Please Help New English Review
New English Review
New English Review Facebook Group
Search by author:

by Title:

by Keyword or ISBN:


Recent Publications by New English Review Authors
Virgins? What Virgins?: And Other Essays
by Ibn Warraq
The New Vichy Syndrome:
by Theodore Dalrymple
Jihad and Genocide
by Richard L. Rubenstein
Second Opinion
by Theodore Dalrymple
The New English Review Symposium 2009 Booklet - Understanding the Jihad in Israel, Europe and America
Geert Wilders: Why I Am In America Fighting For Free Speech
Not With a Bang But a Whimper: The Politics and Culture of Decline
by Theodore Dalrymple
In Praise of Prejudice: The Necessity of Preconceived Ideas
by Theodore Dalrymple
Defending The West:
by Ibn Warraq
Nations, Language and Citizenship:
by Norman Berdichevsky
Romancing Opiates
by Theodore Dalrymple
Which Koran?
by Ibn Warraq
Our Culture, What's Left of It
by Theodore Dalrymple
What The Koran Really Says
by Ibn Warraq
Life at the Bottom
by Theodore Dalrymple
The Origins of the Koran
by Ibn Warraq
Why I Am Not Muslim
by Ibn Warraq
Spanish Vignettes: An Offbeat Look Into Spain's Culture, Society & History
by Norman Berdichevsky
Leaving Islam
Edited by Ibn Warraq
The Danish-German Border Dispute, 1815-2001: Aspects of Cultural and Demographic Politics
by Norman Berdichevsky
Sunday, 1 June 2008
The Myth Of Equality

by Rebecca Bynum

 

One of the most striking results of modern democracy has been the gradual but steady erosion of all classes of distinction and the subsequent leveling of society to the point where everyone is expected to treat everyone else in exactly the same way. We must make no distinction between young and old, male or female, distinguished or dissolute. As a result, common courtesy is at an all time low and an unhealthy reservoir of resentment at an all time high. Every person suspects he is not receiving his due and is suspicious that deference in the form of courtesy on his part will be mistaken as submission. Authority is suspected to be nothing but the unfair abuse of power and yet people seem to be seeking true sources of authority amid the ruling relativism by following fads and the ever-changing gurus of the self-help industry. The pressure to conform to pop-culture standards is also immense, so much so, that individuality itself is threatened.  more...

Posted on 06/01/2008 9:43 AM by NER
Comments
1 Jun 2008
Send an emailCaryl Johnston
Very nice essay and I couldn't agree more with your contention that "equality" levels cultural distinction and with that, the capacity to be content with one's station and not to harbor resentments. Richard Weaver is a fine author, prescient, and in some ways attuned to issues raised by Ortega y Gasset in The Revolt of the Masses. There have been a few wise persons of superior understanding to warn of coming dangers, but alas, modern mass society seems to be determinately marching on to its own catastrophe. The only flaw I detect in this otherwise fine piece is that in actual fact "equality" is a myth for the masses, and does not apply to the small percentage of the truly wealthy - the globalized elite.

11 Jun 2008
SD Goh
Great article. Was it not Marx who wrote this: " The bourgeoisie has pitilessly torn asunder the motley of ties that bound man to his 'natural superiors' and left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous 'cash payment'? Perhaps, with the demise of communism (except the last vestige of it in China, or some semblance of it remaining there) we are now witnessing the rampage of the free-market forces whose one aim is the creation of an egalitarian global society where all striving to meet the very highest standards in any human endeavour is frowned upon. Success of anything must be judged by its appeal to the lowest common denominator. There is no good, nor bad. Only blandness.

22 Jun 2008
terry andersen

"fraternity instead of equality".... I like it...  kind of reminds me of a New Testament discourse about "body ministry".. a great theme about unequal status and gifting, but equal value and importance to the Creator and a functioning Kingdom. 

I somehow survived the late sixties in San Francisco, where Berkley was boiling, pseudo intellectuals were burinig their brains out on lsd, the streets were electric in an ethereal circus atmosphere where Black Panthers, Bikers, Hippies, dreamers and capitalists clashed and coalesced at the same time. 

I saw the politics, played the music, scratched my head in amazement and confusion, and now, 40  years later, am honored and grateful to meet people like you, who come down with a positive, honest, and constructive view, in spite of the "uphill" battle against silly and perverted intellectualism in our politically incorrect society, where good is said to be evil, and evil is said to be good. 

Carry on, good warrior... you're gifted, this article is accurate and encouraging, and pardon my long winded effort to say so. 

Terry

 



23 Jun 2008
Send an emailRebecca Bynum

Is equality just a myth of the masses used cynically by the "global elite"? I don't think so, I think it's very deeply ingrained in all levels of our society.

I like the line, "There is no good, nor bad. Only blandness."

And Terry, you made my evening. Thank you.



 
Most Recent Posts at The Iconoclast
Search The Iconoclast
Enter text, Go to search:
The Iconoclast Posts by Author
The Iconoclast Archives
sun mon tue wed thu fri sat
    1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30   

RSS Site Feed
RSS Feed