Yanis Varoufakis, new finance minister of Greece: “About a year ago, I was having lunch with member of House of Lords and he said to me, “Listen, after 1945 WE made huge concessions to THEM. We allowed THEM a national health service. Later on we even built universities for THEIR children and we paid for … Continue reading
Is a society rigidly divided into grossly unequal classes a natural phenomenon, just part of the human condition? After all, it has been around for a long time. The ancient Greeks and Romans, over whom we westerners fawn as the cradle of civilization, displayed such class divisions. Plato, sort of a brilliant one-man think tank … Continue reading
When you listen to conservative pundits, keep your ear tuned for echoes of their nostalgia for the rigid class divisions which existed in England (the motherland!) around 500 years ago. Class divisions set in concrete were regarded as the only way to peace, prosperity and harmony in society. If you were born into a given … Continue reading
Sir Lord Chauncey Twitass is my archetypal name for all the upper class twits who live so high above the unwashed masses, they would get nose bleeds if only they had hearts to pump blood that high. Sure, Sir Lord Chauncey is an obnoxious Ahole but he is still a human being and has dreams, … Continue reading
All horses are not created equal. I learned this growing up on a farm. There are different breeds of horses for different purposes. Most people are familiar with the big, heavy Budweiser Clydesdales and are aware that they differ from the willowy thoroughbreds that run in the Kentucky Derby. A thoroughbred would not do well … Continue reading
In studying British history, I keep running into the same guy with a different name, so I named him Sir Lord Chauncey Twitass. Sir Chauncey is a hereditary landowner, a landlord (think about that word-Land Lord) and master of men. Why should Sir Chauncey find himself in this privileged position? Is he more deserving than … Continue reading
Who cares what Plato had to say about government? We all should, because Leo Strauss was an admirer of Plato and the neo-conservatives are followers of Strauss. Plato’s Republic is as contemporary as today’s headlines. Plato was a smart, rich hunk of a man whose real name was Aristocles; “Plato” was a nickname referring to … Continue reading