Evolution

[jerryskid]

Can anyone apply social darwinism to the series of events leading up to George W. Bush's status in the administration. I am having a hard time trying to do so.

[DBoon]

1. Try the Peter Principle

people tend to get promoted to their level of incompetence.

[punpirate]

2. Social Darwinism is the backbone...

... of the Bushies and the corporate right. It's about the wealthy oppressing the poor. Killing Social Security, killing Medicaid and Medicare and other social programs which are meant to redistribute wealth from rich to poor, is a prime aim of the far right. The rich (i.e., the strong) dominate the poor (the weak) because they can do so--that's social Darwinism in a nutshell.

Protecting the rights of corporations and the wealthy to contribute to the political campaigns of legislators ensures that the system in place survives.

Dubya is part of that system of protecting the rich--it's all he knows--so, in effect, Dubya is a social Darwinist--he doesn't really care about the weak in society, and his policies reflect that indifference.

In a sense, you're asking for documentation of a mindset that would take several books to explain. The rich, in short, don't want to support a just society, because it costs them some of their wealth. The Bushes are part of that wealthy society.

Google is your friend in this. Search for Bush and wealth and conservatism, or read one of the many books out now about the Bushes.

The answer to your question is obvious.

Cheers.

[Crunchy Frog]

3. Social Darwinism is not a part

of evolutionary theory. It is a bastardization of it which emerged in Victorian England. It's purpose was to help the members of the wealthy, privileged classes to feel good about their status, evade any feelings of guilt, or responsibility for the less fortunate, and to believe that somehow their position in society was ordained by nature.

The Bushies do appear to be heirs to this intellectual tradition.

As a scientific theory it is totally bogus.

[Lexingtonian]

4. sure

He's the well-adapted puppet of the vicious kind of business interests. A prostitute, like Ronald Reagan was, to interests that keep him happy and basking in glory and well remunerated even though it means blood in the stool at times.

[leftistagitator]

5. Simple. Social Darwinism is a lie

Evolution is true, but Social Darwinism is just an excuse for fat lazy incompetent pricks to justify their treatment of the peasants.

[Zynx]

6. Social Darwinism is typically a device of the right.

They use it to justify not helping the poor and disadvantaged. It is a BS application of Darwinian theory that has been used by the likes of Hitler.