MARCH,1946 85 THEMADKING I thinkthattherecentdiscussionin POLITICS ofpolitical andmoralresponsibilityborenofruit.Themotivationfor theenterprisewasdubious:wasitnot,inessence,thewish tofeelthatone'sowndecisionsmakeasocialdiference wherein facttheymakenodiference,byaccepting"re- sponsibility"forsocialcatastrophes?Wehavebeentreatedto thespectacleofDwightMacdonaldassuminghis shareoftheblameforHitler,andbycorolary, forBuchenwaldandDachau.Thisseemstometoreducethe conceptionofresponsibilitytouselessness:we know, you andIandthepaymasteroftheGermandeathcamp(whose words,whathave I done?asMacdonaldobserved,ring true)thatwearenotresponsibleforthosethings. In thisconnection I wouldliketoproposeanothertheoryof theLSet tau t se d , efinehimasresponsible,whorules.Noneother. Onewhofails toputuparesistancetooppressionmay bestupid,callous,lackingthepropervitamins,orsimply afraid(withgoodreason)butheisnotresponsible. "Hewhorules,callhimking."Thissentencecontains aprofoundmeaning.Dowenot allwishtobeableto pointtothesourceofourfate?Thepsychologicalmotivaetionfortheprincipaltheoreticalproductionoftheleft inthelastdecade,thetheoryof"bureaucraticcollectivism", was,inmyopinion,agrowingdesiretofindoutwhorealy rules,whoisrealyresponsible;whom,infact,tocallthe maTdhke i r ne gw. asadeepdiscontentwiththeformerconception ofthestateasarespectfulservantofthecapitalists.But thetheoreticansof "bureaucraticcolectivism"havemisunderstoodthenatureof socialdevelopmentin thelast decade.Themeaningof thenewphenomenon,theSlave State,isnot,astheyhavesupposed,theshiftingofpower fromthecapitalistclasstothebureaucracy,butthecapitalists'lossofcontroloverthesocialmachine,thestate. Theswelandprosperityofthebureaucraticstrataisofno moresignificance,asregardscontrol,thansayasimilar efectuponindustrial(butnot"managerial")technicians. Thefactthatmore,andmorehighlypaid,foremeninvest afactoryismerelyanindexofexpansion,andnoindicationthattheyhavereceivedpowerovertheenterprise.The directionofourfateisnownotdeterminedbythepeople, norbythebureaucracy,norevenbytheownersof the socialmachine,butbythesocialmachineitself. Astheeconomyhaslongsincebeenrunningblindand freefromcontrol,developingbytheself-propagationof abstractlaws,atnopointafectedbyanyhumandesire; sonowinourtime,whenit iscompeledbyitsinherent lawstomergewiththestate,sofarfromitsnowcoming underthecontrolofmen, it impartstothepoliticalstate also itsowndestructivequalities.Theeconomicmachine isnotbroughtundersubmissiontothestate;onthecontrary,thediferencenowisthat themachine,evolving,has acquired a super-brain, amuchmorecomplexandsensitive machine,thestate,capableofregulating it intheinterests ofefficiencybutobedienttoitsrigidlaws. If Imaybepermittedanextendedmetaphor:thecap- italistclassisnowinthepositionof atechnicianalone BibliotecaGinoBianco inacolossalfactorywhichneverstopsrunningandadd- ingtoitself,atemptingtosynchronizethemultiplyingaspectsofthemachinery.Everyhournewandcomplicated dialsandswitchesareatachedtothecontrolboardof whichthetechnicianhasnoknowledgeandwhichhedares notstoptostudy. In 1916hecannolongerpredictthe actionofthemachineryfromhismanipulationofthecon- trols. At thispoint,hisidiotchildatemptstostraighten thesituationout,andactualydoesgetaholdofsomeof theprincipalleversandmakesahorriblebotch.The techniciannowhastoworryaboutkeepinghimawayfrom therestof thecontrols.Prettysoontheonlyefectthe technicianhasonthefactoryistheuseofsomeoldcon- trols,buteventhesearenowactingqueerly.Suddenlyhe realizestohishorrorthatthefactoryitself isdeliberately nullifyingtheefectsofhismanipulations. Thisisthepositiontoday.WallStreetisjustaslikely, infact,morelikely, tobevaporizedasanyotherplace. Willthisevendelaythenextwar?Ofcoursenot:anyone cangodownandreadonthemeterofthemachineitsintentions.But thereisnothingtobedoneabout it; the machineryhasno"off"switch; it willpulverizetheowners ofthemachineandthejanitor,impartialy. Justasthecapitalistshavebeenpowerlesstocontrolthe economy, sonowtheyarepowerlesstocontrolthe state. Thisdoesnotpreventtheacquisitionofprofits,ofcourse. Oneof thepremisesof themachineistheprovisionof profits:thisis itssoleresponsibility, itsonlyproduct. I recalasceneafewyearsago,from Fantasia, whichstruck meashighlysymbolic,thoughprobablyunconsciouslyso. MickeyMouseoverhearsthemagicwordthat fillsanen- chantedpailwithwater.Oneeveningafterthesorcerer hasgoneouttogetdrunk,Mickeysneaksinandpronounces themagicword,just for fun. Butheisignorantof the wordthatstopstheprocess:thefloodrushesoutandfills thelonelycastle.The filmhasahappyending,thesorcererarriveswiththeotherwordintimetosaveMickey. Buttheonlysorcererthehumanraceisprovidedwith,that istosay,God,haslesstalentfordramaticefects. Thesignificanceofthedevelopmentofthestateinour timedoesnot lie inhumanitygainingmorecontrolover theeconomicmachine,asforinstancethebourgeoisliberals oftheMaxLerner*typesuppose, but in themachine's gainingmorecontroloverhumanity. Thecapitalists,theirstoogesthedictatorspresidentsgen- eralsliberalslawyerssecretaries,arejustkiddingus,and themselves,along;theyareasbasicalyfrightenedaswe are,mostofthem(theothersaretoonumbeventobe scared)like,perhaps,Frankensteinassuringusthathis monsterisrealyanicefelowwhenyougettoknowhim; hehasn'thadhisbreakfastyet,whichaccountsforhissur- liness. I t isonlylaterwelearnthatwearetobethe breakfast. Inmyopinion,theState,havingdevelopedsofarfrom itsoriginalpremise,or sin,cannotbecontroledany longer,eitherbythetechnicianorhisidiotchild(actualy agenius,whohasbeenderangedbycontinuousfrustration *Incidentaly,revertingtothequestionof responsibility,Lerner oncereferredobliquelyto the"ResponsibilityofPeoples" inone ofhisPM(ProfoundMeditations)pieces,saying "I amsick of suchabstractionsas 'if all areguilty,noneareguilty' ", little reflectinghowhehimselfmightstand inneedofsuchabstractions someday.
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