A Passing Thought

by Carl Nelson

A background cause of our current political divide is that a greater and greater percentage of the population is leading institutionalized lives through schools, non-profits, government, and other huge organizational actors. For the institutionalized, achievement depends upon pleasing one’s superiors and not being stained by unacceptable behaviors. Status and credibility are measured by grades and organizational hierarchy by way of titles. When these Elites argue, their priority is to either increase or to maintain their status.

For the Deplorables who live rather independent existences, merit is given to those ablest to pull value from a rather obstinate reality. Likewise is their debating. The winning argument is that which wrenches the most value from a situation.

It should be clear why these two sorts can rarely agree. Right off the mark, Deplorables often posit unacceptable questions and solutions which it would be career suicide for the Elite to consider.

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One Response

  1. There is much to go for this insight — even though, in fairness, a small business owner is dependent on customers for livelihood, and for that reason cannot loosen the tongue too much. But effective boycotts of businesses based on owners’ views are much more rare than ostracism that can be organized by peer pressure in closed systems like academia or corporations. So I guess you are largely right…

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