In the 1830s, British merchants with trade routes from India had forced open an enormous market for opium in China, and were pouring the product into the country, producing a lucrative addiction crisis. (Queen Victoria, the first Sackler.) But the Qing Dynasty had run China with a firm hand since the first half of the 17th century, and the emperors of the dynasty had long regarded themselves as, to use an academic term from the field of political science, The Shit. In 1839, Commissioner Lin Zexu sent a
I don't know French personally so this is speculation informed by reading a lot of his work and following him from his National Review days, but I don't think we should underestimate the power of being "Passed Over for a Promotion". I've seen it twist otherwise psychologically healthy individuals into embittered husks of their former selves.
I noticed a significant change in both his tone and focus after he "decided" not to run for president in 2016. If I remember correctly there was a couple of weeks between his name being floated by Kristol and his announcement not to run, and during that period there seemed to be an enormous amount of anticipation as French and his NR buddies waited for the inevitable groundswell of GOP voters to hoist their champion on their shoulders and carry him into the White House. But instead, crickets. No groundswell, no big donors, no invites to the Sunday shows. It must have stung terribly.
For me, the humiliation of realizing his conservative army was lining up behind General Trump goes a long way to explaining his descent into such bizarre, contorted reasoning. Every skirmish becomes a re-fighting of his lost battle to save America from Trump.
Ordinary people shouldn't have the same rights as the elite?
After all, "the 'elite' are the people the 'elite' have been waiting for."
“The particular class of people who have ruled this nation in recent decades worship no one but themselves. They despise us because we fail to worship them. Christianity, straight-up and unadulterated, is an affront to their authority. “
The first step is admitting that David French has a problem. He is the quintessential Neo-Con and his mind has been broken with TDS. Further, he is a narcissist that cannot admit his mistakes and blames others for problems he creates. I have been actively ignoring his inanities for going on 7 years now. He is useless as teets on a boar.
Side note: Akshually, it would be more accurate to say that the Sassoons were the original Sacklers. Same ethnocultural background too, by sheer coincidence.
Membership in the occupational class is predicated on mandatory belief in so many falsehoods that it's more or less impossible for this continue for very long. Sadly, looking at the Century of Shame that followed China's collision with cold reality, our ruling class' comeuppance is likely to be savagely uncomfortable for us plebs.
"The people disproportionately driving polarization in the United States are not oppressed minorities, but rather some of the most powerful, most privileged, wealthiest people who’ve ever lived."
He's correct though. Polititians and people in the mainstream media are really driving the polarization. That MO is all they have left.
French has always been a scumbag, and I hate to bring this into it (but am only doing so because he does), but a nontrivial amount of this stems from the fact that he's a self-loathing white male.
French once defended the despicable and violent actions of a school cop (or an actual cop I forget) body slamming a teen-age girl in a classroom. Any questions?
I could have sworn French had it right because he was surely pointing out the comfort, wealth and privilege of the left that keeps trying to tear us apart, while protected by a once mighty military of their political opposites, mighty no more due to political interference of the privileged and their insistence that nobody (except US soldiers) get hurt.
Well, this might sting David French, but I had to look up the name. It meant nothing to me. The sanctimonious tone of his admonitions is familiar enough, however.
re: David "The Problem" French -- Republicans probably still can't admit that the suburban Air America fans back in the '00s had a point when they ranted about Koch kreatures. This was a motivated critique, of course, since pre-Abramoff the corporate GOP freedom guys seemed to be the winning team and this naturally really cheesed off Democrats whom the media mandarins of that era had diagnosed with the bizarre political affliction of "Vietnam Syndrome" -- look it up, the country was quite weird back then
David French, and the rest of his ilk, have been disillusioned for quite some time. They have collectively blown up conservatism by turning it into Conservative Inc., completely numb to the world around them. They are high on $ and hubris. MAGA is conservatism the way our founders meant. Inclusive nationalism (we don’t care where you’re from, just come here legally and assimilate) and participatory populism. Democracy, with the grassroots of both parties getting involved, is where America is meant to be. Not led by the “elites.” Great piece!!
