The Sensibility of Courtiers

I love this...

(They speak their minds and mind their manners, Josh Schaffer, McClatchy News via ChronBlog, 04/08/10)

To join the coffee party in Raleigh, you can't be a screamer, a name-caller, a loud-mouthed zealot or somebody whose idea of politics translates to jabbing a sign in the air, red in the face.

All you need are some manners, a good listening ear and a caffeine jones.

It also helps to have a underlying belief that your political discourse is superior to that of all others, and that anyone who disagrees with you is either unscientific or, even worse, acting out of emotion instead of logic.

That the logic coffee partiers utilize is mostly fallacy doesn't matter. What's important is striking the correct "just the (my version of the...)facts ma'am" argument. It's still a flawed argument whether it's made under the facade of Royal manners or when screamed from the streets. The only thing that changes is the elite's view of those having the discussions. Peasants need to be placated with symbolic gestures, courtiers just need to be paid attention to and treated as if they really matter. Pet them like a puppy, make them feel important* and they'll stay in their coffee shops**.






*Perhaps that's why journos are so smitten with them? In a way they share the same need for attention and justification of self-worth? All courtiers exist because of the glory of the Royal Court after all, they add nothing to it.

**One of the misnomers about America is that, since we don't have official royalty, we don't have courtiers. In fact, America has established one of the largest courtier classes in history since we've replaced one monarch with many.