Because what follows are the eight rules easily accepted by those who see people as assets, obstacles, or opportunities.
Therefore admittedly, the rules contained within this document are morally indefensible. However, their success has never been dependent on their virtue. Instead, they have been refined by generations of the “ruling class” because they do one thing extremely well: maintain control of the masses.
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Those in power ignore the noise and understand one defining fact: there are only two classes in the world, Owners and Workers. This is the fundamental reality understood by the 1%. Therefore, it is the duty of those in power to replace any collective identity with dozens of smaller ones, while never losing sight of the fact that the ownership class controls productive assets and wealth, whether its members work or not.
This reality must remain guarded at all costs so that workers never unite. After all, those who are employment dependent would never tolerate the realization that their labor is being used to build the wealth of people outside their own class.
Which is why education, the media, and those in positions of authority must encourage as many status distinctions as possible. The following labels work particularly well because they ensure that everyone always has someone beneath them.
Poor
Working Poor
Lower Middle Class
Middle Class
Upper Middle Class
Affluent
These are just a few of the many status labels that can be used to divide a population. While creativity in their application is always encouraged, it is important to never lose sight of their primary purpose. When used effectively, these distinctions make it easier to demonize and demean those assigned to the “lower” categories, such as the Lower Middle Class, Working Poor, and Poor.
This also ensures that political debate remains centered on the “needs of the middle”. Therefore, politicians should be trained to focus their rhetoric exclusively on the issues of the middle class, since any focus on workers could create a dangerous unifying effect.
Once the population has been divided by these labels, wealth should be defined primarily by salary. This is preferable to linking wealth with ownership, as doing so would draw attention to the true divide. Therefore, conversations about these subjects should remain deliberately muddled, especially since ownership in many Western countries is already elusive.
The ruling class should also encourage policies and institutions that discourage widespread ownership among workers by promoting things such as property taxes and high interest debt. These measures keep ownership precarious and reinforce the divide between the two classes described in Rule 1.
Instead, the population should be encouraged to aspire to becoming a “high salary” worker, as these individuals are especially useful in defending a system they do not control. Entire groups can be relied upon to police the rest through nothing more than the promise of a higher salary, while remaining subject to the same system themselves.
To further strengthen divisions within the population, place value on only certain kinds of work. Remember, divide, divide, divide. A hierarchy of labor is one of the most effective ways to accomplish this. Therefore, at every opportunity, workers should be described using the following distinctions.
Skilled
Unskilled
Blue collar
White collar
Professional
Management
Never allow workers to develop a shared identity, as endless comparisons between them are essential for maintaining control. Combined with the systematic devaluing of all forms of work, this ensures that the population never unites. Empty praise for workers is perfectly acceptable, as it costs nothing and never challenges the true divide in power.
Remember, anything that reinforces status is useful. Credentials are especially valuable in this regard. Education should no longer be viewed as a means of personal development, as that is a privilege reserved for the wealthy. Instead, educational attainment should be used to reinforce existing social hierarchies, ensuring that education serves as another mechanism of division rather than a source of shared opportunity.
People must be encouraged to compete for prestige rather than collective power, with education and recognition increasingly tied to honorifics rather than actions that carry real social value.
Whenever possible employment should be the only vehicle for healthcare, housing and possible retirement. Also the quality of these “perks” should only be correlated with higher earning professional categories. Therefore, debt and poverty should be seen as punishments for not working a white collar, professional or skilled job.
Never allow the population to realize that workers rarely join the 1%. Believing that it is possible is imperative. So examples of the rarities permitted should become highly publicized and well known. This is especially important to reinforce the hope of joining those who are considered deserving. That hope is also extremely motivating, and can be used for the ultimate benefit of the elite. It also motivates those among the workers to betray their own class, in the hopes of leaving it behind.
Success must always be framed as a personal virtue. This should be reinforced through the promotion of heroes, visionaries, and exceptional leaders. Regardless of how many people contribute to an achievement, credit should be concentrated in a single individual whenever possible. Likewise, failure must always be presented as the consequence of poor choices, insufficient effort, or a lack of personal responsibility. This not only discourages collective action, but also diverts attention away from structural questions and the role played by the Ownership Class.
It will be impossible to hide these rules from the entire population. Inevitably, statistics about the ownership structure of any society will become public. However, this matters very little. Once a population is successfully conditioned, secrecy becomes unnecessary. They will accept the divisions created by these rules and enforce them on one another. Books will be written, workshops held, and seminars attended by those hoping to climb a little higher within the social hierarchy. Meanwhile, rather than coming together, workers will continue dividing themselves. Which is why the 1% have nothing to worry about.
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