I like that the author dropped a final fantasy 6 reference but I think he or she is way too granular at the top end of the social ladder. I don’t think “gentry” are as bucketed as he or she thinks after a certain point.
It's a bit masturbatory to call Silicon Valley workers the new gentry. The principles they have seem pretty passive. The gentry can feel good about treating the waitstaff well and not abusing their power (since they generally have little or none), but I think they are best viewed as knowledge workers. They are simply more useful and more scarce to the elites and are treated better, but they would return to labor or the low ranks of the elite if they lost this.
The elites are better characterized as collectively rapacious and amoral rather than individually evil. There can be some individuals of better character.
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[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 17.0 ms ] threadThe elites are better characterized as collectively rapacious and amoral rather than individually evil. There can be some individuals of better character.