Those who zoom out of daily trending obsessions will see patterns. Democracies are collapsing, under assault…

Those who zoom out of daily trending obsessions will see patterns. Democracies are collapsing, under assault from populism. Which is really just uncontrolled human status games. We’ve been here before. And misunderstood it then too. 1/5 https://t.co/I421oroNax https://t.co/5yGH9boNB6

The battle here isn’t between democracy and populism/fascism. It’s between stabilised status hierarchies in a society, and uncontrolled status games. The entire history of civilisation is finding ways to stabilise status games. Mostly through churches, and Kings. 2/5

That’s the collective role of religion and monarchy. To create a stabilised, central status hierarchy, to control otherwise rampant, endless fighting for status throughout the rest of society. That’s what the ‘identity’ politics of today is. Uncontrolled status games. 3/5

And no, the answer isn’t quickly installing new Kings and churches. Those evolved over millennia. The populist quick-fix versions are a catastrophe. Trump. Very dangerous times. Perhaps the best we can hope for in the interim is two things. 4/5

A better opposing populism to the one Trump leads. Rather than just opposing due process to him, which he eats for breakfast. And allowing engineering disruption to bypass the populists. Letting the Chinese industrial juggernaut steamroll our identity-politics bullshit. /end