One interesting thing to observe is that many people long for the benefits of the older world and actually enjoy engaging with it, but they appear unwilling to acknowledge the costs involved. They remark that they like a certain club but wish it didn’t have a dress code or that a school is great but is “too exclusive.”
It will take the rewiring of the minds of an entire generation for more people to understand that those policies are fundamental, not decorative. But the issue is exacerbated by a highly corrupt non profit sector and a civil rights regime that attack any institution defies their nihilistic mandates.
We could outlaw drug use. We could have schools with high standards. We could ban gambling, and we could take down the porn industry.
But the most powerful forces in our society have convinced the masses that the gentlemen of 1776 and 1787 risked being tried for treason to defend citizens’ right to be slaves to vice. That lie has caused widespread degradation, and the result is that the only way to escape from our polyglot hellhole is through increasingly costly lifelines.
One winter day a couple of years ago, I was at one of the few remaining stores in my local dying mall, when I saw an older woman who actually made me stop and take a breath. She was well-dressed: wool beret, sweater, blazer, wool skirt, boots and matching handbag. The clothing was old but well-cared-for and timeless. She looked elegant and dignified.
What stopped me was that she was dressed the way people (mostly) used to dress when they went out for a day of shopping. You know: in church clothes. In 1980, this lady’s manner of dress and good posture (also patience) were standard issue in public. I realized that we had very gradually slid down the mountain to Slob Town. It was not all at once.
Anyway, I stop and think of her from time to time, because in 2023 or whenever it was, she really stood out, but in 1980, she would not have.
Terrific piece, but you let the elites off too easily. AJP Taylor is right that WWI wrecked the West, but elite culture was already trending toward decadence before 1914. (See, for instance, the Decadent movement.) The working and middle classes held onto "class" longer than the bulk of their social betters.
This is perhaps a weakness in Toynbee (and, for that matter, in Tocqueville): they attribute prolification to a "surrender" by the elites to "vulgarization," as you put it; but the elites abandoned their culture BEFORE the proles did. In Rome, whatever vestiges of the high old Roman virtues persisted into the first millenium, persisted among poorer provincials, not among elites. (The original Gladiator captures this nicely.) The same was true of England (remember, Churchill was half-American and his father was a populist). And the same, I think, is true in America.
I guess I'd suggest that our elites are apathetic, because they abandoned any culture that might have been worth trumpeting as superior to prole slop. It's easy to see why a Churchill might fight for Blenheim and Shakespeare. But who would fight for Beckett or the new Obamination?
It's another question, of course, why elites rejected their inheritance. But whatever the reason, it's not because of the working classes.
Let me just close with an example. The Astor Place Riots broke out because the elites were trying to queer Shakespeare, and the working classes stopped them. The lower classes probably need elites to teach them to aspire to love Shakespeare and high culture, but elites don't need the working classes to cause them to abandon the Bard. They are quite capable of that by themselves. I would like to believe that the working classes only abandon their aspiration to great culture after elites have made high culture disgusting.
British historian AJP Taylor, in his The First World War and Its Aftermath, argues that this spiritual crisis came in the wake of the Great War. I tend to agree, though the Depression and the FDR era certainly didn’t help -
WWI was the mortal wound, in between was the agony of death approaching, and WWII was the coup de grace. Everything after was just the rotting corpse.
From an Eternal perspective, there is all the hope in the world. Things will ultimately be fixed.
Before then, I do think there are growing movements that are pushing back on it all and that it will culminate in certain parts of the world correcting itself. Orania for instance as has been mentioned a few times here. Or places like Amish and Mennonite communities that have resisted pretty well, all things considered. Look at the Mennonite settlements in Belize for instance. I just don't think it will happen the world over like it sorta was during the Victorian and earlier Edwardian periods.
Although I shouldn't put limits on God by saying so.
"...the British landed elite lasted so long into modernity because it made itself attractive in terms of everything from aesthetics to beliefs, and so the upwardly mobile segments of society, particularly the politically influential middle class, sought to emulate it."
Another major factor, I would argue, was the commitment of said aristocracy to public service; particularly military service. All sons, especially second and on, were expected to serve. If they were unsuited to warfare, then as scientists, diplomats, civil servants, etc. etc. etc. To do otherwise was to bring shame on the family name and likely expulsion from those social circles.
