Class

Up until fairly recently, America had an upper class, composed of the descendants of robber barons or blue bloods who had come over on the Mayflower. Harriman, Roosevelt, Rockefeller are some examples. Like all elites self-preservation was high on the agenda. However, one could always depend on this Brahmin clan to defend democracy, in particular the constitution. America is now a populist meritocracy. Power is conferred on a few billionaires--Musk, Zuckerman,Thiel and Trump--by a dissatisfied majority that rails against a deep state.The very rich have become the proxies of the very poor. Much of this new wealth is a creation of the media. Trump and Murdoch both are products of their own infernal machine. The Murdochs are the stars of Succession, Trump of The Apprentice but these shows would never have come into existence without their personal narratives. Dallas is also a model. Politics is irrational. Someone like Trump presents the hope of a second coming. In essence democracy has democratically defeated democracy since the majority of Americans have responded to what is essentially a Super Bowl commercial—a commercial as powerful as Jim Jones’ Kool Aide.

read "Pet Buddha" by Francis Levy, Vol. 1 Brooklyn

listen to James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti singing "It's a Man's World"

and listen to "I Love to Love (But My Baby Just Wants to Dance)" by Tina Charles (1975)

and listen to "Band of Gold" by Freda Payne with Belinda Carlisle

and listen to "Twenty-Five Miles From Home" by Edwin Starr