Just sitting here watching the coverage of North Korea and footage of soldiers goose stepping through Pyongyang. That reminded me of how Iranians goose step, which reminded me of how Soviets and Nazis goose stepped. I was going to research and write a post about why this way of marching is so appealing to tyrants, but I found a good article on the subject in Slate, of all places.
One rapid but fairly sure guide to the social atmosphere of a country is the parade-step of its army. … The goose-step, for instance, is one of the most horrible sights in the world, far more terrifying than a dive-bomber. It is simply an affirmation of naked power; contained in it, quite consciously and intentionally, is the vision of a boot crashing down on a face. Its ugliness is part of its essence, for what it is saying is "Yes, I am ugly, and you daren't laugh at me." … Beyond a certain point, military display is only possible in countries where the common people dare not laugh at the army. - George Orwell
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