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I'm not going to belabour the idea of "elite" in the sense of "someone who is very good at something" versus "oligarch" as in "someone who is very wealthy and powerful and will use same to infinitely get more wealth and power" (Michael Jordan would be an ideal example of first one, then the other), but I've been reading this thread recently and there's something that's been sort of itching the back of my brain... and I think that I've finally figured out what it is. I am utterly perplexed by "market liberals" who think that the world absolutely requires that there be a small group of phenomenally wealthy people who make everything go. All I can imagine is that these are the same people who believed that kings and emperors in times gone by were chosen by the gods or the like and had some inherent right to rule over mankind. I don't remember precisely where I heard this term, but the one that leaps to mind is "starfucker": people who for whatever reason think that the wealthy, famous and powerful are just fantastic, deserve all that they have and need to be allowed to do their miracles because the world would collapse without them. Jrod in the libertarian thread was this to the last molecule, but it's here as well. It comes back to "who owns the means of production?", but anyone who thinks that society can "hold accountable" those who have the power & money (which are synonymous) to write their own rules is utterly daft. That's why we bloody socialists believe so strongly in as much material equality as possible... some people will always be more motivated/intelligent/clever than others, but that doesn't mean that they get to have all the pies and leave the crumbs for the 99%. If you give someone too much power/wealth (again, synonymous) they will inevitably abuse it and, in the case of capitalism, withhold the necessities of life from people unless those people help them make more profit all while giving them as little as possible for their time. No great human feat is accomplished without a huge collective effort - full stop. The "great man" theory of history, just like the prosperity gospel, is an absolute myth and we need to stop clinging to this illusion and realise that team effort makes the world turn and that the benefits of that collective effort should be shared equally, not only for reasons of utility and morality but also to avoid the concentration of wealth & power that inevitably leads to misery.
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Dec 28, 2019 23:02
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 17:46 |
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