THE WAGES OF SIN IS GOVERNMENT

In the 19^th century two mad French men suffering from the anxieties brought about by a rapidly shrinking sphere of influence would separately go ahead to proclaim that;

“In every democracy the people get the government they deserve”—Alexis de Tocqueville

“Every country has the government it deserves”—Joseph de Maistre

The brusque sort of indolent philosophy behind both statements has plagued the practise of good reasoning all over the world. The good news however is that despite being such a wide spread affliction, it is a benign one. The simple recognition of it for what it is–an idle philosophy–would provide immediate relief for all who are afflicted. Now it shouldn’t really matter what experiences messrs Tocqueville and Maistre lived through, as there is no doubt that both of them were over indulged aristocrats and their mindset can be pretty much summed up from their words above, spoken in a classic fit of moronic epiphany.

However we should be guilty of similar indolence if we simply came to a conclusion about the two men from their often quoted phrases or chopped up sentences without taking a peep into their lives. Both men were elite members of the gentry which automatically made their lives worth chronicling. In addition they were both prolific writers and important philosophers of their day who have gifted us with their thoughts elegantly captured on paper, guaranteeing abundant resource from which to make an informed opinion about their person.

Monsieur Tocqueville, we may learn was a lover of democracy, hater of free speech, and strong advocate of racial segregation. In summary he was a largely inconsistent character who loved power and was willing to do anything to remain relevant. Monsieur Maistre on his part was a more sinister character, a block head aristocrat who completely rejected rational thinking and made no clumsy pretentions about loving democracy. He shamelessly maintained that the corrupt and contemptible French monarchy of the 18^th century was divinely inspired, even suggesting that the turmoil that followed the sacking of Louis XVI’s government was God’s punishment for the popular uprising.

Knowing the antecedents of both men it becomes more than a bit of a surprise how eagerly public commentators in these parts rush to quote any one of this two miscreants in the middle of a serious conversation about democracy or good governance. Just what is it about those words that seem to resonate so intensely with the average listener on face value? Clearly enough it prescribes that people stand up and take responsibility for their common situation but then it stays vague on some other account.

Does it suggest that God punishes transgressors with bad governments to scourge their backs with serpents and scorpions or maybe it just submits that a bad leader is but a representation of a bad citizenry? Surely it has got to mean one or the other or a combination of the two, and whichever it is, on closer inspection they can all be seen to be packed full with sinister notions and wicked undertones that easily give away the source and intent of such evil messages.

The narrative is one that portrays governments as helpless moppets caught in the crossfire of the wrangling between God and disobedient people. Pretty, vulnerable, and long-suffering, tossed left and right with no control of its own, an account that is definitely a complete about-turn from what obtains in reality. It procures the perfect alibi to insulate a class of vicious bandits from the load of responsibility that should typically follow any asset manager of a commonwealth.

Over the years these quotations of Tocqueville and Maistre have enjoyed currency with simple minded citizens, devious government apologists but especially with well meaning but exasperated revolutionists who can’t get their minds around why oppressed people may sometime appear to sit around like lame ducks scratching their anus and smelling their fingers, and not choose to light-it-like-Bouazizi, nevertheless however innocently or well intended those words are used, they often amount to unguarded utterances that serve to indulge the ruling class all over again.

While anyone may want to question the works of de Tocqueville and de Maistre, they do have to their credit a number of things going for them, which may easily explain why people everywhere have been so enamoured by their infantile rambling; exotic surnames and the instinctive reverence reserved for any European philosopher who lived and died before the invention of the telegraph or pipe borne water. Surely they have that in common with Aristotle and Plutarch and that’s distinguishing enough.

“In every country a leader a gets the people he deserves”—Viscount Mark de Babatunde 438 BC.