As we’ve seen, the progressive movement is inextricably rooted in obsolete, essentially feudal, tradition and exclusive elitism. The irony is that this places it in irreconcilable conflict with the glorious millennium toward which it presumes to be the pathfinder. The reason is that the core feature of contemporary and future life and work is the increasingly widespread location and seeking of everything from insight to sovereignty in everyone, rather than in a narrowly prescribed ruling or leading class.
But they aren’t going down without a fight. The most infamous recent example of this is a study of a small number of American teenagers which purports to demonstrate that liberals are characteristcally individualistic and free-thinking, while conservatives are naturally collectivist and submissive. This sort of strained argumentation, clearly so anxiously teased out of the ether with its conclusion (and meaning) so specifically in mind, can only be depicted, with the happy phrase David Mamet used in his celebrated Village Voice essay, as at best “proactive mediocrity.”
Or it could be described, as noted here before, as self-identifying imbecility. But the relevance of that discussion in the context of this one is that sometimes the collision of that imbecility with our stunned or bemused reactions to it, not to mention with the real world, can spark a brilliant profundity that might have remained hidden, otherwise, behind the unnoticed veils woven throughout our day-to-day lives.
So, by all means, let the show go on. But while all the unicyclists are wobbling around juggling unlikely abstractions, or the garishly appointed gurus stream improbably and unendingly out of their tiny conceptual vehicles, bear in mind that this is precisely what you are doing: watching a show.
It is designed to capture your attention, draw you in, encourage you to suspend belief. But don’t do it. As long as you remain grounded in reality and in your duties, you may occasionally be able to discern flickers of true insight - even genius - caught out of the ordinary background by the odd and unpredictable perspectives thrown onto it by the parade of entertainers clamoring for our attention.
After all, their very status accords them more tolerance for peculiar ideas than we would ordinarily allow ourselves. There is some value in that. Nevertheless, don’t imagine that the resulting insight originates in them (even if it does); it simply doesn’t matter until it originates in you - and you use it.
We no longer really want to be the ruler adorned with unbounded privilege and exclusive authority, nor, certainly, even the court jester afflicted with the freedom to observe and comment unconstrained by either responsibility or accountability. After all, today, it is we, in the audience, that actually run the show. As we watch the clowns caper about, we may be struck with new ideas about how to do that. But, surely, those ideas will not include joining their floppy-shoed ranks.
Thank you for your visit, today; please do stop by again tomorrow for the conclusion of this brief series. It will discuss how the traditional relationship of the classes we have discussed are reversing.
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This post is a part of a series. You can learn about and link to the other articles here: Intellectuals
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Today’s tip: Speaking of contrasts so clear as to seem to be mutually exclusive, please see this much-needed perspective on right brain/left brain mythology, by Jeremy Dean at PsyBlog.
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