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Plutocracy
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See the Wikipedia articles on “Dark Enlightenment” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_En...) and Curtis Yarvin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_...). These articles explain, among other things, the outsized influence of Curtis Yarvin and his “Dark Enlightenment” ideology on MAGA leaders, including, among several others, Vice President JD Vance.
Per these articles and the sources cited in them, the goal of this movement is to create an economic libertarian plutocratic dictatorship in which capitalistic elites will replace democracy.
This Facebook post connects the dots: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BDZ....
The foregoing may sound like a conspiracy theory, but facts are facts, especially when they come out of the mouths of the conspirators.
Although Elon Musk has apparently not publicly endorsed Curtis Yarvin’s “Dark Enlightenment” ideology, Musk’s concept of “Dark MAGA” is similar. I asked Microsoft Copilot AI “What does Elon Musk mean by ‘Dark MAGA’?” It responded as follows:
Elon Musk has publicly embraced the term “Dark MAGA,” which is associated with a more aggressive and authoritarian version of the “Make America Great Again” movement. The concept often portrays Donald Trump as a powerful figure determined to restore America by any means necessary, borrowing dystopian aesthetics like black MAGA hats and Terminator-like imagery. Musk has worn the black “Dark MAGA” hat at political events, signaling alignment with this intensified vision of the movement.I have omitted the citations linked in the foregoing AI response, but you can find them by rerunning the AI search.
It’s worth noting that “Dark MAGA” began as an internet meme but has evolved into a symbol for pushing extreme narratives and aesthetics into mainstream conservative politics. Musk’s adoption of the term and imagery has sparked strong reactions, with some viewing it as a bold statement and others as a controversial endorsement.
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Solon (c. 639 – c. 560 BCE) was the famous lawgiver of ancient Athens who moderated and settled a dispute between wealthy landowners in control at that time of the Athenian government and the mass of people, many of whom were serfs of those landowners.
During the fourth century BCE, the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote a treatise on the history of the Athenian political order. Here are some of his remarks about Solon:
This being the political order and the many being serfs of the few, the common people rose against the upper class. When the civil discord had become violent and the two opposing parties had been set against each other for a long time, they chose, by mutual agreement, Solon as their mediator and Archon and entrusted the state to him. This happened after he had composed the elegy that begins: . . . “You who are plunged into a surfeit of many goods restrain the strong desires in your breast, let your proud mind be set on moderate aims. For we shall not submit to you, and not everything will turn out according to your wishes.”Aristotle, Constitution of Athens and Related Texts , trans. and ed. Kurt von Fritz and Ernest Kapp (Hafner Press, 1974), 72–73.
According to https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/... (last updated January 20, 2025), “A plutocracy is a type of government that effectively allows only wealthy people to rule, which can result in policies exclusively designed to assist the wealthy. Such a dynamic is reflected in the word itself; the Greek words ‘Ploutos’ and ‘Kratos’ translate to wealthy and power, respectively.” See the above-linked webpage for additional information about plutocracy.
The present topic uses the term “plutocracy” to include political systems in which wealth is dominant even if not formally controlling. Examples include the American Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Age) and the present Gilded Age of the dominance of billionaires in both the executive and legislative branches of US federal and state governments.
With regard to both the former and present US plutocratic Gilded Ages, see also this excellent, historically informed March 2, 2025 Politico article titled “The Gilded Age Is Back—And That Should Worry Conservatives”: https://www.politico.com/news/magazin....