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The trauma of the Sixties persuaded me that my generation's egalitarianism was a sentimental error. I now see the hierarchical as both beautiful and necessary. Efficiency liberates; egalitarianism tangles, delays, blocks, deadens.
Camille Paglia
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects a change in perspective from valuing equality to appreciating hierarchy as essential for efficiency and beauty.

Camille Paglia expresses a transformation in her philosophical beliefs regarding societal structures. Initially influenced by the egalitarian ideals of her generation, she now argues that hierarchy is not only necessary for efficiency but also holds an inherent beauty. This perspective suggests that striving for equality can lead to inefficiencies that hinder progress, while embracing hierarchical structures can facilitate liberation and vitality in society.

Themes

HierarchyEgalitarianismEfficiencySocietyProgress

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about societal structures, this quote could illustrate the importance of hierarchy.

More from Camille Paglia

In an era ruled by materialism and unstable geopolitics, art must be restored to the center of public education.
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Every month, it is woman's fate to face the abyss of time and being, the abyss which is herself.
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Serial or sex murder, like fetishism, is a perversion of male intelligence. It is a criminal abstraction, masculine in its deranged egotism and orderliness. It is the asocial equivalent of philosophy, mathematics, and music. There is no female Mozart because there is no female Jack the Ripper.
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The male orientation of classical Athens was inseparable from its genius. Athens became great not despite but because of its misogyny.
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We should teach general ethics to both men and women, but sexual relationships themselves must not be policed. Sex, like the city streets, would be risk-free only in totalitarian regimes.
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Popular culture is the new Babylon, into which so much art and intellect now flow. It is our imperial sex theater, supreme temple of the western eye. We live in the age of idols. The pagan past, never dead, flames again in our mystic hierarchies of stardom.
Camille PagliaRead

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