Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Patrick McEvoy-Halston
History323
Dr. Money
Enlightenedopiniononceconsidereda ladderof progressasan apt modelto capturethe
centuryor two ol4 but it wasthoughtthat only in the eighteenthcentury- with England
itself, by onemorerung, from its primitive past. Essentially,it wasa view of the centurynot
much different from that from certainquarterslate within that century. For example,in the late
from havingcapturedthe vanity of moderns- who arealwaysat the highestrung of the ladder-
eyesof only oneof the two centralplayersin the period- thoseof the patricians. But just as a
empathy,at the plebs. What we then finally see- just asmagnetshaveboth positiveand
reality.
'high above'
Therearetwo reasonsfor not trustingthe patricians.Oneis thatthey look from
andthusthey tendto "confi$e the actualandthe ideal" (Thompsoq24). The other is that we
from mastersto their flock - but it is a fraudulentterm. It concealsthe real distancingof the
]{
areentirely rnisleading.They do not describethe plebl true nature. In fact, the form that the
t;
plebs' oppositiontook - suchasfood riots - is determinedby the particularnatureof the
r$
A_$
patricians'hegemony.Also, we find that theybehaveentirelyunlike a mob:their actionsare
providessupporting
intelligentlytimed,'focusedandorderly. The historianJohnStevenson t I.r
evidencefor this. He notesthat food confiscatedby the plebs washeld only sothat it couldthen r$T
prices. The plebsbelievedthat moralitycouldnot be divorcedfrom
be resoldbut at reasonable
welcometruth. After all, the olderview seesat a distancethat which canonly be madeplain
seenup close. Howeverowe shouldconsiderif the sameslightof handfor which the patricians
aremadesuspect.
accused,andfor which their observations
generations
alsosuspectof biashistorianslike Thompsonwho complainthat "successive no
imaginingcompanypreferableto the mobsof consumersin their own time? If we do, andif bias
research.If they are in fact guilty of bias,shouldwe do asthey did with the pauiciansand look
andignorance.It invitesa
comparedwith one'sown is a clearsignof both ethnocentrism
putdownsimilar in tone and substanceto Thompson'scriticism that " it is only the short-sighted
- !t-
first look for reason,andif not found,to considerunreason.We migtrt find that therewas a bit
discoveredthat food riots did not necessarilyoccurwhen food priceswere at their peak. He
may not provetrue; but it is, perhaps,a neededcounterview of the plebsconsideringthey are
presented
to usaswholly, consciously,andunbelievablyrational.
Thompson
s{@o"rpft andHab"n"* iiib his studies;perhaps
heoughtto haveinsluded
in this period.
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