Progressives of today should enlist dear old Catherine the Great as mascot. Infatuated with the philosophes of the Enlightenment, Catherine read, wrote, and paid top dollar for the best in European art and literature. She was a pen-pal of Voltaire. The Hermitage Museum owes its collection to Catherine's work. By all appearances, through her enlightened speak, and her eloquent writing, Catherine could change Russia. She could enlighten the nobles, make literate the poor peasantry...
She would not. She wanted the crown and the crown she would get. She stated that her "trade" was to be and "autocrat." Her people once rebelled and were crushed by her mighty army. She realized that a powerful lower class meant a less powerful Catherine. That was unacceptable. A forward-thinking woman, an enlightenment believer, could not think so forward as to change the status quo.
The same or similar would occur across Europe during the 1700s. Monarchies, sympathetic to enlightenment ideals, but not so far as to change the power structure of society that served them so well. These Enlightened Despots are revered for their contributions to the Age of Reason, that they embraced the philosophes when they might have stifled them. That they brought small and often meaningless change to the lives of the poor is regarded as a step in the right direction. At least they did something, right?
Wrong. Why must we continue to swoon over the smallest ineffectual change, simply becasue it was bestowed upon us by the mighty, wealthy, and powerful? It is due to the fact that we expect the leaders of business and government to be self-serving. Any small shuffle in the right direction gets a standing ovation - or apparently a Nobel Peace Prize. We continue to praise Catherine for the crumbs that she gifted her people. Well, we are getting crumbs today and it is coming from the "enlightened" left who claimed to be "progressive" and who promised us change.
I submit to you our history repeating. We are in the company of many Catherines today. We have been led to believe that the men and women in power in the United States have our best interests at heart. That these so-called "progressives" in the White House and Congress have any motivation to change the status quo. Remember, it is this very system which has given them power and we cannot trust that the monarch will fold willingly simply because he or she has read a few leftist essays.
Here is how I am reminded of Catherine by the "progressives" of today. ( I continually use quotation marks when referring to the progressives because I am angered that these imposters have co-opted this term)We poor little peasants nedd sweeping and meaningful change. We need education. We need health care. We need jobs and housing. At every turn I see that we are exploited by insurance giants, corporations, banks and mortgage lenders. I also see that the recovery acts passed by our beloved progressives go to help and support these capitalist atrocities.
An enlightened despot is still a despot. A progressive capitalist is still a capitalist. Its not good enough.
Maybe these progressives only wanted power all along. Maybe they wanted change too, but it comes second to power. Maybe some believed in change and became drunk with power once they got it. Whatever the case, I am angry. All true leftists in this country should be angry. Livid. Disgusted. I feel that my philosohies, my morals, have been hijacked by the "progressives" and now tossed aside. I feel that we have entrusted despots to bring enlightenment. It doesn't work that way, does it, Catherine?
A monarch can be brilliant, beautiful, and say all the right things. But Catherine could not have changed anything of substance for her people unless she was willing to keep the "Enlightened" and get rid of the "Despot." An enlightened monarch is still a monarch. A progressive capitalist is still a capitalist. Neither is good enough for me. I will not applaud a joke of a change just because it is headed in the correct general direction.
Listen to our past, and pay attention closely to our present. Remember that change drips slow and stale from the top, but rushes and floods from below.
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