“To believe in personal responsibility would be to
destroy the whole special role of the anointed, whose vision cast them in the role
of rescuers of people treated unfairly by “society”. – Thomas Sowell, The Vision
of the Anointed” - 1995
“Today it is the elites…those who control the international
flow of money and information, preside over philanthropic foundations and
institutions of higher learning, manage the instruments of cultural production
and thus set the terms of public debate—that have lost faith in the values, or
what remains of them, of the West.”- Christopher Lasch, “Revolt of the Elites
and the Betrayal of Democracy” - 1995
Thomas Sowell’s “The Vision of the Anointed” and Christopher
Lasch’s “The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy” were both published
in 1995. If you have never read them,
you should. If you have read them, you
should read them again. What they wrote
in 1995 was true then and even more so now.
Lasch describes the Elites (whom Sowell calls the “Anointed”)
as “rootless” world citizens with no sense of responsibility or commitment to
their communities. He suggested that globalization had resulted in an “elite
class” having little or no engagement with local communities, focused more on
personal gain and power. He argues that the Elites had abandoned moral values; relying
more on a “self-esteem” rooted in higher education and wealth.
In “The Vision of the Anointed”, Thomas Sowell describes
the Anointed as the intellectuals, politicians and activists who believe they
know what’s best for society, but whose policies tend to ignore real-world
evidence and result in negative outcomes.
He provides specific examples of policies promoted by the “Anointed” which
have made things worse for families, lowered the quality of education and
increased criminal activity.
In different ways, both Lasch and Sowell warned us in
1995 that Western Civilization in general and America in particular were headed
in the wrong direction. Now some thirty years on, their warnings ignored, we
have continued the steady march downhill. Christopher Lasch is long passed on, sadly dying
before the “Revolt” was published.
Thomas Sowell, now in his late 90’s, remains sharp of mind and wit but no
doubt has grown tired of saying I told you so.
