The overemphasis on two items, 1) equality of outcome/opportunity and 2) material well-being and progress, I see an increasing tension arising.
Whites and blacks were endowed by our creator with differing intellectual, behavioural, and physical qualities. Whites will continue to outperform blacks in our advanced industrial economies and blacks will feel short-changed (and already do feel short-changed) as a collective. This leads to rising tension and social unrest as the levels of disparity clash directly with the equality narrative: “We’re all equal and genetics (apparently) plays no role, get the same opportunities, yet one group comes out better off on average.”
This dynamic may also play out within a race, for instance between rich, middle-class, and lower class whites, although this is less-pronounced from what I have witnessed. I think South Africa demonstrates this dynamic perfectly. Despite decades of BEE (Black Economic Empowerment), nothing has changed in average outcomes. And nothing will change.
Wonderful article. In Canada, we refer to how "the state must continually justify its legitimacy through delivering affluence for the masses" as Buying The Election.
So if mass democracy now is 'who can provide the most material good' then essentially were entering the transitional period as stated in Platos Republics criticism of Democracy
A critique of mass democracy from the left is Ortega y Gasset's famous book The Revolt of the Masses (1930). Reading it now, one is struck by how authoritarian its assumptions are. It is like a moral sanction for the much later excesses of the WEF as imagined by Marjorie Taylor Greene et al. In any case, the book prophesied some downsides of mass democracy.
Interesting read. I read "After Liberalism" many years ago, and I made a mental note about Kondylis back then, but never had the chance to read anything more by/about him.
I think it's interesting that both the Corona pandemic and the sanctions against Russia show that there are circumstances where the system will consider moving away from the mass consumption-mass production pattern, in order to protect what it perceives as its long-term interests.
Putin's Russia is also an example of a society that is prepared to sacrifice economic growth consumerism for a higher principle. Ireland under Éamon de Valera another example. An interesting question is whether there is some way to maintainng the underlying economic foundations of mass democracy, while still having more traditional values? Or are these things always connected?
Very intresting point about Franco /Spain.
Thanks for everything you do Keith and Merry Christmas to you.
The overemphasis on two items, 1) equality of outcome/opportunity and 2) material well-being and progress, I see an increasing tension arising.
Whites and blacks were endowed by our creator with differing intellectual, behavioural, and physical qualities. Whites will continue to outperform blacks in our advanced industrial economies and blacks will feel short-changed (and already do feel short-changed) as a collective. This leads to rising tension and social unrest as the levels of disparity clash directly with the equality narrative: “We’re all equal and genetics (apparently) plays no role, get the same opportunities, yet one group comes out better off on average.”
This dynamic may also play out within a race, for instance between rich, middle-class, and lower class whites, although this is less-pronounced from what I have witnessed. I think South Africa demonstrates this dynamic perfectly. Despite decades of BEE (Black Economic Empowerment), nothing has changed in average outcomes. And nothing will change.
Wonderful article. In Canada, we refer to how "the state must continually justify its legitimacy through delivering affluence for the masses" as Buying The Election.
So if mass democracy now is 'who can provide the most material good' then essentially were entering the transitional period as stated in Platos Republics criticism of Democracy
Is that the transition from an “Oligarchic” to a “Democratic” state of being/societal structure?
Good article. I hope to translate some of his works from Greek at some point.
A critique of mass democracy from the left is Ortega y Gasset's famous book The Revolt of the Masses (1930). Reading it now, one is struck by how authoritarian its assumptions are. It is like a moral sanction for the much later excesses of the WEF as imagined by Marjorie Taylor Greene et al. In any case, the book prophesied some downsides of mass democracy.
Interesting read. I read "After Liberalism" many years ago, and I made a mental note about Kondylis back then, but never had the chance to read anything more by/about him.
I think it's interesting that both the Corona pandemic and the sanctions against Russia show that there are circumstances where the system will consider moving away from the mass consumption-mass production pattern, in order to protect what it perceives as its long-term interests.
Putin's Russia is also an example of a society that is prepared to sacrifice economic growth consumerism for a higher principle. Ireland under Éamon de Valera another example. An interesting question is whether there is some way to maintainng the underlying economic foundations of mass democracy, while still having more traditional values? Or are these things always connected?