The rabble

One ruffian escaped because no prosecutor dared to appear. Another declared that he had armed himself in conformity to the orders of his spiritual guide and to the example of many persons of higher station than himself, whom he saw at that moment in Court. Two only of the Merry Boys, as they were called, were convicted: the worst criminals escaped; and the Chief justice indignantly told the jurymen that the guilt of the public ruin lay at their door.

Excerpt From
Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800 – 1859),
“The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 3 (1689 – 1702)

The so-called Proud Boys (an American far-right, neo-fascist, and exclusively male organization that promotes and engages in political violence) are currently on trial for their alleged participation in the insurrection upon Capitol Hill.

On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then-U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

The popular acquaintance of the riffraff with peasant stock and poor language is nothing new.  It has been notably celebrated in My Fair Lady where Professor Higgins says of Eliza Doolittle, “Look at her, a prisoner of the gutter, condemned by every syllable she utters!”

rabble
First attested since 1300s, from Middle English
to ramble; rave; speak in a confused manner;
Middle Dutch rabbelen to talk; chatter; trifle;
To speak in a confused manner; talk incoherently; utter nonsense;
To speak confusedly or incoherently; gabble or chatter out

The condemnation is but the first of many distinctions (and indignities) aroused by those who consider themselves superior. In American politics the division is fashioned to be between the common people and the intelligentsia. It is in my opinion highly questionable whether the characterization of either is reflective of the interests of those in power. If I were to guess the fidelity of members of Congress and the Senate is first for themselves and secondly for whatever pathway most guarantees re-election. This loyalty is reflected in the highest court of the nation even if only vicariously where tenure ensues.

The disturbing element of this partition (or should I say, patronage) is not that the leaders are self-interested (as we all are instinctively); rather it is the miscalculated failure of politicians to overcome this constancy by diminishing the merit of those other than themselves. So often the inattentiveness to the desperation of the masses has led to violent insurrection including for example the French Revolution (1793) and the Bolshevik Revolution (1917) both of which notably failed to produce a stable form of republican (democratic) government. The political confusion is heightened by the fact that members of both parties, in addition to being self-interested, are frequently manipulated by backroom persons having the financial capital to do so (by which I mean partisanship). Control is highly addictive; and ultimately just as destructive.

It is debatable whether politics could survive without the infusion of money from predominant persons. If it were possible there is no reason to overlook the interests of the masses howsoever uncouth they may be defined. Ultimately the choice is not how to dress for dinner; rather it is the singular objective of improvement of us all for mutual benefit. Capitalism will still survive in spite of the putative socialist goal of health, education and maintenance of the infrastructure. The successful rich farmer of blue-blood can still wear his gum boots and Harris tweed to Sunday vespers; and the educated woman of modest ancestry can decorate as lavishly as she wishes. It is a horrible miscalculation to assume that commonality of mind and body is an assault upon what will invariably prove to be irrelevant social preferences and expressions; nor I suspect is there any intimidating ambition of those who are healthy and schooled to surpass their recognizably lower denomination to become extravagant without the effort and personal expense required of any success (apart from the criminal bent which is another matter entirely). It has ever been so that not everyone chooses to chase after the same goals as another. Some people like things; other people like money; some care for neither. There is though no threat to sharing the basics.

Getting to this point of comprehension requires education of both sides of the aisle. It must first be admitted that there is no necessary equality of intelligence and wealth.  As I have heard it observed, “Any damn fool can make money but it takes a smart man to keep it!” The violation of these credentials (money and brains) is the abuse of either to stimulate the masses for ulterior purposes (that is, for ambitions beyond or separated from those whose support is nurtured). For example, a rich man may pretend to associate with those who are disadvantaged while surreptitiously cavorting instead with capitalists whose interests are separated from the masses. Flaming the fires surrounding the proletariat may initially demolish the aristocracy and nobility (or whatever those with golden toilets prefer to call themselves) but eventually a self-styled Napoleon will overtake by force to invoke autocracy (and usually an unglamorous end).

We all learned as children that there are many ways to accomplish fulfillment in life. And as quickly we learned that some things are outside our scope or beyond our interest. Having a nutritious background or beginning does not assure success. What enrages me is the unscrupulous manipulation of the rabble for purposes other than their own.  Just as the strong man should assist the weak man; so too should the wise man assist the foolish man. It is a small compliment to the privilege of dominion or superiority to abuse it for selfish purposes. The role of leadership is similarly critical, evaporating preposterous differences where none exists. It further enrages me that popular news media pretend to represent certain viewpoints only for commercial gain.  Once again I see no prohibition of financial success by employment of clear thinking or intelligent debate. There is nothing wrong with advancement of opinion; but if we’re to live in the real world we must admit that cooperation is the only final objective.  We’ll never live in two different worlds. The few and the many, the rich and hoi polloi are inseparable.

Increasingly we’re all having to confess the importance of global cooperation. The war in Ukraine is an abomination.  What purpose is there to be achieved by killing children for the delight of changing a map? There are clearly nefarious ingredients behind Putin and his sycophants.

And I doubt very much that those who purported to Make America Great Again really saw any value in hanging Mike Pence. Louis XVI was guillotined.

On 21 January 1793, Louis XVI, at age 38, was beheaded by guillotine on the Place de la Révolution. Immediately after his execution, Louis XVI’s corpse was transported in a cart to the nearby Madeleine cemetery, located rue d’Anjou, where those guillotined at the Place de la Révolution were buried in mass graves.