What…what is happening in the world? When I mostly agree with Glenn Reynolds, I can’t understand anything any more.
Well, now theyโve heard it, and theyโve also heard that a lot of Americans resent the meritocratsโ insulation from whatโs happening elsewhere, especially as Americaโs unfortunate record over the past couple of decades, whether in economics, in politics, or in foreign policy, doesnโt suggest that the โmeritocracyโ is overflowing with, you know, actual merit.
In the United States, the result has been Trump.ย In Britain, the result was Brexit. In both cases, the allegedly elite โ who are supposed to be cool, considered, and ย above the vulgar passions of the masses โ went more or less crazy.ย From conspiracy theories (it was the Russians!) to bizarre escape fantasies (A Brexit vote redo!ย A military coupย to oust Trump!) the cognitive elite suddenly didnโt seem especially elite, or for that matter particularly cognitive.
Just kidding. I have the cognitive toolset to deal with it. One of the reasons you’re seeing the absolutely bizarre and unhinged behavior lately from so many (mostly Dems) is that they do not. The world is metamorphosing in unexpected ways and political alignments are becoming…strange.
I hate to admit this, because I completely and fully support nearly all of the egalitarian agenda of the left (and more), but the apparent focus on bathrooms and who wore what kimono when rather than doing any work on the massive and unrelenting decline in living standards for many Americans — well, that was deadly. It was the meta reason Trump is now president.
Damn, when Glenn Reynolds can see what’s really happened more clearly than most Dems, the world is truly screwed.
Is this politics? If so, est quod est and sum quod sum.