354 bombertotheordinarycivilianwhosefrailbodyhasbecome thenaturaltargetofcosmicexplosives,modernmanisphysiologicalycondemnedtospiritualtorpor.Hehasnousefor thinking,sincethinkingcanbeofnousetohim.Afteraday ofworkinamoderncity,noenergyisleft fortheefortsof theimaginationorforanyactiveemotionallife.Artisticreceptivity,meditation,andtheserenecontemplationofmo- tionlessforms,areequalyimpossible.Whilethemoviesfeed theiraudienceswithready-madeandsuitablyfleetingimages. 4. Forthelasttwentyyears,preciselythisrelationshipbetween"ochlocracy,"plutocracy,andthetotalitarianState, hasbeenthestumblingblockofMarxistcriticism.Marxism hasvainlyatemptedtoexplaintheevolutionof "liberal" capitalismtowardStatecapitalism,andthedeviationof the generalwill" ofthemassestowardauthoritarianStates.This istheproblemofthe"thirdalternative"whichDwightMacdonaldhasrightlyafirmedtoexistbetweencapitalismanda Socialistorganisationofsociety. It isalsotheproblemofthe "NewClassSociety"soconscientiouslyanalyzedbyPeter Meyerin POLITICS. ThediscussionwithW.P.Taylor(December,1944)showstowhatextentthisunexpectedcompli- cationofthetraditionalviewsismetby"progressivedemocrats"with littlemorethananindignantrefusaltounder- staBned. itempiricalyidentifiedwiththetrusts,the"economic royalists,"the200families(orthe2,000,asinancientRome), orthe"uppertenthousand,"plutocracydoesnotseemdifficulttodefine.Oneshouldaddthattheadditionof"kratos" to"plutos"soundsrathersuperfluous.Thewealthiesthave alwaysbeenthestrongest.Thiswastrueofthehighpriests ofAmmon,whoownedthousandsofserfsandmilionsof acresofEgypt'sland;oftheChurchunderInnocentIII, fat withbeneficesandtithes;ofthePersiansatraps;oftheChinese warlords;oftheThessalianlandowners;oftheFrenchfeudal lordswhomJoinvilecalls"lesricheshommes",of theshipbuildersandmerchantswhoruledCorinthandVenice;etc. Butforaregimetobecorrectlydefinedaplutocracy,certainconditionsmustbefulfilled: first of all,accumulated money("odorlessmoney,"astheFrenchhavecaledit)must havethepowertobuyanything,fromlandtoofices,from thetreasuresofGolcondatomen'sconsciencesandhonor. TheobsessionwithmoneyanditspowerintheElizabethan drama,andalreadyintheGreeklyricsoftheSixthcentury B.C.,expresseswel theshockcausedbysuchafact,whenit stillappearsasanovelty. Thesecondconditionisthedifusion,throughoutthesocial structure,ofarationalisticattitudeunderminingandunmaskingaspretenseallthevaluesonwhichtheprestigeofroyalty, priesthood,birth,andofrespectabilityitself,wassupposedto bebBaus t e ,adb . oveall,theaccumulationanduseofwealthmust haveopenlytakentheformofshameel sspillaging,ofwhat theGermanscalprecisely Raubbau—robbers' economywith itsaccompanimentofusuryonthegreatestscale;plunderof thecoloniesandoftheconqueredcountries;armamentsand war;andtheexploitationofthefiscalapparatusforpersonal enrichment. SuchwasthesituationinRomeduringthelasttwocen- turiesof theRepublic;andsuchisalsotheformtakenby moderncapitalismin its"imperialisticphase,"andspecialy after1920. Asforthe"ochlos," it isofcourse,theveryoppositeof whatwemeanby"thepeople": it isthepeopleuprootedfrom itscommunities,obliviousof its"mores,"withnothingleft of itsoriginalmythologybut a fewdiscoloredshredsof ,saweratition. . bioliotecaGinoBianco (C polities Theancient"ochlos"wasmadeupofpeasantschased out oftheirancestralstripsof land;of all thehumanrubbish whichkeptonswarmingintheportsoftheMiddleEast,and asloofthemassesofslavesscrambledtogetheranddispersed aswhen,inDelos,tenthousandheadsofhumancattlewere beingauctionedoff inasingleday. Asforthemodern"ochlos,"onlyasectionof it andnot themostimportantcanbemadetocorespondtowhatthe Marxistscal Lumpenproletariat. Todescribethemostnumer- ous,andmostsignificant,componentofthemodern"ochlos," Marxismhasnotbeenableto findabettertermthanthe veryelastic,andbynowcompletelywornoutone,of"pettyboOur nge tho is isiep ."oint,also,asonmanyothers,wearebadlyinneed ofsomemoredetailedanalysis. II. "ATheoryofPopularCulture,"byDwight Macdonald;Politics,February,1944. DwightMacdonalddistinguishes: 1) a HighCulture, whichhetendstoidentifywiththeproductsoftheavantgarde;2) a"PopularCulturefortheelite,"whichseemsto corespondtoacademicism;3) a"FolkArt"whichissupposedtobe"thecommonpeople'sowninstitution"and it issignificantthat inthisconnectiononlyArt ismentioned, disregardingtheotheraspectsofculture:philosophy,scien- tificnotions,moralnorms,formsandritesof sociability; 4)finally,PopularCulturefortheMasses,whichisconsid- eredtobe:a) fairlydebased;b) "aninstrumentofsocial domination,"butaformofculturenevertheless,i.e.,aform oftheeducationofsensibilityandinteligence. MayIsuggestthatafewessentialfactorsarehereneglected? 1. The People andthe niassesare twoentirelydiferentreali- ties.GeorgesGurvitchhasrightlypointedoutthatthe mass isaformofhumanrelationshipswhich,tostartwith,has nothingtodowiththenumberofindividualsinvolved.The massisawayofcompletelydisregardingthepersonalityof theotherfelowbysimplyadjustingoneselfmechanicallyto hisexternalmovements.Itinvolvesaformofsociabilitywhich isatthesametimeprimitiveandinhuman,insofarascritical consciousness,choice,andthepluralityofspontaneoussocial relations,aredefinitelyabsentfromit. The people, ontheotherhand,necessarilyimpliestheex- istenceof apermanentcommunity,andthepossibilityof communoi nintherealizationofhighervaluesthanthosede- rivedfrommereutilitarianexpediency. 2. Initself,andfor itself,andinsofarasexploitersanddema- gogueshaveavestedinterest in itsexistence,the mass cannothaveanyculture, ifweagreethatcultureimpliesacer- tainactivity,acertainfreechoice,onthepartoftheindividualwho"cultivateshimself"oragreesto"becultivated." Mascanonlyreceivepsychologicalshocks(towhichitusuallyreactsbycolectivehysteria)or imperativesuggestions whoseresultsarepanic,theautomatismof thesoldier,the obliviousandhopelessresignationof thebeastofburden. 3. Prussianorfascistdrill istheveryoppositeofeducation. AndtheastutethwartingofahumansoulbyJesuitorCalvinistpedagogyisalsonothingbuttheperversionofwhatwe ordinarilymeanbycultureoreducation. Hence,thereissuchathinginsocietyasthepossibilityof an"anti-culture,"aswelasofasheerlackofculture.The Eskmi ospossessaculture.Butallweknowofthewretched Fijiansseemstoindicatetheabsenceamongthemofany
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