Fiction, class warfare and contemporary politics

Fiction, class warfare and contemporary politics 

In his correspondence with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams famously rejected Jefferson’s belief in a “natural aristocracy” (of virtue and talents) as an antithesis to Europe’s “artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth.” He stated “And both artificial Aristocracy, and Monarchy, and civil, military, political and hierarchical Despotism, have all grown out of the natural Aristocracy of "Virtues and Talents." Although he goes on to admit that “We, to be sure, are far remote from this”, his belief that restrictive structures such as the British monarchy and European aristocracy in general can develop from the fact that “Virtues and Talents” are unequally distributed is reflected strongly in contemporary society. Alas, how could he have known how right history would prove him when he said: “Many hundred years must roll away before We shall be corrupted.” While it hasn’t been “many hundred years” but two hundred almost to the day, the corruption he spoke of finally has arrived, and not just for the nation he helped found. 

The distribution of wealth has become one of, if not the most pressing issue of Western society. We all know the numbers by now. They may vary a little from country to country, but the basic situation is the same everywhere: One percent or even percentile of the population owns about a fifth to a third of total wealth while a far larger number of people own far less than that. This problem is neither new nor was it previously unknown, but the recent economic turmoil has exacerbated it considerably. Popular movements have risen because of it, socialist rhetoric has taken root even in conservative societies and it is widely expected that the problem will play an important role in the coming presidential elections in the US.

Inequality has always been an inherent part of capitalism. After all, people are blessed with different talents and capacities. That’s an undisputed truth and it’s not the problem. The problem is that capitalism has evolved into just the kind of meritocratic aristocracy Adams warned about. To a lot of people, it feels like all the advantages are concentrated on one side of the wealth gap while the problems pile up on the other side. Again, this is no new development. Take these few lines from J.D. Salinger’s 1951 novel “The Catcher in the Rye”:

“Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.”

“Yes, sir. I know it is. I know it.”

Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game, all right - I’ll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s a game about it? Nothing. No game.

Holden Caulfield may have had these thoughts in 1951, but in present times, many people certainly do share his view.

Nowadays, you really know that a trend, attitude or idea has become viral when it emerges, polished and glittery, in popular culture. In a recent preview of the Batman franchise’s latest installment, apocalyptic images of average Joes holding AK-47s and swarming out all over Gotham city’s most exclusive areas are accompanied by a chilly sentence Catwoman whispers in Bruce Wayne’s ear at a cocktail party. The words she utters may exaggerate and oversimplify things, but it doesn’t take a vivid imagination to fear for society a few years down the road.  “There’s a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches. Because when it hits, you’re all going to wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.”