The Aristocratic Touch

A look into the innate urges and inevitable outcomes of the upper class

By Patrick Tice-Carroll
 The following collection of images and quotations bases
it’s argument on one simple yet profound assertion: when
The Exhibit social, political, and/or economic stratification arises in a
society, the upper classes will always become corrupt and
therefore lead to the downfall of that society. Even further
rooted in this assertion is that social stratification always
arises in a collection of people, something that has been
proven time and time again by the observation of man’s
tendencies throughout the record of human history. Even
today, this thesis holds. As much as writers and thinkers
from antiquity to the 19th century, we would like to expect
people in power, almost universally men, to be educated
and capable of making complex decisions in a rash
manner that would benefit all those governed.
Unfortunately, we are met throughout history and today
with leaders that seem to lack the mental capacity and
fortitude to keep a country or an empire afloat, or even
more simply, promote equality for all those under their
leadership. As the way it is, every society falls, and it is
usually at the hands of these blatantly inept rulers.
 At the heart of this exhibit is the question of why the
society has to divide itself, and why disparities and
disagreements always seem inevitable. This
larger-than-life installation at the Kunstmuseum in
Liechtenstein shows that, even at its most basic and
stripped-down form, man is still drawn to divide and
argue. The sculpture, depicting two naked men
shaking hands but yelling at each other, unveils the
primal instinct to argue that comes innate in man’s
being. It is from this instinct that class distinctions are
bound to arise, and the entire issue of the corrupt
aristocracy is formed: in a world where no one can
agree on anything, how can there be equality? It is also
important to note that the two figures depicted here
are two men, rather than a man and a woman or two
women. This blatant disregard for the other half of the
world shows perfectly that this issue lies especially in
the male-dominated world that we and all of history
If I’ve Told You Once, I’ve Told You A Thousand have found ourselves in.
Times, from Kunstmuseum,
Vaduz, Liechtenstein
“For it is likely that if a Plato remarks on man’s innate motivations much the
same as the picture shows: people are inherently
city of good men came drawn towards argument and divisions, leading to

to be, there would be a

class distinctions and conflict that become
inescapable facets of human society. Plato gives an
fight over not ruling, example of a city comprised entirely of virtuous men,
but this whole scenario is predicated on the word “if,”
just as there is now as if to denote to the reader that there can never be

over ruling.” such a city, as man is inherently unjust. The inherent

bad in man is referenced again with the juxtaposition
of “good men” and how “there would be a fight,” again
showing how, regardless of man’s efforts, conflict and
corruption is inevitable.

