POM! (1)
From Power: A New Social Analysis by Bertrand Russell (London: Unwin Brothers Ltd, 1939), pp. 30:
The psychology of the oligarch who depends upon mechanical power is not, as yet, anywhere fully developed. It is however, an imminent possibility … It would now be feasible for a technically trained oligarchy, by controlling aeroplanes, navies, power stations, motor transport, and so on, to establish a dictatorship demanding no conciliation of subjects.
I’ll ramble more than usual today in an attempt to write just as it comes. I initially wanted to update readers about the last eight months since I started working on developing and maintaining new habits, but I wasn’t particularly keen on doing that this week. The update would have been easier to write, but “I don't want peace. I want problems, always.” If you got that, you got it, if not, forget about it. I am more fascinated by Bertrand Russell’s ability to foresee the rise of tech oligarchs almost a century before. When those words are mentioned, many people immediately think of Russian billionaires. If you doubt that statement, search “oligarch” on Google and click on the news section while you’re at it. Don’t stop there, click the 20th page or any random page and the results would probably still be about Russian individuals. The media contributed significantly to how we now perceive those words. In Bertrand’s time, I am certain those words were not exclusively associated with Russian billionaires. If you move beyond the “new” meaning of the words, you’ll find that it refers to a setup where a small group of people run a country or organisation. So in some ways, even a democracy can be an oligarchy. If you think about it, sometimes, it feels like a small group of people or families are always the one in charge of running the country. It almost feels dynastic or monarchical. Let’s pair the word oligarch with elite; although they are not the same, they aren’t that dissimilar. Why? With time, elites become oligarchs. I like how the Longman dictionary defines elite as “a group of people who have a lot of power and influence because they have money, knowledge, or special skills.” On the other hand, Oxford defines it as “belonging to a small but powerful and influential group in society, usually rich and intelligent.” 🐾
There are various types of elites, such as intellectual elites, political elites, religious elites, tech elites, military elites, and many more. The first time I checked what the word ‘elite’ meant was in 2020 when the tweet above triggered my curiosity. The part of the tweet that stuck out for me was “the elites think everything is now by the internet.” From the tweet, I inferred that the dude didn't consider himself part of the elite. That the elites are other people, not him. His Twitter bio reads: “Chief Spokesman, APC Pres. Campaign (2019 & 2023); Min of State, Labour (2019-2023); Senior Advocate of Nigeria; Commander of the Order of the Niger; FCIArb(UK).' If this isn't considered elite, then I personally don't know what is. This is somebody who has, for the last two decades or more, had access to the corridors of power, influencing policies that affect millions of people. He either doesn't understand the gravity of his influence, or the dude is just not being transparent, or downright duplicitous. It reminded me of Hanlon's Razor: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” People who are privileged often find it quite hard to sense their privilege or even know that they are privileged or part of an elite. It’s like trying to explain water to a fish. It’s just there. I, personally, am more privileged than I am not — that’s just the most opaque way to explain it. I am guessing the reason people shy away from considering themselves elite or privileged is that when the pitchforks come, it would be their heads on spikes. So you have an incentive to either pretend you have no influence or avoid using your influence by doing things that won’t require it. It’s the same as when we procrastinate on a task by doing another task that is far easier, so we don’t have to do the original task. The constant comparison with others who have a higher status than us is why many people don't consider themselves privileged or part of the elite. Like I said, the privileged are other people, never us. In our group, we might feel like we're not doing as great as others, and that makes us think we're at the lowest level. But what we're actually doing is making a bubble where we compare status, forgetting that some people can't even enjoy many of the things we take for granted. 🐸
The elites marry each other, probably attended the same schools and share similar views on many topics. They use gossip or subtle techniques of reputational damage to keep each other in check. Even their problems are weirdly similar. Eliteship (not a word, don’t bother checking) is not inherently bad, as it's nearly impossible to avoid having some form of elite group in society at any point. Some people start off with many advantages, and in some cases, individuals who initially had disadvantages can outperform those who had initial advantages. It's far easier now to hold positions of power (I suppose I am speaking from a place of privilege). If people are becoming more educated, taking on more responsibilities, and doing a great job at it, eventually, others see your competence and start giving you more opportunities. As you get older, in certain jobs/professions, your influence and earning power increase. I think it's not about hiding privilege; it's more about embracing it and understanding the responsibility that comes with it. It's similar to how, when you hold a position of power, you are and will be held to a higher standard. If you don’t want to be held to that standard, then don’t bother. For instance, If you’re a man, keep your genital in your pants and don’t take advantage of women in or out of the workplace. Don’t be a tyrant. If you are a woman, try to mentor or uplift other women; don’t shatter the ceiling and then seal it off again. Also, don’t be a tyrant! Britannica added a bit more spice to the definition of oligarchy. It says, that it is a group of people using their power for corrupt of selfish purposes. Power is the ability to bring about an outcome. The problem is not having power. The problem is what outcome do you want to bring about? I suppose that is why many people are scared of power. It’s that they have no idea how they will behave when they have it. If you have not articulated what you want to do with it or how you will wield it, please stay away. Here’s my take: Use power for prosocial ends. But before you wield power, at least start getting used to doing prosocial things. Because if “good” people avoid power, it's the “worst” kinds who would continue to be attracted to it. 🦌
Thanks for reading. If there's anything you'd like to chat about, or if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you. :)