Remember back in the day when "all good people" were concerned about The Workers? The general tone was that, even though the workers were rather over-inclined to use violence, they had a point. Life was rough for factory workers, and they were often treated like virtual slaves, or as economic and disposable commodities. Their "rage" was understandable. So all good people were open to acceding to the just demands of the workers. Even if they were a bit rude and crude.
Now, I get the feeling, these days, that "all good people" don't give a damn about the just demands of ordinary middle class people. The current violence in southern Australia over COVID vaccination is a case in point.
As I understand it, the government of Victoria, capital Melbourne, is planning a strict COVID regimen.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that anyone who does not “take the jab” will not be permitted to work, shop, attend any venue or participate in the Melbourne economy. Vaccination passports and identification will be required for all functions of life.
And then Andrews paused the construction industry for two weeks to flatten the curve of a upsurge in COVID cases.
Construction union workers went to their union leader to protest this attack on their livelihood, but the union leaders refused to advocate for the workers. The leaders were not down with the workers and their demands; they were pals of the rulers and the rulers' agenda. So the workers took to the street.
Hello, union leaders! The whole point of legitimating unions, which are in fact a conspiracy against the consumers, is that they moderate the "rage" of the workers into legitimate channels. So if you tell your members to get lost, what is the point of you?
And then the government of Victoria. Sending in the police and using aggressive tactics:
Thousands of heavily outfitted and well-armed jackboots -with armor plated MRAP vehicles in support- confronted the protest groups throughout the Melbourne metro area. The police deployments forced the groups to assemble at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance where a stand-off took place between the protestors and thousands of police units surrounding them. Once they had the protestors surrounded, the police began tightening the perimeter, until they eventually opened fire with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Now, I am one week away from reading Carl Schmitt and his notion of the political as a "friend-enemy" distinction in which conflict -- killing -- is always the final possibility.
So when a government soft-pedals BLM protests, when e.g., "Melbourne police units who took a knee during last years Black Lives Matter protests in Melbourne," the rulers are saying that BLM activists are on the "friend" end of the "friend-enemy" axis.
When a government cracks down on construction worker protests, when e.g., "Once they had the protestors surrounded, the police began tightening the perimeter, until they eventually opened fire with tear gas and rubber bullets" the rulers are saying that construction worker protesters are on the "enemy" end of the "friend-enemy"axis.
Obviously, we had the same thing here in the US. BLM and AntiFa protests are regarded by the rulers as understandable and are accommodated. BLM and AntiFa protesters are typically released from custody the day after an arrest.
Compare that with the reaction to the January 6 Capitol riots. Our Democratic friends called it an "armed insurrection" and many of those arrested are still in jail in solitary confinement.
Using Schmitt's analysis, the situation is obvious. BLM and AntiFa protesters are regarded as "friends" by the ruling class. Trump voters are regarded as "enemies."
Our liberal friends are very sensitive to issues related to nuclear power. They think it is way too dangerous to allow the use of nuclear power to generate electricity.
But I would say, after reading, learning, and inwardly digesting Cart Schmitt's Concept of the Political, that all politics is nuclear. And the point of electoral politics is to institutionalize the conflicts of politics into safe channels, to turn civil war into the sham fight of an election; to turn the looting and plundering of a village into the routine taxation of workers so that the politicians can use the proceeds to reward their supporters.
So, liberal friends. You are all in a tizzy about the dangers of nuclear power, but are perfectly happy with the nuclear nature of politics.
I use my reductive Three Peoples theory to understand and to throw further light upon this. You might call it the Three Peoples Approach to Politics.
I would say that the People of the Subordinate Self band together under a leader that promises to deal with the rulers on their behalf.
I would say that the People of the Responsible Self organize organically among themselves when dealing with the rulers.
I would say that the People of the Creative Self see themselves as the wise and evolved priestly class called by God or Gaia to impose their wisdom on the heathens.
I think that our present ruling class really has No Clue about the dangers and follies of its present war upon the ordinary middle class. It seems to me that on issue after issue, the ruling class thinks that it is just a waste of time trying to reason with the deplorables. So they don't. So they lie and cheat and issue lockdowns and vaccination mandates and masking orders. As though the ordinary American people are just peasants and serfs.
I think that our rulers are making a gigantic mistake. I think that the one thing that every scion of the ruling class should be doing is making a genuine attempt to understand where the ordinary middle-class Trump voter is coming from.
Instead, it seems, the moderates in the Democratic party are allowing themselves to be bullied into moving left by the current generation of progressive activists, for whom politics is a religion. And they find themselves forbidden to talk and negotiate with the leaders of the ordinary American middle class. Indeed, I suggest that the story of Donald Trump is the story of the ruling class and educated America doing "whatever it took" to get rid of Trump. Trump, clearly, is the "enemy."
But Trump is merely the leader of ordinary middle-class America. If you make war on Donald Trump you are making war on ordinary middle-class America.
Is that really what you want, dear liberal friends?
No comments:
Post a Comment