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Thoughts on our ruling class monoculture
Instapundit Substack ^ | 18 Feb 2023 | Glenn H Reynolds

Posted on 02/19/2023 7:36:06 AM PST by Rummyfan

Our modern ruling class is peculiar. One of its many peculiarities is its penchant for fads, and what can only be called mass hysteria. Repeatedly, we see waves in which something that nobody much cared about suddenly comes to dominate ruling class discourse. Almost in synchrony, a wide range of institutions begin to talk about it, and to be preoccupied by it, even as every leading figure virtue-signals regarding this subject which, only a month or two previously, hardly any of them even knew about, much less cared about.

There are several factors behind this, but one of the most important, I think, is that our ruling class is a monoculture.

n agriculture, a monoculture exists when just a single variety dominates a crop. “Monoculture has its benefits. The entire system is standard, so there are rarely new production and maintenance processes, and everything is compatible and familiar to users. On the other hand, as banana farmers learned, in a monoculture, all instances are prone to the same set of attacks. If someone or something figures out how to affect just one, the entire system is put at risk.”

In a monoculture, if one plant is vulnerable to a disease or an insect, they all are. Thus diseases or pests can rip through it like nobody’s business. (As John Scalzi observes in one of his books, it’s also why clone armies, popular in science fiction, are a bad idea in reality, as they would be highly vulnerable to engineered diseases.) A uniform population is a high-value target.

(Excerpt) Read more at instapundit.substack.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS:
A long read but a good one.


1 posted on 02/19/2023 7:36:06 AM PST by Rummyfan
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To: Rummyfan

Excellent article. I’m even thinking of subscribing to his substack.

I liked this point (about our ruling class) in particular: “... not least because most of its members have status, but few real accomplishments to rely on...”


2 posted on 02/19/2023 8:34:00 AM PST by livius
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To: Rummyfan

One thing I would add to his analysis is that the monoculture extends to state officials: Federalism was supposed to be one of the primary pillars of the Constitution, but it, too, is weakened when state and Federal officials agree on imposing the same administrative uniformity nationwide, which usually means rolling over for Federal control.


3 posted on 02/19/2023 9:22:05 AM PST by pierrem15 ("Massacrez-les, car le seigneur connait les siens" )
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To: pierrem15

In this Modern Age it is totally built on the 17th Amendment, we are no longer Republic. That is the foundation of the uniparty and the operating entity of the uniparty is the senior executive service. We need a Convention of States with two items to be voted on: one repeal the 17th Amendment, two elimination of the senior executive service. Then we have our Republic back.

The 16th Amendment repeal would require a complete overhaul of the current banking system/federal reserves system.


4 posted on 02/19/2023 9:32:56 AM PST by Article10 (Roger That)
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To: All
2 Thess. 2:10.11 and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. 11For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie,…

Our world is dying from lack of truth. We have forsaken God and common sense. Our government bureaucrats are following the whispers of demons.

5 posted on 02/19/2023 9:39:58 AM PST by BipolarBob (The rumor has not been confirmed until the FBI officially denies it.)
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To: Rummyfan

VICTIM, VICTIMHOOD is the dominant trend.

A Pennsylvania Senator is a victim of depression, among many victimizatios. That seems to gain him even more support.

A Florida is named as a leading contender for FL governor. His mail qualification is that he has been victimized by false information in the media.

In 2016 a candidate for president ran as a winner. That same man now sees being a loser as the path to winning.

This is what our society has come to....Glorication, elevation, honoring and empowering the victim.


6 posted on 02/19/2023 10:22:24 AM PST by spintreebob (ki .h )
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