Missive #513

“[A] passionate, compelling, and disturbing argument that the ills of democracy in the United States today arise from the default of its elites.” ―John Gray, New York Times Book Review (front-page review) In a front-page review in the Washington Post Book World , John Judis wrote: “Political analysts have been poring over exit polls and precinct-level votes to gauge the meaning of last November’s election, but they would probably better employ their time reading the late Christopher Lasch’s book.” And in the National Review , Robert Bork says The Revolt of the Elites “ranges provocatively [and] insightfully.”

Controversy has raged around Lasch’s targeted attack on the elites, their loss of moral values, and their abandonment of the middle class and poor, for he sets up the media and educational institutions as a large source of the problem. In this spirited work, Lasch calls out for a return to community, schools that teach history not self-esteem, and a return to morality and even the teachings of religion. He does this in a nonpartisan manner, looking to the lessons of American history, and castigating those in power for the ever-widening gap between the economic classes, which has created a crisis in American society. The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy is riveting social commentary. — Book promo @ goodreads.com

…[H]ow confused we are about the meaning of democracy, how far we have strayed from the premises on which this country was founded. The word has come to serve simply as a description of the therapeutic state. When we speak of democracy today, we refer, more often than not, to the democratization of “self-esteem.” The current catchwords—diversity, compassion, empowerment, entitlement—express the wistful hope that deep divisions in American society can be bridged by goodwill and sanitized speech. We are called on to recognize that all minorities are entitled to respect not by virtue of their achievements but by virtue of their sufferings in the past. Compassionate attention, we are told, will somehow raise their opinion of themselves; banning racial epithets and other forms of hateful speech will do wonders for their morale. In our preoccupation with words, we have lost sight of the tough realities that cannot be softened simply by flattering people’s self-image. What does it profit the residents of the South Bronx to enforce speech codes at elite universities?

The trip to Reserve turned out to be as I expected. I will get a quote in a couple of days for how much it is going to cost me but Desperado need a new (rebuilt) engine. The cylinder that was misfiring has a leak in the intake valve and also past the rings. The me

The only other thing I want to note is that I’m using the HP backup laptop with the Fedora OS again. I’ll be switching back and forth from the System 76 with Zorin just so I can remember how to use them both. Not a lot of difference but enough that I do forget if I let too much time pass.