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TorqueWrench10's avatar

Well naturally occurring elites are inevitable in every society. Noblesse oblige was still a real thing, I think it played a part in why the UK didn’t go violent leftist for most of its history. The landlords weren’t absentee in the 18th century in England like they were in France (it’s easier to rationalize killing some faceless aristocrat than it is Lord George who sits in the same church with you every Sunday). Also during the first and Second World War, Englands elite famously went into combat arms. It’s harder to grouse about “rich men’s wars”, when Lord George great grandson is right next to you in a trench (I’ve seen the memorial Great War wall at Eton, a lot of rich kids met their end).

Of course the big obvious element in the room is pervasive Christianity. Even if the people involved aren’t personally Christian they seem to imbibe a lot of the values when they it’s just the water they’ve swam in their whole lives.

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Mister Contrast's avatar

This, if I'm remembering right, was Zippy's argument for monarchism back in the day. I don't like Papism in general, but I do agree on that point, and my reasoning is thus: Much like guns, there will always be entrenched elites. When you criminalize being an entrenched elite, only the honest ones will refrain from using that power — the crooks will still do their thing, they'll just hide in the floorboards and have the sorcerers poison you to death instead of sending the brute squad to your door.

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