David French can say whatever *he* wants. How much more proof do you silly peasants need that the 1st Amendment has never been more robust?
I don't know French personally so this is speculation informed by reading a lot of his work and following him from his National Review days, but I don't think we should underestimate the power of being "Passed Over for a Promotion". I've seen it twist otherwise psychologically healthy individuals into embittered husks of their former selves.
I noticed a significant change in both his tone and focus after he "decided" not to run for president in 2016. If I remember correctly there was a couple of weeks between his name being floated by Kristol and his announcement not to run, and during that period there seemed to be an enormous amount of anticipation as French and his NR buddies waited for the inevitable groundswell of GOP voters to hoist their champion on their shoulders and carry him into the White House. But instead, crickets. No groundswell, no big donors, no invites to the Sunday shows. It must have stung terribly.
For me, the humiliation of realizing his conservative army was lining up behind General Trump goes a long way to explaining his descent into such bizarre, contorted reasoning. Every skirmish becomes a re-fighting of his lost battle to save America from Trump.
Puppets fantasizing they are puppetmasters.
Ordinary people shouldn't have the same rights as the elite?
After all, "the 'elite' are the people the 'elite' have been waiting for."
“The particular class of people who have ruled this nation in recent decades worship no one but themselves. They despise us because we fail to worship them. Christianity, straight-up and unadulterated, is an affront to their authority. “
-E.M. Cadwaladr
The first step is admitting that David French has a problem. He is the quintessential Neo-Con and his mind has been broken with TDS. Further, he is a narcissist that cannot admit his mistakes and blames others for problems he creates. I have been actively ignoring his inanities for going on 7 years now. He is useless as teets on a boar.
Side note: Akshually, it would be more accurate to say that the Sassoons were the original Sacklers. Same ethnocultural background too, by sheer coincidence.
Membership in the occupational class is predicated on mandatory belief in so many falsehoods that it's more or less impossible for this continue for very long. Sadly, looking at the Century of Shame that followed China's collision with cold reality, our ruling class' comeuppance is likely to be savagely uncomfortable for us plebs.
"The people disproportionately driving polarization in the United States are not oppressed minorities, but rather some of the most powerful, most privileged, wealthiest people who’ve ever lived."
He's correct though. Polititians and people in the mainstream media are really driving the polarization. That MO is all they have left.
Excellent essay. Thanks!
Brilliant essay. The signs of excessive hubris are everywhere. When does the atë and nemesis kick in?
French has always been a scumbag, and I hate to bring this into it (but am only doing so because he does), but a nontrivial amount of this stems from the fact that he's a self-loathing white male.
He reminds me of General Milley in a lot of ways.
French once defended the despicable and violent actions of a school cop (or an actual cop I forget) body slamming a teen-age girl in a classroom. Any questions?
I could have sworn French had it right because he was surely pointing out the comfort, wealth and privilege of the left that keeps trying to tear us apart, while protected by a once mighty military of their political opposites, mighty no more due to political interference of the privileged and their insistence that nobody (except US soldiers) get hurt.
Well, this might sting David French, but I had to look up the name. It meant nothing to me. The sanctimonious tone of his admonitions is familiar enough, however.
re: David "The Problem" French -- Republicans probably still can't admit that the suburban Air America fans back in the '00s had a point when they ranted about Koch kreatures. This was a motivated critique, of course, since pre-Abramoff the corporate GOP freedom guys seemed to be the winning team and this naturally really cheesed off Democrats whom the media mandarins of that era had diagnosed with the bizarre political affliction of "Vietnam Syndrome" -- look it up, the country was quite weird back then
I'm advising my friends to stay a long ways away from Washington DC,
David French, and the rest of his ilk, have been disillusioned for quite some time. They have collectively blown up conservatism by turning it into Conservative Inc., completely numb to the world around them. They are high on $ and hubris. MAGA is conservatism the way our founders meant. Inclusive nationalism (we don’t care where you’re from, just come here legally and assimilate) and participatory populism. Democracy, with the grassroots of both parties getting involved, is where America is meant to be. Not led by the “elites.” Great piece!!