The Decline of the Gentleman
England's current difficulties are, in no small part, due to gentlemanly leadership. He was the role model: his habits, tastes, and lifestyle shaped the behavior of every Englishman.
His life philosophy was to reject principled thinking. Don't rush into things! Face everyday problems only when they truly arise. Let your ideal of life exclude both the excessive strain of the intellect and the inappropriate fervor of emotions. Follow your natural inclinations and assume that the world will adapt to your desires. Be suspicious of thinkers and skeptical of high-flyers. Be so confident in yourself that your personal code of conduct could be considered universally valid. Never doubt your superiority over others. Never reveal any fervent ambition, lest strangers notice your fear of potentially missing your goal. Treat life as a game where excessive seriousness endangers the rules of play. Never strive for anything so much that you become its slave. Remember that good manners and traditions lend life an elevated ease, without which it would be worth only half as much. Be convinced that in any conflict, the rules matter more than victory. Never allow unpleasant problems to take center stage. Avoid raising uncomfortable truths that might lead to offense.
The historical development of this attitude is clear: it emerged as a fusion of the aristocratic ideal of chivalry and the puritanical outlook of the rising bourgeoisie. Yet, the problem does not lie in the virtues of this human type but in its suitability for its role. In leadership positions, good intentions are not enough; one cannot retain a leadership role without endangering the existence of those entrusted to one's care. The gentleman's qualities pose a direct threat in any domain requiring serious expertise, relentless effort, vivid imagination, and forward-looking organization. His unsuitability manifests itself in several areas, most notably in industry.
The gentleman disregards the technical advances of a profession and values the theoretical specialist less than the practical man. He clings passionately to excessive secrecy in business and manufacturing. Nepotism has proliferated in filling positions, sidelining talent.
In politics, he is inclined to expand the outer reaches of his power while reserving its innermost stronghold solely for his friends. He has never seriously contemplated democratization. His limited social awareness has alienated the working class. Since the English people are naturally inclined to respect authority and recognize their superiors, the average Englishman has developed a peculiar submissiveness. English snobbery is nothing more than a collective inferiority complex. The disparities in wealth, manners, and opportunities between leaders and the led were so vast that the majority perceived this gap as insurmountable. The people's horizons became narrow because their life opportunities were limited.
The gentleman has become a national liability for England because he is now little more than an expensive yet ornamental adjunct to a civilization in which he can no longer play a useful role. Having indulged in so much entertainment and luxury, he is now better suited to enjoying life than directing it. Born to power, he does not know how to share it; inheriting an undisputed leadership role, he cannot act in ways that justify retaining it. The charm of his superiority has vanished, as the ideal of life he embodied no longer commands respect. He has lost the vital foundation of his self-esteem because he no longer has a purpose to pursue or an innate conviction to sustain him.
Harold J. Laski "A gentleman alkonya", in Európai műhely I.", szerk. Hamvas Béla, Pannónia könyvek