HFSA- Have Fun Staying Arrogant

Flinging a Luxury Belief has Consequences

Most modern urbanites are thus disconnected not only from the ways we produce our food but also from the ways we build our machines and devices, and the growing mechanization of all productive activity means that only a very small share of the global population now engages in delivering civilization’s energy and the materials that comprise our modern world.

-Vaclav Smil, How the World Really Works

EU Urban Elites Learning a Lesson | Vincent Jannink ANP/AFP/File

Twitter user Adam Kotsko describes himself on his website as:

Adam Kotsko is on the faculty of the Shimer Great Books School at North Central College, where he teaches widely in the humanities and social sciences. His research focuses on political theology, continental philosophy, and the history of Christian thought. He is the author, most recently, of Agamben’s Philosophical Trajectory, a comprehensive study of the Italian philosopher that emphasizes how his thought has evolved in response to political events, and What Is Theology? Christian Thought and Contemporary Life, a collection of essays on the perils and promise of modernity’s theological legacy.

Why am I writing about some random Twitter user?

He’s a potential carrier for what Rob Henderson terms as “luxury beliefs,” which Rob defines as, “ideas & opinions that confer status in the upper class while inflicting costs on the lower class.”

Or if you prefer an hour-long video.

Let’s test our hypothesis:

Adam Kotsko @adamkotsko

In discussions of reducing car dependency, one often hears, "What about people in remote rural areas?" And my gut instinct is -- people shouldn't be living there in the first place. The solution is to give them generous grants to relocate among other humans.

Adam Kotsko @adamkotsko

"But what if they like living in remote rural areas?" Sorry, you can't always get what you want. A lot of people would like to live in dense, transit-rich settings but can't -- either because they can't afford it or it simply doesn't exist where they are.

Adam Kotsko @adamkotsko

"Isn't it mean to imply that rural people's lifestyle is bad and wrong?" As someone who lives in Chicago, all I can say to that is: cry me a river.

Naturally, after much pushback from Rural Twitter (yes, they’re online too!) in which we see dozens of beautiful farm, ranch, and livestock photos, he decides to play victim by asserting the pushback is conservative harassment.

Adam Kotsko @adamkotsko

The first-best way to stop a conservative harassment wave is to go private or suspend your account for a few days. But if you don't want to go that far, the second-best is to write clear, informative things without hyperbole that they will be afraid to quote to their audience.

Nevermind he promoted his illustrious analysis himself the day before:

Adam Kotsko @adamkotsko

Wow, this blew up! But not right away -- it took a while to percolate among all the remote rural areas.

Adam Kotsko @adamkotsko

In discussions of reducing car dependency, one often hears, "What about people in remote rural areas?" And my gut instinct is -- people shouldn't be living there in the first place. The solution is to give them generous grants to relocate among other humans.

I don’t think this is a “liberal versus conservative” thing though - it’s closer “urban versus rural” and perhaps “working class/blue collar versus pajama class/white collar,” or perhaps “humble versus arrogant?”

Such divides contribute a lot to the information gap between those well aware of where stuff comes from and those who (typically live in urban areas) who are the exact types Smil talks about in the opening quote. The disconnect is massive, and it’s one group of people who will suffer more (and sooner) than the others - either the rural people or the urban poor.

As if the cringe never ends:

Adam Kotsko @adamkotsko

My ideal land use distribution (based heavily on KSR): all agricultural land is collectively owned and scientifically managed to balance quantity, quality, and variety of food against sustainability and ethical practices. No single-family or corporate for-profit farms.

After you, Adam.

Apparently, it’s a “make everybody else pay for my errors versus take responsibility thing too.” Well sorry, but you can’t always get what you want.

Adam Kotsko @adamkotsko

As someone who has just a little over $11,000 in student loan debt remaining, I have to say -- okay, whatever, I'll take it.

Adam Kotsko @adamkotsko

At the same time, I clearly don't "need" relief, nor does that lucky person who graduates with only $10K in debt. The average debt load is reportedly $25-50K, so I'm not sure where the $10K figure is even coming from.