Great interview, thanks for posting it. The managerial class is relatively comfortable materially, but their mental health tends to be poor because at some point they realise that they have spent their life not really achieving anything. Hence the book 'Bullshit Jobs' by the late David Graeber. This was anticipated by the 1970's TV series "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin".
Yes it is interesting contemplating “satisfaction” as their life progresses. Just thinking about the Latin root of that word “enough” + “make do” which originally had a moral/spiritual leaning but moved to a more superficial sense of ‘to satiate’ (as in physical hunger). ‘Man does not live by bread alone’ and all that. Is this a greater malaise of spiritual impoverishment we are witnessing? Are we sowing the seeds for further destruction without contemplating and enacting more basic human needs. This is quite timely (your comment - as I am ‘talking aloud’ (riffing) as I type) Scot Gov has just released another consultation on schools. For Religious and Moral Education to be put in line with UNCRC. Perfect example of managerialism but also a reflection of seeing RE as something….to be commodified. ‘Just a box’. It completely devalues religion in families lives. The consultation wants children to be interrogated prior to participating in any religious activity or lesson. To ensure ‘they have consented’ . It’s bizarre at best. But indicates- for me- the fracturing of every element of life. And even the ones that ultimately (perhaps) will bring the most satisfaction. In any case the state trying to take the place of families is nothing new under the Sun.
Thanks for the reply, Kate. The managerial class relates to my recent essay about consumer-communism here on Substack. The People are nominally allowed to make choices, but must be educated to make correct choices, and then managed for life to ensure they continue to make correct choices. This is consistent with the Leninist idea of a progressive vanguard which leads the proletariat to a higher state of political consciousness, whether they want to be led or not.
To be reactionary is secular sin, and to be counter-revolutionary is heretical. I don't think it's post-religion; I see it more as a syncretic Eastern religion which does not feature an Abrahamic 'God' with a capital G. Allegedly, early Christian gnostics were in contact with the work of Buddhist mystics from India. The spiritual revival of the 1960's counterculture could have something to do with the current implementation of gnosticism as gender woo; I'm currently researching an essay on Jung's bridge between Gnostic texts and Californian psychotherapy cults.
And of course there is the influence of paternalistic Confucianism, politics as moral instruction, via East Asian cultures which we are now dependent on for our everyday needs, due to the rise of the trans-ideological corporation.
That all makes sense. ‘Consumer communism’ fits it neatly. I can see how that props up the Quango class here in Scotland as well. I am digging more into the UNCRC adoption and implications here and find that despite it only being adopted into law in July (with no critical faculty applied to understand unintended consequences) already 99 organisations are agents of its evangelism. Every element of our children’s lives is soon to be scrutinised and managed by the new moral high priests.
I think your bridge to the 1960s counter culture/new age etc is really vital in understanding the whole thing. I myself fell into that ‘trap’ in the 1990s/early 2000s only to be drawn out again when saw the wider implications for my son.
It is interesting for me to consider that many (in America at least) are flocking back to orthodoxy in Christianity. And that free will is a central tenet of Christian faith. Katharine Watt writes about this very cogently. Unlike this new orthodoxy which - as you point out and as evident in things like UNCRC- parrot ‘consent’ and ‘choice’ as long as the ‘acceptable’ choice.
The revealing factor in 'choice' under consumer-communism is that the range of possible choices is pre-ordained. Can I have free money from the government to become a scuba diver in the Maldives? No. Can I have the exact same amount of money to make a film that no-one will watch, imparting correct moral attitudes regarding non-binary polyamorous kilt-weavers? Yes, if I have the correct protected characteristics. This turbo-charged with the National Lottery putting prole money to use under the watchful eye of arts commissars.
Can the two of you have a conversation every week that we can tune in to, please?
This conversation is so engaging, enlightening~on so many levels. In your debt on the in-depth exploration of the managerial class, including the talk of the Department of Unintended Consequences!~ ha ha, loving every moment of this exchange. Taking notes!~
Thank you so much! It certainly inspired me - glad you felt the same ☺️ Ewan and I definitely will be doing another- we both felt there was a lot more to discuss.
