Marlee

I've been thinking about our last exchange.

Let's assume we put 1000 white people on a deserted island that can sustain them. Then we cut them off from the rest of the world. We return five years later.

I am sure we will find a stratified society. There will be white people at the top, white people in the middle, and white people at the bottom. It's human nature to develop a pecking order. And the more aggressive types get to be at the top.

When we throw in race or religion or ethnicity or gender, we have a more convienient way to determine who belongs in which caste. I recall one Star Trek TNG civilization where the good looking women called all the shots. Somehow the women got to the top when this society ordered itself--and they weren't interested in sharing power.

George Orwell, in his 1984 book, quantitized the three castes:

2% Inner Party who called the shots and live luxeriously

13% Outer Party, whe were the arms and legs of the Inner Party and had some luxeries.

85% Proles, who did all the real work and soldiering but lived a sparse lifestyle.

I think this proportion is the natural order of how any society naturally organizes itself, whether it be an oligarchy or democracy.

The post WW2 order of a strong middle class was an aberration of history. We are moving away back to "normal". Unfortunately!