We have become slaves to the idea of sounding convincing

I have a real grudge against the Enlightenment. Sure, the scholars of the Enlightenment pushed Western society towards democracy, moved us into a theoretically more egalitarian future, but they also ruined everything for everyone forever. The Enlightenment convinced us all that reasoned debate was the only thing that mattered and look where that's got us?

It's not that they started the problem, but finding the start of the problem feels pointless. The problem started so far back that it's impossible to pinpoint; the problem starts with the first person to realise that controlling resources would give them power; the problem grows as people with wealth and power use that wealth and power to accrue more and more of both.

The problem is perhaps that once you have wealth and power you don't have much time to enjoy it before you realise that everyone around you wants to take it from you. You have to shore up your defences against the mewling crowds.

The patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism — all of these are systems of allowing the very rich to maintain control of where power is held.

There are many methods you can use to hold on to power and I'm sure I've complained about them all at one time or another, but the one I want to talk about today is this: pretending that you are such a special boy that you deserve all the wealth and power you have, and everyone else deserves to be down here in the dirt because we are not special boys.