Nothing new under the sun. From "Practical Working of Trades' Unions" by Sir Archibald Alison, Sheriff of Lanarkshire in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, March 1838
“No one seemed to anticipate that the workmen themselves were to be the principal sufferers by the repeal, and that the despotic authority assumed by the Managing Committees was to be the source of far greater distress and suffering to the operatives than all the Combination Laws had been, or than any government, how despotic soever, could venture to inflict. Yet all this has now proved to be the case, and the misery thus brought upon the working classes by the tyrants of their own creation far exceeds in intensity any thing which has been produced even by the combined effect of scarcity of provisions and commercial embarrassment. A more memorable commentary never has been read on the prudence of intrusting the working-classes to their own guidance, according to the approved system of Modern Political Philosophy, or of the enormous peril even to themselves, of those principles of self-government, which are at once the most popular, the most common, and the most dangerous of the many false doctrines which for the last ten years have overspread the world. “If, indeed, the working classes could be brought to combine without violence and intimidation to others, much of the argument urged in support of the unlimited power of combination would be well founded, and by far the greatest part of the suffering they bring upon themselves and their fellows would be avoided. But experience proves that this never is the case: and a consideration of the disposition of human nature in such circumstances forbids the hope that it ever will be otherwise. Violence, terror, and intimidation, are in fact the foundation of all popular combination; and so universally is this the case, that it may be doubted whether there has been "so much as a single instance of combination, either before the repeal of the Combination Laws, or since that time, of a strike lasting for any considerable time without threats or violence to the new hands, having formed, either by express agreement or general understanding, an essential part of the system. Indeed, if you speak to an operative in any trade of striking, and conducting himself according to the principles he ostensibly professes, that is, of giving to others that liberty in disposing of their labor which he asserts for himself, he will at once, if you are in his confidence, laugh at your folly, and admit that, without intimidation and menaces to others, combination would be a mere empty name.” On Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 12:10 AM, Keith Hudson <[email protected] > wrote: > It's likely that we will never have an egalitarian society for one simple > reason -- the increasing complexity of our economy. > > The intellectual potential of any individual is largely fixed during the > pre-puberty years. His or her social and economic potential is largely fixed > during adolescence and very early adult years. > > For six million years of hominin existence this never used to be the case. > All the children of a group, whatever the rank order of their father, > experienced an almost identical environment around them. The massive culling > of neurons and the shaping of mental networks that takes place in the rear > cortex (perceptual and activity skills) would have been very similar. Today > it's different. Because of totally different home environments there's an > average gap of at least three or four years in the educability of children > at puberty between those in private schools and those in state schools. > > During adolescence, when millions of new neurons are grown in the frontal > cortex (social and future-planning skills) and new mental networks are > created, life-long social associations are created and the previous skills > gained by the rear cortex are developed and refined for adult use. By the > age of about 30 this is mostly over. The creativity of new ideas, career > specialization and social ranking (relative to the masses, but not yet > within the elite) is largely fixed. > > Ever since we left hunter-gathering behind and became civilized we have > become -- largely -- a two class society. In agricultural times the elite > class was very small indeed. In modern industrial (post-industrial?) times > the elite class is much larger -- about 25% I would estimate. This elite > class ranges from the very rich down to the specialized professionals > (increasingly that of scientists). Although very varied in composition, the > elite class is cohesive and socially interactive because they all send their > children to the same thin stream of private schools and the latter in turn > tend to go to elite universities. Friendships and social "debts" made there > tend to last for life. > > The Jesuits knew all about this. "Give us a child for seven years and he > will be ours for life." Count von Bismark knew all about this when he was > the first to institute free state schooling in Prussia for every child of > poor parents in order to produce a conditioned population who would > willingly follow him into warfare. England and other countries of Europe > soon followed. > > So there we are. Unless nation-states can release education to the choice > of parents and quality competition between schools -- as applies to most > consumer goods and services -- then the present socio-economic gap in > Western countries will only widen further in the coming years as jobs become > even more complex. It seems unlikely, but one or two advanced nations are > making feeble attempts and there are a few reformers such as Peter Lampl in > this country, so I could be wrong. > > But, otherwise, two distinct breeds of men seem certain in the foreseeable > future. And then, given that biologists are already adding to our genetic > knowledge at a rate never known in science before, it might only take one or > two genetic tricks . . . .? > > Keith > > Keith Hudson, Saltford, England http://allisstatus.wordpress.com/2010/12/ > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > -- Sandwichman
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