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I wonder what would happen if there were a country where the country's elite openly rejoiced in the fact that their policies benefit foreigners and freaks more than the natives
In private conversations among the upper class, for 8 years now or more, this has been the consensus line - "This is good for our kind, and it's good for {Guatemala Africa China Israel}, and if it's bad for most other Americans that's OK because why could we put Americans first?"
If you haven't been privy to these conversations - well, I don't want to sound like an asshole, but they're happening even if you're not there.
And I always say (when it's 1 or 2 others, I can be somewhat discreet!) is: Fine. Nothing you've said is illogical. But, say it openly.
And I always say (when it's 1 or 2 others, I can be somewhat discreet!) is: Fine. Nothing you've said is illogical. But, say it openly.
At that point men tend to chuckle, say "Yeah, hah!" and avert their eyes. Women look as though they ate something v unpleasant, start blinking. They know this political formula, 100% dominant in ruling class, would lead to their limbs being torn from their bodies if openly avowed
This is, to say the least, creating psychological difficulties for the ruling class. They know that they are (they consider themselves) completely justified, and they cannot say why. You must remember this when they act as though *you* are free and *they* are besieged, persecuted
This is also why the hate, absolutely despise left-libertarians like @tylercowen who share nearly all policy goals, but avow it openly. The essential core of neoliberalism is that free exchange is good and communities are bad but if you *say so* you can't milk the community dry
If you wonder why they seem prone to endorse acceleratingly incredible statements, switch at a moment's notice, indifferent to emotional inconsistency of the message - they never believed any of it, even 10 years ago! They are completely, completely inured to double-think by now
Btw some of this is completely self-serving, and some not. I know ppl who once had bright futures who took unpleasant jobs and gave most of their salaries to Oxfam or similar and are now broken husks: same ideology, benefitting foreigners is the most important thing in the world
The important thing is, whether they are prepared to sacrifice or are attracted mainly to the fact that cheap foreign labor is also cheap, they all have no problem with the fact that their preferred political outcomes are bad for most Americans & the public hypocrisy that entails
They are so used to it they don't even notice anymore how absurd or childish their public-facing rationales are, all they can see is whether it seems to be working or not, and whether it helps other upper crust ppl recognize them as part of the same class
I do not know how long this can go on. I'm curious to see. Obviously with more assorted mating, social stratification, pillarization it's easier to separate what you say to the in-group from what you say to the out-group... but even so.
I don't see any way to intensify process, to speed up unsustainable point - or, conversely, to slow it down / diffuse it. Maybe there is, maybe not. But if you are forced to talk to white-collar liberals about politics in the next four years, I encourage you to taunt them...
Obviously some people you can taunt openly, other ppl you need to play the village idiot - "wait, is that good for our poor people here? oh, so does that matter then?" Get them to explain it to you, recruit you into the great conspiracy against America
Then forever after remind them - no matter what happens - that as scary as this new violation of Our Sacred Norms is, really what matters isn't fellow citizens, right? it's whether it's good for foreign peasants, right? A sauce that's good for the goose is good for the gander 
A postscript courtesy of Tucker: https://twitter.com/AmrenPeter/status/1347713148137168897?s=20
I've never* heard it phrased quite this bluntly, but same idea as thread
*(from an adult) https://twitter.com/genghisnyan/status/1347749072338366464?s=20
*(from an adult) https://twitter.com/genghisnyan/status/1347749072338366464?s=20