The Republic 347d, Plato

 This castle from northern Scotland highlights not only the
system of government and architecture of the time, but
also the social sentiment and reality present throughout
the world: there is alway a sharp distinction between the
higher class and the lower class. Man is predestined to
isolate and divide, and that is evident in how divided this
small castle is from the rest of the world around it. Only
the highest elites were to live in this castle, and its
physical separation from the land around it also mirrors
its lack of awareness of the people who lived around the
castle. Lowly farmers and peasants throughout Scotland
were expected to subsist without question while the rich
lived lavishly. There are no examples I found in the
entirety of the British Isles that showed an instance of a
ruler taking their wealth and distributing it out to the
needy rather than spending it on themselves. Thus
comes the question of whether this selfishness and
greed is a product of society or is a basis of our human
Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland nature born into us. Looking throughout history,
unfortunately, we see that these negative traits seem
more innate than learned.
“Freeman and slave, patrician and The castle’s jaring physical contrast is also mirrored in
the ideas on society and class set forth by Karl Marx in
plebeian, lord and serf,
his work The Communist Manifesto. The elongated
guildmaster and journeyman, in a lists that begin this passage highlight the stark,
word, oppressor and oppressed, concrete duality of society in his view: there is only, as
stood in constant opposition to he puts it, the “oppressor and oppressed.” Already,
one another, carried on an that casts a bleak and dismal view for the future
prosperity of society. The changing state of
uninterrupted, now hidden, now opposition, from “now hidden” to “now open,” features
open fight, a fight that each time the undulation and unceasing turmoil that these class
ended, either in a revolutionary distinctions bring to the proletariat. This turmoil builds
re-constitution of society at large, and builds until we reach the two possible climaxes of
or in the common ruin of the this opposition: revolution or ruin. Just looking at the
state of ruin of the castle in the photo gives a sound
contending classes.” understanding of which outcome almost always
comes about. The antagonism and corruption from
class distinctions leads almost always to the
destruction of the society, only for the same cycle to
repeat when a new system is put into place.
The Communist Manifesto, Chapter 1, Karl Marx
 The most basic form of stratification is between the
workers and the bosses. It is also one of the clearest
to see the abuses, as there are people doing
back-breaking, manual labor for hours, making little,
while rich men who sit inside all day reap nearly all of
the reward from their employees. These disparaging
relationships are fundamental to organized society,
and revolts are typical in a system like this. The
sculpture here from Liechtenstein’s modern art
museum shows a broken, bodiless face, cracked in
seeming torment. The harsh rigidity depicts the
different facets of abuse that this person faces from
their oppressors -- social, economic, or political. Most
prominent, though, are the physical scars left from
these abuses, as shown in the sculpture. The working
class is subjected to such brutal, animalistic
conditions that their basic humanity becomes stripped
away, an inevitable byproduct of the elite.
Untitled, from Kunstmuseum,
Vaduz, Liechtenstein
“What kind of justice is it when a The language presented here by Thomas More,
through the character Hythloday, highlights the extent
nobleman, a goldsmith, a money
of Hythloday’s detestation of people in power taking
lender, or someone else who makes advantage of the proletariat. Describing these people
his living by doing either nothing as “doing either nothing at all or something completely
at all or something completely useless,” More sets his pointed views at the forefront,
useless to the commonwealth gets instantly creating the juxtaposition between the
morally inferior and frankly lazy and stagnant
to live a life of luxury and noblemen and the heavily burdened laborers. He
grandeur, while in the meantime a likens the plight of the workers to the “beasts of
laborer, carter, or a farmer works burden,” introducing an animalistic and primal diction
so hard and so constantly that even that dissolves the humanity of the workers to a
beasts of burden would scarcely sub-human, brutish level. Being able to disregard their
humanity gives the rulers permission to justify their
endure it?” discrimination and degradation, only furthering the
problem and suffering of the working class. The
perception, therefore, from this passage defines
More’s views fervidly against the unjust upper-class.
Utopia 2.107-108, Thomas More.
 One of the central issues with the problem of abusive
stratification from a corrupt aristocracy is the
inequality and lack of respect towards women. In this
large stone sculpture from the University of Zurich in
Switzerland, we see a woman’s head, seemingly fallen,
looking up at a clenched fist. Even though she is
looking up, her eyes are closed and in the shadow of
this larger-than-life fist. This highlights a two-fold
issue: women have always been placed below men, as
represented by the fist, and women still have to look
blindly towards the men for their saving. It is in this
inherent inequality of these societies that women do
not have the means to be able to fix their pitiful
situation, and must therefore either wait for man to
come to their aid or create their own means for
change.

Untitled, from University of Zurich

Botanical Gardens, Zurich, Switzerland
 The statue lends itself quite well to this passage from Mary
“But, alas! Husbands, as Wollstonecraft’s The Vindication of the Rights of Women. Within the
first few words, Wollstonecraft not only criticizes men in power, but
well as their helpmates, are rather all men, calling them “overgrown children.” This naming

often only overgrown comes twofold: these children are unable to make rational thought or
carry out slightly complex decision-making, but also the children are
children; nay, thanks to typically subservient to the women, their mothers. This particular

early debauchery, scarcely choice of phraseology shows the subtlety of Wollstonecraft’s

argument for women’s equality, and in some cases superiority, over
men in their outward men. The second half of this excerpt plainly states how
Wollstonecraft believes the men in powerful positions are blind, also
form--and if the blind lead raising the question of how men are to lead the blind women if they
the blind, one need not themselves cannot see. Wollstonecraft writes that “one need not
come from heaven to tell us the consequence,” introducing a subtle
come from heaven to tell us criticism of something larger than her male rulers: the idea of

the consequence. theocracy and religion involved with politics. Wollstonecraft, an

