What Barton Swaim (quoted below) says was true of the “predemocratic, precapitalist European noble” is today usually true of an allegedly progressive and allegedly empathetic member of the wealthy elite who pities the poor and gives them “little gifts from his largess” mostly as a form of virtue signaling; but who then also usually supports government regulations that preserve his own wealth and elite status by blocking the poor from themselves becoming wealthy.
(p. A11) The socialist outlook—. . .—may inspire struggle in the immediate present, but the practical goal is tranquility, . . . : an attitude not so different from that of a predemocratic, precapitalist European noble hoping to keep his subjects more or less content with little gifts from his largess.
For the full interview/essay see:
Barton Swaim. “What’s the Matter With Scotland?” The Wall Street Journal (Sat., Dec. 6, 2025): A11.
(Note: ellipses added.)
(Note: the online version of the interview/essay has the date December 5, 2025, and has the same title as the print version.)