Extremely well-written summation. The "forces of equality" lurk throughout your essay like the Devil himself, diabolical, menacing, but hidden behind deliberate obfuscation. More to the point, I think you show how "equality" is a nebulous concept that could mean anything to anyone, and is rarely given a definition except for the canard that some people (Republicans) are actively preventing everyone else from acquiring whatever it is. Would anyone actually know what would change in their lives if they achieved "equality," whether they applied work to the effort or had it befall them by pure chance?
Many thanks for your kind words. Agreed: Hanna Arendt described the banality of evil as what happens in the absence of critical thought -- the oxygen of classical liberalism, and one of two prerequisites for the maintenance of Western civilization. The other is a Judeo-Christian ethic that elevates individual liberty.
Re history: the primary imperative of commercial media-driven pop culture is to obliterate history and sell mass conformity (addiction) disguised as rugged individualism. Per your excellent observation, modern universities offer little provision or regard for critical thought and even less for history.
Wish I knew how things will turn out, although a little relieved by the fact that I don't -- if for no other reason than to reserve room for optimism in and when situations allow. I do, however, see some cause for optimism in the demise of mainstream media as an elitist tool. Any time Nickelodeon outperforms CNN and MSNBC in prime time is probably not a bad thing...
Extremely well-written summation. The "forces of equality" lurk throughout your essay like the Devil himself, diabolical, menacing, but hidden behind deliberate obfuscation. More to the point, I think you show how "equality" is a nebulous concept that could mean anything to anyone, and is rarely given a definition except for the canard that some people (Republicans) are actively preventing everyone else from acquiring whatever it is. Would anyone actually know what would change in their lives if they achieved "equality," whether they applied work to the effort or had it befall them by pure chance?
Many thanks for your kind words. Agreed: Hanna Arendt described the banality of evil as what happens in the absence of critical thought -- the oxygen of classical liberalism, and one of two prerequisites for the maintenance of Western civilization. The other is a Judeo-Christian ethic that elevates individual liberty.
Re history: the primary imperative of commercial media-driven pop culture is to obliterate history and sell mass conformity (addiction) disguised as rugged individualism. Per your excellent observation, modern universities offer little provision or regard for critical thought and even less for history.
Wish I knew how things will turn out, although a little relieved by the fact that I don't -- if for no other reason than to reserve room for optimism in and when situations allow. I do, however, see some cause for optimism in the demise of mainstream media as an elitist tool. Any time Nickelodeon outperforms CNN and MSNBC in prime time is probably not a bad thing...