I wrote an article about how early in my engineering career a wise person tried to explain that I needed to dress far more professionally. My dress was slovenly but I wore it like a badge of honor. How wrong I was.
That cool infographic isn’t Fussell, it’s Russell Lynes for LIFE in 1949! There’s a whole essay that goes with it, but the graphic was for the lowbrow.
This is fantastic. A lot of us feel overwhelmed at the scale of the decline and feel helpless to do anything about it. How are you thinking about the future?
Do you think that prole drift is an inevitable consequence of democratization? Politicians and celebrities rely on popular support more than ever, and one way to get it is to be relatable to the populace. Theres a huge voting and consumer block made up of unsuccessful and resentful people.
Particularly, the sort of democracy we now have where a plutocratic elite tries to manage the mob by unleashing the bureaucracy, is particularly harmful
Many of these problems weren’t around when the “democracy” was led by gentlemen, as then the culture was at least better and encouraged making oneself better rather than falling into the pit of decay
If I might offer a more concise emendation to the final sentence: "Such is the world *that* prole drift, and the feckless elite *which* has allowed it, has created."
And thanks for the "Un Petit Guide" and the "Everyday Tastes" chart, as well.
Wow. That was the most comprehensive and insightful of overview of the underbelly of Western societies degrading of what once was a girding foundation of values that kept us from collapsing upon our lesser selves.
I wear tweed and city apparel, never underestimate the well made footwear too. I also read books which is anathema to many. I favour Wagner and Beethoven over Bach, though i have a few of his pieces. am not an American but Western Europe has suffered the same prole drift. I am not old but refuse to let civilisation die whilst i'm alive.
One interesting thing to observe is that many people long for the benefits of the older world and actually enjoy engaging with it, but they appear unwilling to acknowledge the costs involved. They remark that they like a certain club but wish it didn’t have a dress code or that a school is great but is “too exclusive.”
It will take the rewiring of the minds of an entire generation for more people to understand that those policies are fundamental, not decorative. But the issue is exacerbated by a highly corrupt non profit sector and a civil rights regime that attack any institution defies their nihilistic mandates.
We could outlaw drug use. We could have schools with high standards. We could ban gambling, and we could take down the porn industry.
But the most powerful forces in our society have convinced the masses that the gentlemen of 1776 and 1787 risked being tried for treason to defend citizens’ right to be slaves to vice. That lie has caused widespread degradation, and the result is that the only way to escape from our polyglot hellhole is through increasingly costly lifelines.
Very, very true
One winter day a couple of years ago, I was at one of the few remaining stores in my local dying mall, when I saw an older woman who actually made me stop and take a breath. She was well-dressed: wool beret, sweater, blazer, wool skirt, boots and matching handbag. The clothing was old but well-cared-for and timeless. She looked elegant and dignified.
What stopped me was that she was dressed the way people (mostly) used to dress when they went out for a day of shopping. You know: in church clothes. In 1980, this lady’s manner of dress and good posture (also patience) were standard issue in public. I realized that we had very gradually slid down the mountain to Slob Town. It was not all at once.
Anyway, I stop and think of her from time to time, because in 2023 or whenever it was, she really stood out, but in 1980, she would not have.
Thank you for sharing! It’s sad how rare this is
Terrific piece, but you let the elites off too easily. AJP Taylor is right that WWI wrecked the West, but elite culture was already trending toward decadence before 1914. (See, for instance, the Decadent movement.) The working and middle classes held onto "class" longer than the bulk of their social betters.
This is perhaps a weakness in Toynbee (and, for that matter, in Tocqueville): they attribute prolification to a "surrender" by the elites to "vulgarization," as you put it; but the elites abandoned their culture BEFORE the proles did. In Rome, whatever vestiges of the high old Roman virtues persisted into the first millenium, persisted among poorer provincials, not among elites. (The original Gladiator captures this nicely.) The same was true of England (remember, Churchill was half-American and his father was a populist). And the same, I think, is true in America.
I guess I'd suggest that our elites are apathetic, because they abandoned any culture that might have been worth trumpeting as superior to prole slop. It's easy to see why a Churchill might fight for Blenheim and Shakespeare. But who would fight for Beckett or the new Obamination?
