Lunch with (let us call her ‘A’) in a
smart restaurant in London. She sits opposite me bristling with her Oxbridge
intelligence, her antennae positively quivering to the nuances of everyday life and the recent
changes to the political terrain
changes to the political terrain
She fires a warning shot across my ‘Deplorable’ bow, as i bang on about Brexit and Trump. She is admonitory.
“One day you might regret
these changes, to what
might come in place of the Liberal agenda; one day you might long for those
days of softy, missionary, idealist,
naive Liberals; one day you regard this ‘new dawn’
as ugly in the extreme.’
'I would fight for the freedom to offend any day rather than living in an Orwellian thought crime environment,' I endeavour to shore up my populist position.
'But the point is that Populists like the Liberals they depose may have no answers to the challenges of the early 21st century.'
'What challenges?'
'Look, all those white men who voted for Trump cannot be sure that their promised jobs will be safe
from automation. For synthetic intelligence will disrupt some economic sectors faster than others, and no industry will be entirely insulated. I mean, are these 'white men', say workers in the transport industry aware of the existential threat posed to them by technology. There is a striking correlation between states that voted Republican and those where truck driving is the most common profession.'
Can't think of a response as I have put aside, delving into the future so flushed am I with Brexit/Trump success.
She looks steadily at me, 'Given that there are at least 33 companies working on driverless technology and automated trucks are already starting to roll off production lines in Germany, this is worth considering.' she offers and draws breath before continuing.
'...and if these white men are in farming, animal agriculture is going to be upended...'
'How so?'
'Well, when the first palatable and economically viable lab-grown meat is developed; several start-ups are competing to be the first...did you know that 47% of soy and 60 % if corn produced in the US is consumed by livestock.'
'No, I didn't I am afraid that passed me by.'
'Stop trying to be funny.'
'So what does that show?
'These fact shows]s just how many farmers are at risk of imminent redundancy. Apart from that the current global dogma on climate change will ensure that most of agriculture worker will be put out of business.'
'How do you arrive at that?'
'I arrive at by way of fact, for by some estimates animal agriculture contributes more to total greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transport combined.'
She pauses to see if I am taking this in.
I think stoicism is useful at times like this.
'Go on.'
'Well, they are other things they may be futuristic but none the less...'
'Such as...'
'Take Tech-evangelists, say like billionaire Richard Branson, he promises us that in the near future those who can afford it will be able to travel to space, live vicariously in virtual worlds and extend their lives with the aid of bio-technology.'
'What's wrong with that.'
'Well post Trump, elitism is not going to magically disappear What happens to the notion of equality in a future society in which the wealthy can buy longer lives? So elitism may be currently drawing in its horns but it is not going to disappear. 'And further...
Oh God, is there more, I can't think of a thing to say.
'Look, all those white men who voted for Trump cannot be sure that their promised jobs will be safe
from automation. For synthetic intelligence will disrupt some economic sectors faster than others, and no industry will be entirely insulated. I mean, are these 'white men', say workers in the transport industry aware of the existential threat posed to them by technology. There is a striking correlation between states that voted Republican and those where truck driving is the most common profession.'
Can't think of a response as I have put aside, delving into the future so flushed am I with Brexit/Trump success.
She looks steadily at me, 'Given that there are at least 33 companies working on driverless technology and automated trucks are already starting to roll off production lines in Germany, this is worth considering.' she offers and draws breath before continuing.
'...and if these white men are in farming, animal agriculture is going to be upended...'
'How so?'
'Well, when the first palatable and economically viable lab-grown meat is developed; several start-ups are competing to be the first...did you know that 47% of soy and 60 % if corn produced in the US is consumed by livestock.'
'No, I didn't I am afraid that passed me by.'
'Stop trying to be funny.'
'So what does that show?
'These fact shows]s just how many farmers are at risk of imminent redundancy. Apart from that the current global dogma on climate change will ensure that most of agriculture worker will be put out of business.'
'How do you arrive at that?'
'I arrive at by way of fact, for by some estimates animal agriculture contributes more to total greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transport combined.'
She pauses to see if I am taking this in.
I think stoicism is useful at times like this.
'Go on.'
'Well, they are other things they may be futuristic but none the less...'
'Such as...'
'Take Tech-evangelists, say like billionaire Richard Branson, he promises us that in the near future those who can afford it will be able to travel to space, live vicariously in virtual worlds and extend their lives with the aid of bio-technology.'
'What's wrong with that.'
'Well post Trump, elitism is not going to magically disappear What happens to the notion of equality in a future society in which the wealthy can buy longer lives? So elitism may be currently drawing in its horns but it is not going to disappear. 'And further...
Oh God, is there more, I can't think of a thing to say.
'...University campuses across the Western world are stuffed with young people naively or not calling for the ‘greater good’ of social justice.
'But nothing is ahistorical students have always tended towards radicalism.' I hope that sounded good.
'Yes', she chides, '...but they have a nasty habit of growing up and taking over our institutions, don't they? Nationalists, like the liberals they depose, have no answers to the challenges of the early 21st century, it would be naive to think they do.'
'But nothing is ahistorical students have always tended towards radicalism.' I hope that sounded good.
'Yes', she chides, '...but they have a nasty habit of growing up and taking over our institutions, don't they? Nationalists, like the liberals they depose, have no answers to the challenges of the early 21st century, it would be naive to think they do.'
I am getting a bit angry, a bit combative, '...the Liberal worldview is powerless in the face of this perfect storm and those Liberals who held the reins for so long were half-educated with their middle brow reading, they deserve their lot.’
She retorts, having reached the pinnacles of Oxbridge academia herself,
‘Everyone’ is half educated.' including me and you.'
Exit a chastened ‘Deplorable’
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