English Enlightenment thinker and writer, questioned the need for
religion guiding the political realm of the 18th century, a standard in
place since the formation of empires. Basing her thought on reason
and the human experience, Wollstonecraft writes in the final words
of this quote that this deduction she has come to concerning men is
not a divine proclamation, but rather something reachable by people
Mary Wollstonecraft, The Vindication through reason and thought.
of the Rights of Women
But not all is lost Wollstonecraft adds in a modicum of hints to show
that not all men are lost causes in the face of

for Wollstonecraft! sociopolitical development. The use of the word

“often” in her likening of men to children shows hope
that she believes there are men who are able to see
past the hindrances set forth by the other men. In
addition, Wollstonecraft specifies that this blindness
comes from men’s “outward form,” insinuating that
there could possibly be an inward, more contemplative
and progressive form inside of the men she disagrees
with. The purpose of her writing seems to try to unlock
those inward forms from the men and have them
come to the realization that an equal and just society
must mean equality and justice for all its peoples, not
just the ones who easily reap the benefits.
 Most of the corruption of the aristocracy comes from
the powerful instigator: money. This picture shows
Linderhof Palace, one of three palaces ordered
constructed by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, and the only
one to be finished in his lifetime. Ludwig became
obsessed with the material positions in his life and
from that became very reserved and reclusive. This
palace was built only to house himself and his
servants, as well as the few guests that might arrive.
Ludwig’s complete fascination with absolute rule and
monarchical grandeur came from the complete
dissolution of ties to the outside world and to the
people he governed, rather focusing on his own
magnificence and wealth. The lavish architecture and
gardens surrounding the estate show just how much
the greed and money that came with power blinded
Ludwig for his entire life, ending ultimately with his
death at the age of 41, a death under uncertain
Linderhof Palace, Ettal, Germany circumstances.
 Just as in Ludwig’s obsession with money, Karl Marx, a
contemporary with Ludwig II, noted how, through the
influence of the bourgeoisie, money has become the central
“The bourgeoisie has focus of everything. The violent choice of words in the first
part of this excerpt stress the dangerous and unethical nature
torn away from the of these circumstances, for how can a system of ethics exist

family its sentimental

when your society is based solely on money. Money leads to
the furthering of greed and selfishness. In having “torn away

veil, and has reduced from the family its sentimental veil,” the bourgeoisie has also
torn away the fabric of society, the backbone of all human
the family relation to nature. Without this, it is no wonder why there is rampant
corruption throughout history and through today. Marx notes
a mere money the dissolvement of family directly to “a mere money
relation,” which is such a disheartening truth of the world. As
relation.” money becomes the center of things, care for others and
human emotion seem to be put on the back burner,
unimportant to the instant gains that await the lazy
businessman. Stemming from “family,” the women of society
-- the women of the family -- have now been disregarded as
well, being tossed aside as their economic value resides
below that of paper money. Ridding society of all of its morals
The Communist Manifesto, Chapter 1, and basic principles and replacing it rather with greed and
Karl Marx lust gives way to a society guideless and blind in its efforts,
ultimately leading to its eventual and swift demise.
 Many of the shortcomings of rulers discussed up to
this point have all had one thing in common: each
downfall was rooted in baseless claims to power and
pleasure. The corrupt aristocracy and rulers run
around without consequence while leaving those in
need to suffer without any help from those with
excess. This sculpture, found in Salzburg, Austria,
shows a depiction of a human, probably dead,
slouched over with a large cloak covering him. This
deathly figure shows the ultimate and rather
gruesome end to the lavish lifestyle led by the
aristocrats. Even more poignant, though, is that the
entire sculpture is hollow inside, showing quite clearly
that the actions of the bourgeois in life are indeed
hollow and without meaning, leaving only a hollow
shell of where a complete, sound human once used to
be.
Die Pieta, Anna Chromy
Dom Quartier, Salzburg, Austria
 One of the most jarring uses of imagery, both as found
“The phantom of false in the sculpture and in this passage from Thomas
pleasure is illustrated by More’s Utopia, is the inclusion of the phantom. This

other men who run mad

ghoulish figure provides an idea for something not
only feared in life but also something that is missing.
with delight over their The duality of the word choice highlights both aspects

own blue blood, flatter of the aristocrats dangerous and superficial behaviors
in ignoring their actual duties to the people they
themselves on their govern while partaking in pastimes that have no real

nobility, and gloat over gain or purpose. Continuing with the rather graphic
depiction, More includes the men’s infatuation with
all their rich ancestors…” “their own blue blood,” a direct reference to the
specific corruption of the royalty. More mentions
again “their rich ancestors,” bringing back in the idea
that money is one of the largest and most prolonging
factors of this corruption. The aristocracy relies on
this totally material and superficial gain in order to
draw a purpose for their lives, as up to this point they
Utopia 2.72, Thomas More.
haven’t anything of importance to hold to their name.