Great interview, thanks for posting it. The managerial class is relatively comfortable materially, but their mental health tends to be poor because at some point they realise that they have spent their life not really achieving anything. Hence the book 'Bullshit Jobs' by the late David Graeber. This was anticipated by the 1970's TV series "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin".
Yes it is interesting contemplating “satisfaction” as their life progresses. Just thinking about the Latin root of that word “enough” + “make do” which originally had a moral/spiritual leaning but moved to a more superficial sense of ‘to satiate’ (as in physical hunger). ‘Man does not live by bread alone’ and all that. Is this a greater malaise of spiritual impoverishment we are witnessing? Are we sowing the seeds for further destruction without contemplating and enacting more basic human needs. This is quite timely (your comment - as I am ‘talking aloud’ (riffing) as I type) Scot Gov has just released another consultation on schools. For Religious and Moral Education to be put in line with UNCRC. Perfect example of managerialism but also a reflection of seeing RE as something….to be commodified. ‘Just a box’. It completely devalues religion in families lives. The consultation wants children to be interrogated prior to participating in any religious activity or lesson. To ensure ‘they have consented’ . It’s bizarre at best. But indicates- for me- the fracturing of every element of life. And even the ones that ultimately (perhaps) will bring the most satisfaction. In any case the state trying to take the place of families is nothing new under the Sun.
Thanks for the reply, Kate. The managerial class relates to my recent essay about consumer-communism here on Substack. The People are nominally allowed to make choices, but must be educated to make correct choices, and then managed for life to ensure they continue to make correct choices. This is consistent with the Leninist idea of a progressive vanguard which leads the proletariat to a higher state of political consciousness, whether they want to be led or not.
To be reactionary is secular sin, and to be counter-revolutionary is heretical. I don't think it's post-religion; I see it more as a syncretic Eastern religion which does not feature an Abrahamic 'God' with a capital G. Allegedly, early Christian gnostics were in contact with the work of Buddhist mystics from India. The spiritual revival of the 1960's counterculture could have something to do with the current implementation of gnosticism as gender woo; I'm currently researching an essay on Jung's bridge between Gnostic texts and Californian psychotherapy cults.
And of course there is the influence of paternalistic Confucianism, politics as moral instruction, via East Asian cultures which we are now dependent on for our everyday needs, due to the rise of the trans-ideological corporation.
That all makes sense. ‘Consumer communism’ fits it neatly. I can see how that props up the Quango class here in Scotland as well. I am digging more into the UNCRC adoption and implications here and find that despite it only being adopted into law in July (with no critical faculty applied to understand unintended consequences) already 99 organisations are agents of its evangelism. Every element of our children’s lives is soon to be scrutinised and managed by the new moral high priests.
I think your bridge to the 1960s counter culture/new age etc is really vital in understanding the whole thing. I myself fell into that ‘trap’ in the 1990s/early 2000s only to be drawn out again when saw the wider implications for my son.
It is interesting for me to consider that many (in America at least) are flocking back to orthodoxy in Christianity. And that free will is a central tenet of Christian faith. Katharine Watt writes about this very cogently. Unlike this new orthodoxy which - as you point out and as evident in things like UNCRC- parrot ‘consent’ and ‘choice’ as long as the ‘acceptable’ choice.
The revealing factor in 'choice' under consumer-communism is that the range of possible choices is pre-ordained. Can I have free money from the government to become a scuba diver in the Maldives? No. Can I have the exact same amount of money to make a film that no-one will watch, imparting correct moral attitudes regarding non-binary polyamorous kilt-weavers? Yes, if I have the correct protected characteristics. This turbo-charged with the National Lottery putting prole money to use under the watchful eye of arts commissars.
a hundred percent
Can the two of you have a conversation every week that we can tune in to, please?
This conversation is so engaging, enlightening~on so many levels. In your debt on the in-depth exploration of the managerial class, including the talk of the Department of Unintended Consequences!~ ha ha, loving every moment of this exchange. Taking notes!~
Thank you so much! It certainly inspired me - glad you felt the same ☺️ Ewan and I definitely will be doing another- we both felt there was a lot more to discuss.
Excellent news here, that I can look forward to more from the two of you. And you are welcome so much!~~Blessings!~~will be tuning in again.