It's another question, of course, why elites rejected their inheritance. But whatever the reason, it's not because of the working classes.
Let me just close with an example. The Astor Place Riots broke out because the elites were trying to queer Shakespeare, and the working classes stopped them. The lower classes probably need elites to teach them to aspire to love Shakespeare and high culture, but elites don't need the working classes to cause them to abandon the Bard. They are quite capable of that by themselves. I would like to believe that the working classes only abandon their aspiration to great culture after elites have made high culture disgusting.
Much more accurate.
British historian AJP Taylor, in his The First World War and Its Aftermath, argues that this spiritual crisis came in the wake of the Great War. I tend to agree, though the Depression and the FDR era certainly didn’t help -
WWI was the mortal wound, in between was the agony of death approaching, and WWII was the coup de grace. Everything after was just the rotting corpse.
From an Eternal perspective, there is all the hope in the world. Things will ultimately be fixed.
Before then, I do think there are growing movements that are pushing back on it all and that it will culminate in certain parts of the world correcting itself. Orania for instance as has been mentioned a few times here. Or places like Amish and Mennonite communities that have resisted pretty well, all things considered. Look at the Mennonite settlements in Belize for instance. I just don't think it will happen the world over like it sorta was during the Victorian and earlier Edwardian periods.
Although I shouldn't put limits on God by saying so.
Much truth in this
It’s entropy. The laws of thermodynamics are absolute.
"...the British landed elite lasted so long into modernity because it made itself attractive in terms of everything from aesthetics to beliefs, and so the upwardly mobile segments of society, particularly the politically influential middle class, sought to emulate it."
Another major factor, I would argue, was the commitment of said aristocracy to public service; particularly military service. All sons, especially second and on, were expected to serve. If they were unsuited to warfare, then as scientists, diplomats, civil servants, etc. etc. etc. To do otherwise was to bring shame on the family name and likely expulsion from those social circles.
I wrote an article about how early in my engineering career a wise person tried to explain that I needed to dress far more professionally. My dress was slovenly but I wore it like a badge of honor. How wrong I was.
That cool infographic isn’t Fussell, it’s Russell Lynes for LIFE in 1949! There’s a whole essay that goes with it, but the graphic was for the lowbrow.
Ah, shoot. Thank you, I will edit that.
This is fantastic. A lot of us feel overwhelmed at the scale of the decline and feel helpless to do anything about it. How are you thinking about the future?
I’m going to do an article on Tuesday about how I think we can push back against it. It is a massive problem though
Intentional counter-liberal communities, commonwealths composed of neo-traditionalists, of restorationist bent would be best bet:
https://christianstatesmanmag.substack.com/p/the-forgotten-frontiers-phantom-islands
😓 How I wish you were wrong…
Me too. It’s quite sad
I’ve been trying to bring back hats my entire life for some reason
Do you think that prole drift is an inevitable consequence of democratization? Politicians and celebrities rely on popular support more than ever, and one way to get it is to be relatable to the populace. Theres a huge voting and consumer block made up of unsuccessful and resentful people.
Yes, I very much think so
Particularly, the sort of democracy we now have where a plutocratic elite tries to manage the mob by unleashing the bureaucracy, is particularly harmful
Many of these problems weren’t around when the “democracy” was led by gentlemen, as then the culture was at least better and encouraged making oneself better rather than falling into the pit of decay
If I might offer a more concise emendation to the final sentence: "Such is the world *that* prole drift, and the feckless elite *which* has allowed it, has created."
And thanks for the "Un Petit Guide" and the "Everyday Tastes" chart, as well.
Thanks!
Wow. That was the most comprehensive and insightful of overview of the underbelly of Western societies degrading of what once was a girding foundation of values that kept us from collapsing upon our lesser selves.
Thank you!
I wear tweed and city apparel, never underestimate the well made footwear too. I also read books which is anathema to many. I favour Wagner and Beethoven over Bach, though i have a few of his pieces. am not an American but Western Europe has suffered the same prole drift. I am not old but refuse to let civilisation die whilst i'm alive.
Thanks for saying so clearly what nobody wants to admit! It’s all very demoralizing.