Christopher Chantrill – The big takeaway from the western ruling class’s war on the rising populist movement is ruling-class failure. Rulers typically don’t feel the need to take out the opposition unless they have fluffed it. Or muffed it: I’m not sure which applies here. Hello Fluffy Joe Stalin in the 1930s and Muffy Mao in the 1960s. Frankly I’d prefer if Muffy and Buffy would stick to playing beach volleyball.

Experts agree that Stalin and Mao succumbed to The Totalitarian Temptation, courtesy of Jean-François Revel. But I think the experts are missing the point. The totalitarians weren’t so much tempted to go political to the max as carefully taught to do so. That was the Thing in the 19th century: get the politics right and justice will ensue. Fundamental transformation, dontcha know. Continue reading →