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Chapter 11 discussion, "...the rich have always objected to being governed at all."all
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 11:06 pm
by stahrwe
In Chapter 11, The Criminals Chase the Police, of The Man Who Was Thursday, Inspector Ratcliffe argues that anarchy is more desired by the rich than by the poor. His reasoning is that while, “The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all.”
Is this a reasonable position to defend?
Re: Chapter 11 discussion, "...the rich have always objected to being governed at all."all
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 7:51 pm
by Pheidippides
Some prominent anarchists:
Errico Malatesta-Son of middle class landowners.
Emma Goldman-Screwed up "poor" home by any measure,
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon-Son of a bar keep
William Godwin-Bourgeoise to a fault
Mikhail Bakunin-Grew up on a family estate with 500 serfs.
I would buy the notion that they are the product of a middle class background as opposed to a wealthy one. I would agree that the "lower classes" are not typically home to that line of reasoning.
Re: Chapter 11 discussion, "...the rich have always objected to being governed at all."all
Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 12:41 am
by Ptimb
About to go to sleep so I will have to get back to the question tomorrow but saw the heading and had to comment . While I was reading this section the thought of a Chesterton vs Ayn Rand cage match jumped into my head
Re: Chapter 11 discussion, "...the rich have always objected to being governed at all."all
Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 2:25 am
by youkrst
stahrwe wrote: the rich have always objected to being governed at all.
so they simply buy it like they do everything else.
Wealth Leads to Political Power
An outright plutocracy governed by a handful of wealthy individuals is relatively rare in the modern era. The governments of many nations, however, are heavily influenced by wealth. Wealth can buy political power through lobbying, campaign contributions, bribing and other forms of legal or illegal financial pressure. Many nations have tried to limit the influence of the wealthy through laws controlling things such as campaign finances and lobbying, but these laws can be difficult to define and enforce.
can't they just
Re: Chapter 11 discussion, "...the rich have always objected to being governed at all."all
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 4:18 pm
by Theomanic
I don't think there is a lot of cause for the rich to revolt or want anarchy. I can see them being Libertarians, but not anarchists. Money is power, and that includes governmental power. If they didn't have that sort if system, they would lose some of their hold. I can't imagine why they would do that. And I expect the cost of a standing army to defend yourself and your property would be pretty staggering... More than they pay in taxes, perhaps!
Re: Chapter 11 discussion, "...the rich have always objected to being governed at all."all
Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 8:11 am
by stahrwe
Your comments are correct as far as they go. Chesterton was deeply disgusted by the corruption in the British government. His brother Cecil published a newspaper that focused on corruption. He prosecuted by the government for accusing members of Parliament of taking bribes in The Marconi Affair, The Watergate of his time. The scandal and how it was handled seemed to the Chestertons to demonstrate that the wealthy need not obey the law.
Marconi scandal