training in totalitarism:

"Today we begin by discussing your essay on how to enslave one hundred million free citizens. You know, Fenix, I must admit that not everything in your essay is clear to me.

• And what is unclear in that? There is a parade on the Red Square. Twenty people in each row. Ten ranks, two hundred men in each sector. These sectors are beyond the horizon. They march steadily until it's nice to watch. Every soldier spent a whole year sweating as he trained for the parade. And not only in Moscow, but everywhere. Question: Is throwing out straightened legs above the waist, sticking out the breasts and lifting the chin above the nose useful in case of hostilities? Why waste time practicing the parade step? Answer: to force thousands of people to react unreasonably, to get them used to obeying orders, not common sense.
• It's hard to disagree.
• Well. Then a similar exercise must be applied to hundreds of millions of people. "Make the citizens march in a parade?"
• Not necessarily. I mean the content, not the form. The most important thing is that these exercises are absurd and that they concern hundreds of millions of people at the same time. It's best to get them to do some idiotic behavior. Regularly.
• Do you have any examples of such idiots?
• For example, you can force all of humanity to change the hands of the clocks twice a year.
• How to justify it?
• Energy saving.
• It is true?
• Not at all! Factories are the most important consumers of electricity. Means of transport are in second place. We will move the pointers, or we will not move - the amount of energy used will not change anyway. Coal mines are a serious customer. It's always dark there. Or street lighting. The light turns on when it's dark and turns off when it's bright. What will changing the clues?
• Some of the energy is used by people in their apartments ...
• Right. Less than one percent. But within this percentage, not everything goes to lighting either. Soon there will be times when people will have electric irons, electric meat grinders, electric telephones, radios, electric home theater. You can turn the clock hands in either direction and it will not affect your energy consumption in any way. Anyway, it looks similar with apartment lighting: in summer it is still light and it does not matter whether you get up at five or ten. In turn, in the winter morning it is still dark and there is no need to do without lighting. It doesn't matter if it's an hour earlier or later. "So you don't think there will be any use for resetting the clocks?"
• There will be only trouble. Lots of trouble.
• And no one will argue?
• The crowd can't think. The crowd will take it for granted. It will create new problems for itself. If we only impose on mankind ten of these idiotic behaviors, if we make everyone submit without reservation, then we will take over the world. A great idea: to force billions of people to act absurdly against their interests and common sense."

Vladimir Bogdanovich Rezun (literary nickname: Victor Suvorow), novel "Choice".

You are free to repost that about covid. I actually want you to do that.Thank you. By the way - I will post it as self-alone post.