Is it just the more recent (last 25 years?) political offerings from the US and UK that have proven so 'popular' with the thinking classes (and those on t2w) or do we imagine previous generations found their politicos equally embarrassing?
If this is the case, it would be interesting to identify at what point in history (as precisely as one can) we stopped believing them to the degree we distrust them/laugh at them today.
Discounting (I’m not, but let’s for now) any centuries old conspiracy groups or even more relatively recent clandestine groups such as Bilderberg and superficially publicly mandated but significantly more covert in utlimate aims League of Nations or the Franco-German Axis that Jimmy Goldsmith fought so hard to bring to the masses attention (he really should have bought some major media clout), where did it all go sour?
My own very rough guess is around the 1930s. A little after WW1 and in the lead up to WW2.
Of course, they may be tons of evidence that our leaders have disappointed us throughout recorded history. I just don’t find it so.
Any takers?
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Politicians, like fruit and vegetables, inevitably go bad, although its beyond me to know which one does it first.
while i believe europe led the US in understanding the above (we were a pretty naive people before WW2) our modern age of communications, capable of giving us 5 opinions of what someone says, before they even say it, is really where things changed -- prob starting in the early 70's as "adults" started to see what the "hippies" had meant by the demonstrations ---- took a bit longer, but the spread of cable tv, coupled with the literally hundreds of news reports, all trying to beat each other to the punch, and all "exposing" each others methods, is probably what happened. At one time, much could be "covered up", but now, with a journalist in every corner and a camera everywhere, only the "teflon couple" can cover up for long !
When Roosevelt was president, there was a "gentlemens" agreement not to photograph him so as to see the wheel chair he was in or suggest in any way he was incapable of walking --- train stations were built underground in nyc that allowed him to come to a hotel via private train, get off along with his car, and be transported to his suite in a private elevator, and the general public had no idea it was there, as the press remained silent !
Jimmy Carter did some wonderful things --- he had laws enacted that practically put all the small peanut farmers out of business in Georgia --- no fool he. Being president is really a temporary job, but being a peanut farmer is forever !
before ww2, america was pretty isolated and while we had our capitalist fingers in a few pies around the world, it didnt come close to what were doing now.
europe, having felt the ravages of ww1 and ww2 on home shores quite naturally were more vocal and studious of situations around them, but i believe the reall "change" occurred about the same time in europe, UK and the US and technology was a real part of it
btw, you do realize that all the people who are being mentioned are members of the council on foreign relations and the trilateral commission ??
aint it grand
mp