Hence the Henchmen

For most of us, it seems implausible that someone would want to be a lackey, enforcer, factotum or henchman. But it makes sense when you look at assumptions. Let's say you feel the only stable state for a society is hugely hierarchical. That power disparities are an immutable fact of life -- in fact, the immutable fact of life. Sacred. That life is, by Godly design, brutal, competitive, punitive and mean. 

But the reference point is what comes after you die, so, whatever. You would want to be an overseer on that plantation, right, and not one of the slaves? Now, how does this play out in an economy that has come unrooted from life necessities and basic needs? One in which energy subsidies have made the production of food, for example, an afterthought for most people? Clothing and shelter are trivial. 

That scenario must map onto something. Meaning, those assumptions of brutality, jealousy, inequality and arbitrary success must find a home. Somewhere. You become a troll. A virtual henchman and enforcer. Anonymity frees you up to be shamelessly vile and sadistic. Which sounds nuts until you see how anonymity plays out online, among the likes of incels. You feel powerful and significant.

Because you can cause pain. And, maybe one day Peter Thiel will hoist you from obscurity and run you for political office, as his man. One can dream, and this dream is more plausible than the one where you get a babe. Because it's happened to people with whom you can identify. And, if they make you rich, you can always get a babe. Stephen Miller was already rich. But, still, look at his trajectory.

And what is the headline on his resume? Professional racist? Johnny McEntee, former quarterback, became Trump's agent of purification, bullying extremely high level govenment employees and getting them fired. This goes back, like so many things, to the arrival of the College Republicans. Atwater, for example. Rove, Abramoff, Norquist and Ralph Reed. All rocketed into situations of enormous power.

Not in spite of being sadists and scumbags but because they were sadists and scumbags. So, a boy can reasonably dream. And for the average incel this dream is as good as any. The latest darling is Richard Hanania. Caught in the act of being a racist troll and he's publishing books and has a university job. In Texas, of course, the state that got so drunk on energy subsidies they never got over it.

I think Hanania actually got backed by Thiel, one of the money gods. And the super-rich, what about them? It's not what you think. They live in fear. That the little people will come after them. They construct or latch onto whole philosophical systems with only one point, their infinite deservedness. They become Social Darwinists. With one project, to put normal people down. Hence the henchmen.