Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Phillip's avatar

Another great piece, Curtis, but please I have a few questions that you may wish to consider, perhaps even answer.

The USA, like all regimes, has no choice but to shape, direct and gratify the psycho-affective forces of those who rule and those who are ruled. These are essential for securing loyalty. A degree of charisma is required for anything as personal as a monarchy, even one that is modelled on the position of CEO.

Much of the unhappiness of the USA today derives from the rapidly diminishing ability of the masses to identify with those they serve, let alone bond with them.

This problem is going to be especially acute for a CEO-styled monarchs. The trouble with CEOs is that the culture of the depersonalised institutions from which they emerge chills and disgusts.

The artificial social psychologies of such institutions is revolting and distinctly uncharismatic.

With all this in mind, what would the psycho-affective landscape of an American monarchy look like?

How would any member of the current, or any viable real-world, elite bond with the US masses?

How could a CEO-style monarch (possibly recruited from a racially diverse Coastal elite) do to bond with the Future Alawites of America in their redoubts in Idaho or the yeomen and kulaks of the Rustbelt across the Midwest?

Conversely, could a Muad'dib style CEO that was minimally attractive to the Red State Fremen secure the personal respect/loyalty of Covid-compliant Blue State SJWs?

Expand full comment
Dick Dastardly's avatar

For anyone curious about the Matt Yglesias tweet that was deleted, here is the archive https://web.archive.org/web/20220429164022/https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1520080412801912832

Expand full comment
43 more comments...

No posts