Why, I've always preferred plain rocks to jewels--and you? (12 March 2009)

@ Michael Fellman and Tyee readers (and you guys too, at Open Salon!):

Anybody else beginning to worry that if you spoil yourself and buy something real nice to wear, you risk it being "lost" in a tarred and feathered ruin of an evening? (In this climate, God help you if you have a taste for anything fine in anything other than organic coffee/food.) And is anybody else wondering how right this writer is in thinking that the wealthy are safe from pitchfork prodding? But what if someone offers to serve them up to satisfy (if only temporarily) the bottomless hunger of those who hate, hate, hate the greedy rich -- how long do you think they'll last, then? And when they're gone, who might we turn to next? -- Why how 'bout the Americans, even if Obama's still at the helm, who have surely made greedy, presumptive use of our generous, neighborly will for far too long! Mightn’t indeed the short term bathos be such that it'll become difficult to keep the long-term, long-wave, long-view in sight, even if you're the historian well practiced in calming her/himself by doing so?

This historian (i.e., our author) likes the idea of greed as a primary mover of history. Most do, as it means you don't have to explore psychology much, nor, more to the point, do much messy introspection of your own unruly mind, to understand the ways of people and their times. But, worth noting, is that some psychohistorians actually look to those who, in a sense, desire LESS, not more – masochists -- to the sheep rather than to the wolves -- when searching for those who keep the narrative of haves, then haves and have-nots, a seemingly neverending one.

It's certainly been ongoing, but there is an achievable end, though. That is, Attend to the masochists, cure them of their love of being the righteous impoverished, and the narrative wall WILL fall, thank God.

That is, Historians be damned: In these dampened times, please know that an ahistorical utopia is still well within the possible! It's not only true, it's just gotta be a better beacon to keep our eyes on than the one our "history is and forever will be, a dispiriting tale" author offers us.

If YOU want more, check out http://www.psychohistory.com/, but keep it under hat, will you -- not the safest of times to be showing off your New and Dazzling.

Link: Rescuing the Wealthy Idiots (The Tyee)