<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Steve<br><br>Just recalled a PBS "skit" (preserved on Youtube) from 2007. Just replace "Bush" with "Trump".<br><br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Phr5TC_v_g">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Phr5TC_v_g</a><br><br>Sarbajit</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Nov 8, 2024 at 11:18\u202fAM steve smith <<a href="mailto:sasmyth@swcp.com">sasmyth@swcp.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div>
<p><br>
</p>
<div>Sarbajit wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">"> ..,<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The
people who voted for him probably do not read Paxton, Arendt
or Levitsky and Ziblat ...</span>"<br>
The people who voted for him don't read...<br>
<br>
We have a similar problem in India, the great semi-literate
masses have been handed cheap smartp[hiones with cheap data
plans so they are connected 24x7 to the Matrix.</div>
</div>
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</blockquote>
<p>Thank you for this pithy bit of parallax, it cuts at least two
ways. <br>
</p>
<p>I believe that we 'elites' make the mistake of wanting the
unwashed/semi-literate/??? masses to share our perspectives
(whether we be progressive/conservative, liberal/authoritative)
and support our vision for *their* future. We then get upset
when *they* listen to the *other* elites rather than us. <br>
</p>
<p>I was completely convinced that Kamala & Co had made such a
good argument for *our* vision of a future for humanity (American
Exceptional Centric of course) that it would *overwhelmingly* (at
least by the margin Trump took over Harris but vice-versa)
persuade the folks whose future we are hoping to define. As it
turns out, the *other* camp of elites managed to find the right
chords to strike, notes to hit to resonate with 74M voters?</p>
<p>I'm probably misusing "elite" here (or at least
idiosyncratically) to reference those with agency in society above
some arbitrary threshold. Education, Social Status,
Professional/Trade Status, Ability, Insight, all combine to
support this Agency-in-Context, and even more relevant perhaps is
the *perception* of Agency? When those who wield
economic/political/practical power (the wealthy, the successful
politician or rhetoritician, the champion fighter or consummate
craftsman) speak, we listen. Trump had Musk and Rogan and Hulk
Hogan and the threat/promise of "the STRONG people" (Bikers, LEO,
Soldiers, Truckers, Cowboys, ... ) while Harris had all the big
name entertainment talent (except Lee Greenwood?) and Academics
(except Dennis Prager and 6 other similar wankers) and the
Generals ( who the rank and file can be taught or reminded to
resent) and the intelligencia. <br>
</p>
<p>I'm still waiting/hoping/ideating on a better way to achieve
collective emergent "wisdom". Glen's references to the tension
between "liberal" individuality and any of the extant brands of
collectivism (party membership, military marshalling, religious
faithing, culting, etc) gestures in a useful direction. Well
formed (if not always understood) variations on Swarming (nod to
Glen and Marcus) in biology are interesting and maybe the best
route in, but I'm still stalled and the smash into a new era of
explicit Trumpism is distracting me, even if it somehow forces the
parallax I'm missing.</p>
<p>Mumble, <br>
</p>
<p> - Steve<br>
</p>
</div>
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