A Populist Movement Based on Noblesse Oblige

Robert Stark

Jun 10, 2024

Part I

Source: @avrilbradley23 on X

RFK Jr. has made statements that sound quasi-aristocratic, such as taking pride in being a Kennedy, which some people find obnoxious. For instance, Leftist, Chris Hedges, especially hates this, besides RFK Jr.’s pro-Israel stance. RFK Jr. has told a story where his father pointed out poor people in the Mississippi Delta “and said, “These are Kennedy people.” While RFK Jr.’s point is that Kennedys look out for the little guy and not the oligarchy, Chris Hedges interpreted that as treating these poor people like royal subjects. While some find this patronizing, I appreciate how RFK Jr. is honest and upfront about his privilege rather than pretending to be a man of the people. Basically, he is an elitist who sees his role as looking out for the downtrodden, though not necessarily in a condescending way.

Since Americans tend to hate hereditary privilege, there is this unhealthy fetish for the self-made striver. Since RFK Jr. didn’t have to strive, he was able to avoid the worst traits of the managerial and corporate strivers and career politicians. Thus he was able to focus on things like nature and intellectual pursuits. Being privileged grants one freedom to be a non-conformist and free thinker. The striver or self-made man has to conform to the values of elite institutions. However, obviously, plenty of old money types are rotten too.

Both JFK and RFK epitomized noblesse oblige, though they were relatively new money and certainly had their flaws. The Kennedys are the closest that America has to a hereditary aristocracy, with other political dynasties, like the Bushes and Clintons, not coming close. There is this cult of Kennedy worship among boomers, and I don’t think that JFK deserves to be deified or put on a pedestal. While the Kennedys represented a faction of the ruling class that was halfway decent, it is also that the bar is so low among America’s ruling class.

This sort of applies to Tucker Carlson, though he tries too hard to be folksy, with his man of the people schtick. Both Tucker and RFK Jr. represent better forces in politics, that is this elite noblesse oblige-based populism. There are even some comparisons to Donald Trump, as far as being a renegade from the elite. Kennedy, Trump, and Vivek Ramaswamy are similar in that they are mavericks who originated from the nouveau riche, outside the traditional WASP elite. Trump’s immigrant family arrived at roughly the same time and became wealthy at a similar time as the Kennedys.

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