Is it coincidence that intellectuals are always targeted by dictators?

[OddBeMe]

Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot…all targeted and murdered millions of college professors, doctors, and professionals. Their supporters were factory workers and rural, agrarian farmers.

Pol Pot’s general famously said, “Eyeglasses are our Star of David.”

Yes

No

[Avicenna]

Factory workers? Not in those societies. And Nazi Germany used a lot of slave labor, which I am sure even you'll admit weren't a part of Hitler's base of support.

You're missing a crucial aspect of the totalitarian nature of these societies- there was a rural vs urban divide, and the dictators targeted urban areas in general. Intellectuals were obviously much more likely to be there. Were intellectuals really a threat to these dictators' power in a society where they controlled the media, which was a propaganda organ? No, it was part of the Marxist class warfare, and these societies had to target someone as the "other" to have an enemy to "justify" their totalitarianism.

Because Germany was an industrialized, technically and scientifically advanced, and more urbanized society, the rural vs urban divide was not exploited similarly, although the Nazis did associate cities with Jews and their support was more rural than urban.

[gorydetails]

So like these dictators riled up the masses by claiming the rich were exploiting them and not paying their fair share of taxes or something like that?

[OddBeMe]

Ehh and they weren’t wrong sometimes. But wasn’t the “intellectuals” as in college professors. They just took out their rage on them.

And the dictators hate them because they like dumb masses easily emotionally influenced

[gorydetails]

I know you love your commie dictators.

[OddBeMe]

and you like your nationalist ones. Currently Putin and Trump.

giphy.com/.../culture--meme-kermit-3oriNSf2iLjMVO7dao

[gorydetails]

bahahahahahaha you're so stupid.

[Avicenna]

he's one of the dumbest idiots on this forum. Trump a dictator, Odd? What dictator allows unelected bureaucrats and his political opposition to do what the Democrats did to him? Or, more to the point, what did he do as President that was "dictatorial"? Your hero Joe Biden and his confederates sure have acted like dictators, though.

[AmandaYVR]

I hadn't heard this, but it makes perfect sense. Dictators need/crave control, and intelligent people are far less easy to control. And independent thinkers are a waste of time. Sheeple are like shooting fish in a barrel. (How's that for mixing metaphors...)

[DaisyM23]

makes perfect sense, people in control always want to control the narrative and so they get rid of those who challenge them, and this is usually the more educated classes although it's more questionable now with social media

[OddBeMe]

I don’t need smart people pretending to be 19. No teenager is an intellect. Freakin troll :)

[DaisyM23]

lol okay

[msmissydc]

Definitely not a coincidence. These people can lead a resistance and are not as easy influenced by propaganda as the rest. Also I guess most of them are political enemies of them to begin with. There is a reason for book burnings and banns. Keep the masses stupid and you have nothing to fear as a dictator.

[msc545]

No a coincidence. Intellectuals are dangerous in that they actually think.

[OddBeMe]

Intellectual and Extremely Dangerous. (Adjusts glasses)

[msc545]

yes...

[LiamJHayden]

Absolutely not. Those are the people with the smarts to orchestrate an overthrow, so of course the totalitarians want to get rid of as many of them as possible.

[Stoner710]

No they do that on purpose