Céline Vara and the revolt of the elites

Under fire for flying to the Arabian Peninsula, the green politician unwillingly paid tribute to the thinking of American historian Christopher Lasch, author of The revolt of the elites (1994).

Sex is political, the division of domestic chores is political, the education of children is political... The more the democratic character of our institutions is scorned, subjected to the ambitions of professional politicians, the more the smallest nooks and crannies of existence are the subject of an abundance of discourse by elites eager to guide a population - which wasn't asking for so much - towards progress.

The American historian and sociologist Christopher Lasch (1932-1994) denounced the advent of this therapeutic society throughout his all-too-brief life. How amusing it would be, today, to discover the allies of the ecologist Céline Vara - future State Councillor of Neuchâtel - defending the right to privacy with regard to her family vacation in a five-star hotel in Oman!

A real slap in the face

The politician's right to privacy is obvious. But so does the public. As the Céline Vara scandal unfolded, some may have made the connection with a decision taken by the National Council: the ban on slapping and spanking, opposed only by the SVP. You'd think there'd be a good private life and a bad private life. Otherwise, no one would welcome the intrusion of the state into our homes.

In any case, this is a time of incoherence. Madame Vara has been criticized for her pronounced taste for «do as I say, not as I do». And yet, even in our latitudes, there are many who are enthusiastic about the return of a certain moral order in the United States, brought about by a president whose personal conduct has not always shone through in terms of rigor. Let's formulate the following hypothesis: when values are accepted, the man in the street naturally tends to be very forgiving.

So why all the anger about Céline Vara? Because it perfectly illustrates the phenomenon analyzed by Lasch in his intellectual testament, The Revolt of the Elites^[1], published shortly after his death. In the eponymous chapter, the historian recalls how, for decades, the «revolt of the masses» was perceived as the main threat «to the social order and the civilizing tradition of Western culture».»^[2]. Yet, observes this pillar of virtuous populist thought, it is now those at the top of the hierarchy who «have lost faith in Western values - or what's left of them». And the people feel it.

Read also | Araud, Delsol and Goodhart on the people-elite divide

Certain privileged classes,« Lasch had already announced, »have got out of the common life".»^[3]. The unease aroused by Céline Vara's journey comes not so much from its hypocritical nature as from what it reveals about the real virtues of her camp. Those who claim to fight for ordinary people turn out to be mere «dominated agents of domination» (the expression comes from Jean-Claude Michéa, who prefaces the French version of Lasch's essay), attached above all to their class privileges. These people publicly denounce power, not because they dream of a fairer or more decent society, but because they want to be part of it. Their aim is to keep a safe distance from a little people deemed dangerous, uneducated and irresponsible - hence, as Lasch and Orwell observed before him in Wigan Quay, this delirious obsession with health, moral rectitude and censorship.

Denounce the rich from the rostrum, then meet them at the bar

As the Vara affair unfolded, party president Lisa Mazzone called for the Confederation to cut off funding to the «super-rich».» (sic) at the Davos Economic Forum. This ritual denunciation, constant in his political family, of the most powerful «1%» is part of the same process: to make people forget that they themselves are the servants of this oligarchy. Whose hotels you frequent.

*

After a few days of silence, Céline Vara has come out of her silence. Without much creativity, the elected representative and her supporters denounced an attack on her. sexist, which, moreover, would be reserved for women left-wing. As for Vaud national councillor Léonore Porchet - who considered the article in the Blickor Lisa Mazzone, both of whom, for once, preferred to avoid the media.

It used to be said that «noblesse oblige». Today, belonging to the caste of professional politicians allows for anything.

Journalist and writer, Raphaël Pomey is the founder of the Swiss media Le Peuple.

You have just read an open-access article. Debates, analyses, cultural news: subscribe to support us and access all our content.

[1] 1995, here in the Flammarion version, Champs essai collection, 2007 (Trans. Christian Fournier).

[2] P. 37.

[3] P. 57.