Thread by @astradisastra

I coined a new term: Technocratopian

A technocratic, elitist utopianism characterized by an aversion to universal social programs and an erroneous faith that arcane bureaucratic systems can accurately distinguish the “deserving” from “undeserving” in the allocation of benefits🧵

Like all fundamentalists, technocratopians are deeply resistant to evidence demonstrating that their worldview is flawed. They are particularly hostile to proof that the byzantine systems they favor perpetuate the very injustices and harms they purport to want to prevent.

For example, technocratopians love means-testing and associated administrative hurdles that sound “fair” in theory. In practice the results are like taxes. The privileged are better able to hire accountants, navigate complexity, and reap associated rewards.

Technocratopians would rather gather data than take concrete actions to help people in the here and now. Endless information collection, analysis, and tinkering at the margins perpetuate the illusion that their favored systems will one day be perfectly implemented.

Technocratopians disproportionately attend elite colleges and this experience shapes their biases. Ivy Leaguers love the tests and applications that served them so well. Their identities depend on the myth that being able to jump through hoops is a sign of worthiness and merit.

Technocratopians value “smarts” over substance, and they deploy their savvy to undermine solidarity by categorizing and distinguishing people in divisive ways. They loathe universal forms of social provisioning and simple policies that would render their “expertise” irrelevant.

For example, they’d rather add byzantine hoops and hurdles to student debt relief to ensure “unworthy” and allegedly wealthy borrowers don’t benefit than recommend the obvious and simple solution to ensuring equity: higher taxes on the rich.

Technocratopianism is an elitist form of idealism that presents itself as realistic and shrewd while failing to acknowledge the system changes required. It is committed to “fixing” broken processes by adding additional complexity rather than replacing and simplifying them.

This ridiculous article from the NYT is a wonderful example of technocratopian thinking in action nytimes.com/2022/04/29/opi…

“The govt could reinstate the safeguards imposed under Obama and previous presidents, but the current focus among Democrats is on debt relief.” Brilliant, let’s reinstate the rules that allowed profiteering "schools" to stay in business & lobby for/achieve immediate deregulation.

“I’m persuaded by two points that Looney makes.” Looney is Koch Brothers funded economist and expert whose cooks his data by adding hypothetical earning potential to people’s household balance sheets. It’s utter bullshit, but hey, it looks like math!

“And that — forgiveness for people who don’t need forgiveness — seems a bit daft.” There’s the tell-tale technocratopian attack on universality and solidarity. This is divide and conquer politics masquerading as responsible, liberal policy-making. Don't be fooled.