The Aristocracy of Huckterism
I was thinking about the crazy populist nuttiness of Donald Trump and the misguided focus of Black Lives Matter and the musty socialism of Bernie Sanders. As I drive around Europe and see ruins of castles and palaces, it occurred to me that we had almost always been saddled with an aristocracy exercising power over us. Sometimes they won that position through violence and military action, and sometimes by birth.
But it struck me that we have a new sort of aristocracy today: the Aristocracy of Hucksterism. These new aristocrats are just as wealthy and powerful as the old sort, but they have found a new way to gain power -- By suckering millions of people to simply hand it to them. And when they inevitably fail, and make things worse for everyone, they additionally manage to convince people that they root cause of the failure is that they had not been given enough power.
Not Sure:
"And when they inevitably fail, and make things worse for everyone, they additionally manage to convince people that they root cause of the failure is that they had not been given enough power."
Progressivism in a nutshell. "It's a good plan but it didn't work because we didn't have enough money/power/whatever."
August 23, 2015, 5:36 pmMatthew Slyfield:
"It's a good plan but it didn't work because we didn't have enough money/power/whatever."
God doesn't have enough money/power/whatever to make progressive policies work.
August 23, 2015, 5:40 pmAndrew_M_Garland:
It is amazing. Russia is going bankrupt; food is in short supply. The fall in oil prices has squeezed Russia's disfunctional economy. Wags have called Russia a gas station with nuclear weapons capability. Putin's wants to keep rubles at home rather than leaving Russia for food. He is claiming that destroyed food was poisoned in a European plot to damage Russia. Yet, 60+ percent of Russians support Putin and his efforts.
There is similar turmoil in Venezuela, where food and toilet paper are in short supply. President Maduro is jailing "wreckers", the businessmen who are supposedly withholding products from the shelves. Again, 60+ percent of Venezuelans cheer him on.
What does it take for a majority of people to learn?
August 24, 2015, 7:50 amMatthew Slyfield:
"What does it take for a majority of people to learn?"
A miracle.
August 24, 2015, 9:29 amMike Powers:
"60+ percent of Russians support Putin and his efforts."
When a scary-looking dude with a uniform asks you whether you support the current government, you say YES. No matter what your actual feelings happen to be.
August 24, 2015, 12:29 pmDaublin:
It's a public bad, to the extent it is true. The people supporting the hucksters have basically had their minds hacked. This is bad for the people it happens to, and it can be really bad for the people around them.
September 2, 2015, 10:15 am