Torgeir,
I’ve been away from such discussions and so probably can’t put the particular
nuance upon your terms that you intend. However, in regard to your third *, I
would like to make a small comment about the inclinations of “older people,”
being one of them. Someone as old as I am has lived through the second world
war. I was young but precocious at the time, cutting out maps of battles from
newspapers and collecting them in a scrap book. I didn’t at the time and still
don’t understand how the majority of a nation could support Hitler. Were they,
in keeping with Nietzsche’s sister, convinced that Hitler was a charismatic
hero that should be followed simply because such charisma was to be trusted in
difficult times? I don’t know.
Time passes, Germany is once again the most powerful nation in Europe. You
over there next door to Germany believe it is filled with those who knew not
the name of Joseph, that they for the most part grew up not knowing what it was
like to be thrilled by a speech of Hitler or to support him during the war.
Teen-agers perhaps grew up appalled at what their parents had believed, and are
currently seen as a sign. But why now the haste to assemble around what
Europeans are convinced is a kinder, gentler, Germany?
Old people, many of us, remember, that it was Britain along with its former
colonies who stood most effectively in the West against Germany, and this old
man squirmed not a little when he read about EU goings-on. Brexit seemed like
a good idea just in case Hitler redivivus should reappear.
Francis Fukuyama, in a recent interview about his The End of History and the
Last Man, conceded that history may not be ending as quickly as he surmised,
but his “and the Last Man” warning was still valid, It descrived Charismatic
leaders who refused to be like these “last men,” men without chests. Can you
in Europe rule out the idea that some charismatic leader could not in a few
years reawaken a martial spirit in Germany and change the complexion of the EU?
Younger people may be appalled that their parents could revere Hitler, and yet
they appall some older people be revering what seem to be the most bizarre and
inane “rock stars” and cluster in frenetic mobs to shout their praise.
And if that happens, a Rock-Star political leader with charisma to spare
develops a devoted following willing even to go to war if he believed it was
necessary; then Childe Roland might once again put the slughorn to his lips,
call his former colonies together, and to the dark tower go.
Lawrence
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On ;
Behalf Of Torgeir Fjeld
Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2019 1:04 AM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Polling and masculinity
Dear Carol, and all,
Thank you for contributing. Gone are the glorious days of yore when Speranza
and Geary would post in consort with yourself to muster up a lit-ideas storm.
Nah, well. You're still here, and that's what matters.
In respect of current events we all are made to look slightly silly when
there's something we obsess about. This state of affairs is exacerbated when we
are put in a situation that's beyond our control.
Consider this scenario: in your quest for freedom you decide to acquire an
automobile. You get behind the wheel, content with the way the stick works,
that the tank is full, etc. Then, as you have been on the road a while, the
vehicle is running on empty, so you stop to fill it up. A bit further ahead the
stick starts to malfunction, and you can only use some of the gears. Soon your
wheel isn't working as smoothly as it used to, making it more tiresome for you
to make turns and drive responsibly.
Now, all things considered, have you not now arrived at a situation when you
have the sense that it is no longer you who is driving the car, but the car
that's driving you? This is the impression we get of Basil; he's no longer
running or driving his hotel, but is driven by it. It makes him act
erratically, as it might with any of is in a similar situation.
Now as to the question of dim-wittedness, would you be OK with looking at some
polling figures? As a snap-election is approaching Ipsos Mori has polled the
Brits with regard to their preference correlated to social background and
previous voting behaviour. There are some interesting finds, such as
* the Brexit question cuts across all other divisions, making it more likely
that how a specific candidate is perceived to approach this question decides
the outcome of their voting preference;
* support for the Conservatives has surged considerably since the new PM took
office;
* older people, men, working-class and non-working people are far more likely
to support the Brexit party;
* home-owners, leave-supporters, people without formal qualifications, and the
elderly are more likely to support the Conservatives.
This correlates well with voting preferences in e.g. Norway, where
small-business owners, men, people with little education, and the elderly are
far more likely to support the far-right party, while women, public-sector
employees, well-educated, and young people tend to support parties on the Left.
Without delving too much into speculation we are still allowed to wonder what
the larger economic shifts will do to the demographics that parties on the Left
have relied upon thus far. Is is stupidity that leaves people without
employment, without the opportunity to get formal, higher education, and that
enables people to live longer than we used to in the past, or are the
underlying causes substantial shifts in the organisation of the private sector,
the inability of the public sector to resolve the tasks it has shouldered, and
an ongoing and escalating rupture in structured perceptions of social
relations?
It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on this.
Mvh. / Yours sincerely,
Torgeir Fjeld <https://torgeirfjeld.com/>
~~ ereignis <https://ereignis.no/> : taking you to who you are ~~
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