Ideology

The desire of the mediocre to hold back the skilled

There has always been an incentive for the mediocre to hold back the skilful. The driven and competent make the others look half-baked. And this is not appreciated, better to regulate and restrain those who want too much. And there are many different traces of this in human history. Today we think of it as …   →

Tyranny in progress

When our modern liberalism came into vogue, also known as social liberalism, it embraced equality, social safety nets and greater state responsibility. This happened in many countries (especially in Europe) after World War II and beyond. Liberalism became a kind of super-ideology, and there were international organisations that accelerated its progress, including the United Nations. …   →

Work, activity, deed

Views on labour have changed over time, and so has its meaning. Even today, the concept of ‘work’ is somewhat diffuse, as it is a multifaceted word. On the one hand, we can engage in repetitive labour, which is necessary but boring and may even expose the body and mind to harm. On the other …   →

A reliable and safe society

Many people who have travelled in Asia, especially in Japan, come home and tell us how safe and orderly it is there. They are fascinated by clean streets and squares, high standards, well prepared food, low crime, trains that arrive on time, and that people are well dressed, polite and friendly. Let that sink in. …   →

Great, greater, greatest – in the age of mega-corporations – where capitalism leads to socialism

According to many communists, the fate of the capitalist system is that the corporations keep growing, until there are only a handful of global giants left, and they control world politics together with the corrupt ruling class. According to the theories of state monopoly capitalism and its inherent imperialist ambitions. Capitalism always strives for monopoly. …   →

The missing elite

It was not the Swedes who built one of the richest countries in the world until the 1950s, with strong industry and a world-class air force, any more than it was the Greeks who built the Parthenon temple and calculated the circumference of the earth. It was a rather small elite that did these things, …   →

Nobody wants to be called a racist

No one wants to be called a racist, for it is considered particularly degrading to engage in ethnic sorting of people for bad traits; and being subjected to this magical epithet is now associated with an almost ritual shame. Well, agitating for the murder of specific ethnic groups should not be confused with old ladies …   →

Look at me, love me – and give me money!

Is it reasonable that everyone should love transsexuals, queers, overweight people, people with full tattoos, etc, etc? Today we see more and more strange groups demanding acceptance and equality. They want to be recognised and maybe even liked by you. They want to worm their way into your consciousness. It’s not about equality in general …   →

Demography and population exchanges in turn-of-the-century Europe, a brief historical comment

In 1916 there were about 2.2 million inhabitants in Vienna, almost half of whom came from Bohemia, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, etc. In 1939 the population was down to just under 1.8 million. And in 1990 the population was estimated at just under 1.5 million, with far more German-speaking inhabitants than before. As economic and …   →

Best in the world at democracy

The concept of democracy is an interesting one to revisit periodically. What is considered important in a democratic society has changed throughout history. When modern democracies emerged after the American Revolutionary War, the focus was on the constitution. Today the constitution is not the most important validator (in many countries tt may be changed and …   →

Is local self-government a threat to nations and empires?

Are self-governing regions and municipalities a threat to the idea of nation and empire building? Of course, this objection can be made. The US is an empire, as are the EU and China, states made up of many different provinces and regions, where a central power has influence. I would argue that local government is …   →