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Friday, June 11, 2021

Erich Hoffer: On the Elites

“But the elites are finally catching up with us. We can hear the swish of leather as saddles are heaved on our backs. The intellectuals and the young, booted and spurred, feel themselves born to ride us.” ~ Eric Hoffer in “The Young and The Middle Aged" (1970). In the second decade of the twenty-first century, the elites did catch up with us. The power grab by the elites in the name of a strange pandemic will not have a happy ending. The unexpected consequences of this power grab are now starting to reveal themselves. How devastating will be the tsunami of consequences which the elites have failed to anticipate?

4 comments:

Daniel [oeconomist.com] said...

But, of course, whether the consequences were anticipated or not, elites will claim that these consequences argue for giving still more power to their technocracy.

Anoop Verma said...

@Daniel: You are right. Every failure of the elites leads to demand for more power. But this time, I think, they have really crossed the rubicon, and there can be world-transforming consequences. I expect most of these technology and Pharma companies to cease to exist in the next 5 years. Let's see what happens in the next 5 years.

Daniel [oeconomist.com] said...

It's hard to see how many nations and in particular America would avoid hot civil war over the next five years. I would expect present elites (and the toadies who mistake themselves for members of elites) to be crushed, but people such as I may be collateral damage in the overthrow.

Anoop Verma said...

@Daniel, the situation is quite messy. The people in high positions in the USA, Western Europe and Asian countries have overplayed their game. Now their only option is to divide the people. When people are fighting with each other, they won't attack the elites--this is the oldest divide and rule theory. But I don't think this will work out. The unexpected consequences that are currently happening and those that are lined to happen in the times to come are too huge. They will sweep away anything that stands in their path.