Does history always repeat itself?

[midcan5]

'The Scary New Rich'

'The global middle class is more unstable and less liberal than we thought.'

"...As China, Brazil, Russia, Turkey, India, Indonesia, and other large developing nations became more prosperous, it was always assumed that they would become more like the suburbs of Washington or London—liberal, democratic, market-friendly bastions not only of Western-style consumerism but also of political liberty. With time and wealth, "they" would become just like "us."

What, then, to make of recent news events like the Brazilian middle class applauding more state control of the oil industry to keep out greedy foreign firms, or the continuing popularity of Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin among the Russian middle class, now 78 percent of the total population? Then there's the middle-class support for the rise of conservative Islam in Indonesia, which has pushed through a new anti-pornography law and may soon create halal cities, where all food must be served according to strict Islamic rules. These new spins on middle-class values mix, in many places, with distinctly anti-Western forms of nationalism. The increasing patriotism of affluent young Chinese has created an industry for popular books like "The China Dream." which urges China to launch a military buildup in preparation for a coming conflict with the U.S...."

By Rana Foroohar and Mac Margolis | Newsweek

An unstable and less liberal global middle class - Newsweek.com

 

[whaleboat]

Yes history repeats itself , or maybe human nature does , The haves have always sought government or some other authority to protect them from the have-nots . Just look at gated communities for instance , the people who live behind the gates have a certain amount of control through a property owners association on who can enter the community . The trade-off for this protection is that the property owner's association tells you what color to paint your house , what you can park in your driveway , makes you mow your lawn regular etc. etc . It was the same type of relationship between kings and nobles . The nobles got the king's protection , but all the noble's son's were at the king's disposal . To make war on the nieghboring kingdom or whatever .

 

[whaleboat]

To expand on that thought , probably the biggest percentage of Americans look to government for control , One side demanding protection of quality of life , standards of living , and guarantee of individual liberty outlined by our Founding Fathers , and the other side looks to government to make enforceable an ideology that has been rejected by Americans since the late 19th century .