When we come to the final and perfect association, formed from a number of villages, we have already reached the polis- and association which may be said to have reached the height of full self-sufficiency; or rather we may say that while it grows for the sake of mere life, it exists for the sake of a good life.
Because it is the completion of associations existing by nature, every polis exists by nature, having itself the same quality as the earlier associations from which it grew. It is the end or consummation to which those associations move, and the ‘nature’ of things consists in their end or consummation; for what each thing is when its growth is completed we call the nature of that thing, whether it be a man or a horse or a family.
- Aristotle Politics Book 1 Chapter 2
Over the weekend, I had a good chat with a dear friend. One of two that I have let known the existence of this piece of my soul.
He brought up an objection to this series - that the Polis is meant to work towards the common good of man, and the good life. That, if there is a DC Polis ruling over America, it’s not really a Polis.
To which I said that a man is made to live the good life. He is made and meant to attain to Heaven. Him sinning makes him no less a man, nor does a Polis acting evilly and destroying the common good of those it rules make it not a Polis.
Though, I will add here, it does reduce it’s strength.
You see, as I pointed out in the other post, DC has been strip mining the Empire for decades. As has Hollywood, the CIA, the FBI, NYC, etc. They’ve added stone upon stone to the backs of their people’s, while destroying the common good, and making any nascent Polis impossible to form.
And this is just in the US Empire. The West as a whole is just as bad.
So, when we look at how we have faired in battles, proxy and otherwise, how are we holding up against those who have actual Polis’s? Who seem to (from my admittedly half way around the world, very uninformed, trying to be unbiased view) have a shared people, know it, and either govern themselves or be fighting the West to govern themselves after years of colonial rule?
Ukraine - Russia is using, primarily, local Militants with surplus arms, besides the artillery and missiles. Score one for Polis vs Globalists
Palestine - Currently getting it’s butt kicked in deaths. But there’s rifts forming in Israel and the West. I don’t think it will end well for Israel - as in, I think it will end so poorly that they would have been better off if they had just nuked the place as a first response. Yes, I think they’ll mess it up that bad in the end. And the West will pay in blood if it’s not careful to separate before it does.
France and Africa - As
has written in multiple articles, France is on the run. It’s lost multiple of it’s Sahel Colonies - Niger, Faso, and Mali. After they did that last year, I was talking to a hospital nurse from Niger, and his face just lite up. I have no idea when he last visited, but it was clear he was happy for his people.The US - Where are we not in retreat? Africa we seem to be losing a base every week. Niger, Chad. Afghanistan was obviously a turning point, but we haven’t won a war since WWII, we just didn’t show it so obviously to the world. Our ships are struck at and bombed in the Middle East by non-state actors, and we can’t do anything about it. Our control of the seas is done. Our army is over. We just haven’t shown it yet, but it’ll happen - the generals I’m sure know it, and simply are doing all they can to prolong the date with fate.
Haiti - This place is a mess, and it’s the Clinton’s fault. After the earthquake, they siphoned off most of the money gathered for the aid, and the US keeps strip mining it for metals. To me, something this close is telling. Oh, and a side order of cannibalism, Barbeque style.
Mexico - This might sound ridiculous, but growing up, I had the impression that Mexico really was kind of our dog. Then, as I got older, our partner. That, when Trump says, “We’ll have Mexico pay for it.” - that statement wouldn’t be out of place 20 years ago. Now, Mexico seems like a wild card. Where’s the Cartel money go? Who are they loyal to? I doubt it’s just the $’s. Would they get in bed with a Bear? A Dragon? I’m not so sure about anything anymore…
Russia - Need I say more? These people seem to have Polis. In spades. Vlad the Impaler would have to post skulls in public to be able to keep people in line, unless he actually ruled to keep them happy and for their good, with as many ethnic and religious background as Russia has in it’s borders.
China - As with the Bear, the same for the Dragon. Please, stop believing the Uyghur propaganda. Or, if one must, look at both the cities of the Uyghurs, that of our own inner cities, and also compare law stats of the two, treatment of the two, and income of the two. Then tell me which is a slave. Oh, and Taiwan is Chinese more than Hawaii is US, and we’d lose that fight if we wanted to keep them out of the Island. And if we tried we might lose both Taiwan and Hawaii to China, and Alaska to Russia.
The Middle East - They’re all different countries, and a crazy amount of different ethnicities, races, and religions. BUT! They all know their roots. And that’s why, from the Zoroastrians, to the different sects of Islam, the Eastern Orthodox, the Marian, Coptic, and Latin Catholics…. Everyone in that area, that miserable, hard as nails, crucible, beautiful, awe inspiring area… Wants to be there, for the most part. They’re tied to it.
And that gets to the heart of this.
These groups…
Every one of them.
They’re not strip mined.
They’re not loaded with stones of debt.
Not burdened by the choices of previous generations.
They’ve been hardened by generations of crucibles. They love their culture. Their family. Their religion. Their Polis.
They might not like certain things about them.
But they’re theirs.
And to hell with anyone that would take that from them.
Mean while we, here in the US. The best thing we have for a Polis is DC, Hollywood, and The Military Industrial Complex.
And all three are happy to send boys named Sue to the front lines.
And make more boys named Sue to replace the ones that die.
That will go over about as well as I expect my audience, or hers, enjoyed the song.
Striped mined and striped my mind - just the way they like it.
Time to wash it with bleach.
The result of men’s taking these two lines is that two types of constitution - democracy and oligarch - are particularly prevalent. Good birth and merit are found in few persons; but the qualities on which democracy and oligarchy are based are found in much larger number. In no state would you find as many as a hundred men of good birth and merit: there are many in which you would find that number of wealthy persons. But a constitutional system based absolutely, and at all points, on either the oligarchical or the democratic conception of equality is a poor sort of thing. The facts are evidence enough: constitutions of this sort never endure. The reasons is simple. When one begins with an initial error, it is inevitable that one should end badly.
- Aristotle Politics Book V Chapter 1
But what about the efficiencies of debt-loaded private equity takeovers and consolidation? Isn't that what America was built off of?
lmao
very engaging thumbnail, 11/10