Processed By The Boys by Protomartyr is a song about totalitarianism.

  When the ending comes, is it gonna run
  At us like a wild-eyed animal?
  A foreign disease washed upon the beach
  A dagger plunged from out of the shadows

  A cosmic grief beyond all comprehension
  All good laid low by outside evil
  Against belief, a riot in the streets
  A giant beast turning mountains into black holes

  Fiction
  Fiction
  No, none of that
  Rolling in your heads
  Reality has a far duller edge

What will end be like? We imagine it will have grandeur, of a stark and inhuman kind. It will be like footage of a tidal wave; awe-inspiring in its power. On a scale that is not our scale, that exceeds our grasp. Like an invading army, like the Black Death. Out of an otherwise blue sky. "A giant beast turning mountains into black holes" — something bizarre-sounding and cosmic.

But this is a child's conception of the danger. Reality's true blade is crueler because it is not as sharp. It cuts slowly. It's more painful.

  Everybody's hunted with a smile
  Being processed by the boys

  They got the job when they came back to town
  Why not let 'em earn a living?
  Fill out the form, download the app
  Submit your face into the scanner

The child's conception is of forces to which we are like ants. But the real danger is of forces which stand level with us. "The boys" are just people. Maybe you know them personally, or are neighbors with them.

They just need a job. (On some level, that excuse applies for everyone. Why are you doing this? "It's my job." That's often a lot of the reason.)

(I think about e.g. getting my parking permit renewed. Sure, I'll sign the form. Sure, I'll download the app. Seems excessive, but it would be annoying not to get this done. I have to do stuff, I hope this doesn't take long.)

  In their tatterdemalion uniforms
  They look so nice
  Tattoos of their children
  So cool, so nice
  This time will be gentle enough
  Gentle enough
  This time will be gentle enough
  Gentle enough
  Next time will be different
  Different
  Next time will be different
  So cool, so nice
  They'll be gentle enough
  Gentle enough
  They'll be gentle enough
  Gentle enough

Gentle enough.

Is the risk of humanitarian disaster due to governments becoming more totalitarian really greater than than the risk due to a sudden event? I'm not sure. The rising power of technology plausibly increases both. In intellectual discussions about the long-term future I've been in, we talk about both. This song is just about the emotional experience of thinking about this question.