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What is a bigger threat to Western civilization?

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What poses a bigger threat to us?
Our own global elite 88%  88%  [ 22 ]
Radical Islam 12%  12%  [ 3 ]
Total votes : 25

Kraichgauer
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12 Dec 2011, 2:03 am

Tadzio wrote:
ruveyn wrote:
Kraichgauer wrote:

I admit I might have exaggerated a bit, but the fact remains, too much inequality destroys liberty. After all, the fight for equality is a primary goal for any civil rights movement.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


And just who decides what is too much? You?

ruveyn


The answer seemed to have surprised Marie-Antoinette, as if unknowable, when posed by her same pseudo-frivolous joking inquiry too.

The absent workable cake proved a poor assumption.

Tadzio

P.S.: Hi Kraichgauer, no, the CitiGroup Report illustrates that you underestimated from the gaps, using different methods of calculation: http://madsociologist.net/resources/Plutonomy.pdf
"Our thesis is that the plutonomists are likely to get even richer over the coming years. This could mean global imbalances get even larger, without the planet getting knocked of its axis and sucked into the cosmos. But this thesis is not without its risks. Plutonomies have existed before and they have come to an end. " Page 17, "The Global Investigator" – September 29, 2006.


Thanks for the nod of confidence.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer



ruveyn
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12 Dec 2011, 2:23 am

Kraichgauer wrote:
People have been unequal throughout world history because of rigid class systems, which at times included slavery, or because of accident of which race or ethnicity they might have been born into. None of this justifies the lack of equality in whichever society. The modern industrialized west had offered something else better to the world by the mid-twentieth century - but alas, even we have begun our slide back into cultural class division.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


While there are social, political and economic factors producing inequality the main underlying reason is differences in inherent ability among members of the species. Also there is just plain Luck, good, bad or indifferent.

Even if we come up with a Just social order (possible in theory) you will still be frustrated and annoyed by the differences in outcome that will happen anyway.

ruveyn



Kraichgauer
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12 Dec 2011, 2:53 am

ruveyn wrote:
Kraichgauer wrote:
People have been unequal throughout world history because of rigid class systems, which at times included slavery, or because of accident of which race or ethnicity they might have been born into. None of this justifies the lack of equality in whichever society. The modern industrialized west had offered something else better to the world by the mid-twentieth century - but alas, even we have begun our slide back into cultural class division.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


While there are social, political and economic factors producing inequality the main underlying reason is differences in inherent ability among members of the species. Also there is just plain Luck, good, bad or indifferent.

Even if we come up with a Just social order (possible in theory) you will still be frustrated and annoyed by the differences in outcome that will happen anyway.

ruveyn


Sure, but everyone is still (or should be considered) of equal worth under the law in America and the rest of the west. How long will it be till that's lost if the wealthy continue to accumulate wealth and power around themselves?

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer



Tadzio
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12 Dec 2011, 3:05 am

ruveyn wrote:
Kraichgauer wrote:
People have been unequal throughout world history because of rigid class systems, which at times included slavery, or because of accident of which race or ethnicity they might have been born into. None of this justifies the lack of equality in whichever society. The modern industrialized west had offered something else better to the world by the mid-twentieth century - but alas, even we have begun our slide back into cultural class division.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


While there are social, political and economic factors producing inequality the main underlying reason is differences in inherent ability among members of the species. Also there is just plain Luck, good, bad or indifferent.

Even if we come up with a Just social order (possible in theory) you will still be frustrated and annoyed by the differences in outcome that will happen anyway.

ruveyn


That balderdash was preached a couple decades ago under the "divine Bell-Curve", which was claimed by the most wealthy, to demonstrate their greater worth being in the top 15% or so (more than one standard deviation from the "mean" by the divine curve). But now that the top of the top is peaked at 1%, to heck with that bell curve divine faith for that now trashy left-behind pseudo-rich discards, and their tasteless "Mac-Mansions".

What could go wrong with the 1% Plutonomy?? What won't go wrong??? As when the bottom goes, so does the Golden Ass top: "which have killed previous plutonomies, we think the most potent and short-term threat would be societies demanding a more ‘equitable’ share of wealth. " Page 7, Ibid.:
http://madsociologist.net/resources/Plutonomy.pdf

Tadzio



ruveyn
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12 Dec 2011, 11:54 am

Tadzio wrote:

That balderdash was preached a couple decades ago under the "divine Bell-Curve", which was claimed by the most wealthy, to demonstrate their greater worth being in the top 15% or so (more than one standard deviation from the "mean" by the divine curve). But now that the top of the top is peaked at 1%, to heck with that bell curve divine faith for that now trashy left-behind pseudo-rich discards, and their tasteless "Mac-Mansions".



It isn't balderdash Some people are smarter than others for genetic reasons. Some people can play basketball better than other for genetic reasons to wit, height and hand-eye co-ordination. These are wired in talents. In the entire history of our kind of human which is about 50 - 75 thousand years, an equal society has NEVER, EVER existed. Not once. Ask yourself why. One cannot equalize the inherently unequal. Howbeit, inherent inequality of individual human cannot justify social and political processes that put arbitrary and unnecessary barriers in the way of capable folk. We need a just society, not an egalitarian society.

ruveyn



Kraichgauer
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12 Dec 2011, 1:48 pm

ruveyn wrote:
Tadzio wrote:

That balderdash was preached a couple decades ago under the "divine Bell-Curve", which was claimed by the most wealthy, to demonstrate their greater worth being in the top 15% or so (more than one standard deviation from the "mean" by the divine curve). But now that the top of the top is peaked at 1%, to heck with that bell curve divine faith for that now trashy left-behind pseudo-rich discards, and their tasteless "Mac-Mansions".



It isn't balderdash Some people are smarter than others for genetic reasons. Some people can play basketball better than other for genetic reasons to wit, height and hand-eye co-ordination. These are wired in talents. In the entire history of our kind of human which is about 50 - 75 thousand years, an equal society has NEVER, EVER existed. Not once. Ask yourself why. One cannot equalize the inherently unequal. Howbeit, inherent inequality of individual human cannot justify social and political processes that put arbitrary and unnecessary barriers in the way of capable folk. We need a just society, not an egalitarian society.

ruveyn


I think your failure to mention a "just society" in previous posts had thrown the rest of us. I think I understand something of your point, now.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer



mikecartwright
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12 Dec 2011, 3:10 pm

Our own global elite.