Populism is poison. Plural cities are the antidote (Smug Liberal Alert)

World Economic Forum ^ | January 4, 2017 | Misha Glenny

[Nifster]

Oh goody...a liberal Brit wants to lecture the world

[Honorary Serb]

Build That Wall, PHOOEY to “diversity” and globalism, and to anti-Serb poobahs like Misha Glenny!!!!

[free-in-nyc]

The concentration of leftist-globalist tropes and stereotypes masquerading as actual thought is high in this essay. This is really like shooting fish in a barrel, but just for fun, here are a few bullet points:

- "...nuclear confrontation. ...the threat of irreversible climate change also looms large."

Sure, "climate change" is just as bad as a nuclear war!

- "nationalist movements, emboldened by the drum beat of populism"

Populism - groups of people ruling themselves - is apparently really bad. Unless the people belong to a preferred group, in which case they are described as "indigenous" or "other," and then they have an absolute right to "self-determination."

- "...anti-establishment parties..."

This is a good one - remember when the left was all anti-establishment? But now that they are the establishment, it's really bad to oppose them, you know? As they say, it's hard to stick it to the man when you are the man.

- "nationalist leaders peddle fear, close borders and build walls. With people from everywhere – every faith, language, culture – living and working cheek by jowl, the stereotypes of the ‘Other’ peddled by populism are refuted by everyday experience.”

This is really too funny for words. Anyone who has ever lived in a major city knows that whenever someone like Misha Glenny ventures there, she is protected by borders and walls defined by security barriers and fences around individual blocks and buildings. So in the great global, plural city Misha Glenny need never worry about fear. That is left for the masses of the rest of us, thrown "cheek by jowl" against the 'Other' that Misha wishes to impose on us, but not be endangered by, herself.