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★★★★★
Read This Important Book About Lurking World Danger.
I don't believe I am exaggerating when I style Victor Davis Hanson's <The Dying Citizen> a tour de force. The writer of one of the blurbs recommending it expects it to become Hanson's magnum opus. The book's subtitle "How Progressive Elites, Tribalism, and Globalization Are Destroying the Idea of America" accurately describes the book's content. <Dying Citizen> is divided into two parts. The 1st is "Precitizens." The 2nd is "Postcitizens." The overarching idea above each part is: Citizenship is the sine qua non for the successful existence of a nation-state. The book goes on to describe three (3) social classes that do not rise to the level of citizenship. A chapter is devoted to each class. Number #1 is Peasants. # 2 is Residents. #3 is Tribes. The peasantry consists of persons who are beholden to an overlord. Some are tied to the land. Others aren't, but nevertheless have no say in affairs of state. Residents are akin to persons who are simply passing through. They have little or no interest in the welfare of the place. They know their limitations Tribesmen are customarily viewed as having responsibilities to immediate family and others in the tribe. A territory will ordinarily contain two or more tribes. Every territory might begin with the above 3 classes. When the classes become fortunate enough to view the real importance of their being free individuals in a single territory, they will exist as a nation towards which they have serious responsibilities, just as they become 'protectees' (not the author's term) in common, of their nation. Such freeborn persons will become citizens. Part Two, Postcitizens, describes what can happen when the citizenry of a nation begin to change or reverse the process described above. Such a revision, if agreed to by the citizenry, will likely be enough to allow the nation to continue in said status. It will be considered as ongoing success nationally. But if the nation is unlucky, its citizenry will allow themselves to fall into a massive bureaucratic existence in which the bureaucrats begin to view themselves as overly-important to the state. Factions will come into existence. And if unable to resolve their differences, they can become insoluble, and as a further result, dissolution of one sort or another might come to pass. There can be civil war. There can be a dictatorship. There can even be a movement towards 'One-World' government, giving power to a United Nations sort of overseer, in which no one will be satisfied. World disorder and warfare, rather than being overcome, will become the prevailing status. Elements will revolt against a 'One-size-fits-all' type non- government. A world-citizenry will be forever unstable, despite the beliefs and efforts of the starry-eyed 'Globalists' who wish for unity. This reviewer believes that author Victor Hanson fears such happenings can happen. This insignificant reviewer has similar fears, probably even deeper than the author's. Above are set out this insignificant reviewer's 'take' upon having read this marvelous book by Victor Davis Hanson.
October 2021 · Books · verified purchase
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