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Fourcauses's avatar

Gleichschaltung means bringing into line by consolidating everything and eliminating opposition. Totalitarian systems force neutralization of society so that everyone falls in sync with the system. The definition of Gleichschaltung originates from an electrical power utility device called a rectifier because, metaphorically, a rectifier forces two-way alternating (electrical) current to fall into line as a one-way-only current. However, such unnatural contrivance has weakness - it can melt due to the heat from resistance.

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The essence of automation (digitization) technology is decentralist in depth, just as the machine was centralist in its patterning of human relationships. ~McLuhan, Understanding Media 1964...Mechanization is achieved by fragmenting of any process and by putting the fragmented parts in a series. ~McLuhan, UM...It is the electric feedback, or dialogue pattern...that marks it off from the older mechanical principle of one-way movement. ~McLuhan, UM...Automation (digitization) is the invasion of the mechanical world by the instantaneous character of electricity. ~McLuhan, UM...Any process that approaches instant interrelation of a total field tends to raise itself to the level of conscious awareness.~McLuhan, UM...It is electric instantaneity that constitutes "organic unity" ~McLuhan, UM...At first, therefore, electric media merely followed the established patterns...~McLuhan, UM...Uniformly trained and homogenized citizenry, so necessary to a mechanized society, is becoming quite a problem to an automated (digitized) society. ~McLuhan, UM

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