi once wrote: “When the authorities run things in the manner of Legalists such as Shen Buhai and Han Fei Zi, their subordinates invariably turn to Buddhism and Daoism.”)

Since communist authoritarianism is an extreme form of authoritarianism, it is even more effective at transforming the populace into cynics. Under communist authoritarianism, both the rulers and the populace over whom they rule can easily turn into cynics. The rulers become cynics because they have long since ceased to believe in the assemblage of doctrines and principles that they have been preaching, and have instead drawn upon those doctrines and principles as a means for defending their own power and as a pretext for suppressing rebellion. As far as the populace under authoritarian rule is concerned, once they realize that notwithstanding the high-and-mighty flag fluttering overhead they are actually in a position of being cheated and oppressed, they readily lose confidence in all of the loftier values in life. This is especially the case after their having experienced severe frustration in the wake of a thwarted attempt at rebellion. In this way, it is highly likely that they abandon their former ideals and aspirations, even going so far as to turn around and sneer at such ideals and aspirations. This is how they become cynics. Of course, the cynicism of authoritarian rulers differs somewhat from the cynicism of the populace under their rule; broadly speaking, however, each shares the same general orientation of cynicism.

According to the analysis of Irving Howe, there are three stages of totalitarianism. The first stage is Utopia, or an intoxicating heavenly ideal, which lures people into fanaticism. Fanaticism leads to the second stage of large-scale terror and a hell on earth. Both fanaticism and terror subsequently exhaust themselves, leading to the third and final stage. At this stage, the populace has grown cynical, “having seen through it all,” and is indifferent to politics – that is, cynical.