Social Class in America: Three Ladder System

[garbon]

Why not?

You haven't offered many details, so there isn't much to discuss.

Seedy appears to disagree.

I just don't think you have a problem with dispensing with your moral compass when it comes to dating.

On what grounds, sir?

[garbon]

They have such big feet.

Why thank you.

[CountDeMoney]

On what grounds, sir?

You're a heartbreaker.

[Savonarola]

Heh.  You'd like to think so.  The phraseology of the right wing has changed quite a bit, but usually is grounded in the same ideas.  Instead of "Jews control the Press" we have "Liberal Media Elite".  Same concept.

It's similar to the way the Occupy movements blame all the problems in the world on the international "Banking" conspiracy.

[Razgovory]

Heh.  You'd like to think so.  The phraseology of the right wing has changed quite a bit, but usually is grounded in the same ideas.  Instead of "Jews control the Press" we have "Liberal Media Elite".  Same concept.

It's similar to the way the Occupy movements blame all the problems in the world on the international "Banking" conspiracy.

I wasn't aware they did that, or that occupy movements still existed.

[Savonarola]

I wasn't aware they did that, or that occupy movements still existed.

You should try to become more informed.

[garbon]

On what grounds, sir?

You're a heartbreaker.

Pat Benatar sang no songs about me.

[Razgovory]

I wasn't aware they did that, or that occupy movements still existed.

You should try to become more informed.

You could help me, for instance show me how the "Occupy movements blame all the problems in the world on the international "Banking" conspiracy."  Since there were dozens of them across the world, you have your work cut out for you.  Or I could find one that blames some  problems on something other then an international "banking conspiracy thereby invalidating your statement.  Or you could walk that statement back.  Which one you wanna do?

[Eddie Teach]

I'm guessing he'll quit while he's ahead.

[merithyn]

I'm guessing he'll quit while he's ahead.

[Ideologue]

Personally I'd jettison the Evil-E1-Conspiracy part of the classification system. I think that rather than say that E1s secretly control everything for their own (evil) benefit I'd say that the mark of people in the E1 class is that while they can influence major events, the important part is that they're in strong enough position that they can take advantage of the situation pretty much no matter what happens.

But that's the most important part.

I think he does overreach in that regard.  Obviously there are a number of hyper-elite people who espouse progressive politics and some who genuinely embrace reactionary ones.  But the idea that the upper reaches of the 1% are more concerned with power for its own sake, or as a birthright, rather than for the change it can effect in the world, is probably true.

At the same time, denying their fundamental humanity--that is, denying that they have actual beliefs, let alone hobbies, creative urges, the ability to love, and so forth--is probably incorrect.  Their wealth and privilege warps their humanity, as is often evident whenever someone from this quasi-mythical "E1" group speaks about things they are interested in, but I don't think the world is ruled by a cabal of Robert Pattinsons from Cosmopolis.  Such a portrayal is an effective cartoon of their degraded or congenitally weak sense of empathy, but I have difficulty believing that they are robots solely programmed to accumulate power, without passion or prejudice.

In any event, he puts an intellectually confused gloss on obvious facts.  There are indeed three kinds of people in America.  Economically insecure right-wingers ("labor"), economically insecure left-wingers ("gentry"), and parasites for whom political forces and economic forces do exist, but are entertained more as a hobby rather than something which personally affects them.

The inability to resolve these division comes from the fact that the "gentry" has, as the author says, embraced a fundamentally "feminine" modus operandi (dude's words, not mine) of talking and talking and talking, and as such have rejected that yucky "masculine" value which is the only solution to socioeconomic problems and the only solid foundation upon which power is built: capacity for violence.  You can't blog your way out of dystopia.

However, if your goal is to mobilize a red army, talk of the "objective evil" of the elite is well and good.

[garbon]

How do you get that the gentry are insecure?

[Ideologue]

He would eat bread if the depredations of those lucky few hadn't left him with nothing but chocolate and bad peanut butter.

As for the vegetarian thing, I just assume that's brain damage from drinking, fighting or malnourishment.

[Ideologue]

How do you get that the gentry are insecure?

Because except those of us who own property capable of supporting us and our families through a passive income stream, we are all of us insecure.

[garbon]

That's pretty silly.