I was very intrigued by Tocqueville’s quote “If in polished countries the lowest of the people are rude and uncivil, it is not merely because they are poor and ignorant, but because, being so, they are in daily contact with rich and enlightened men.” I feel that Tocqueville is sympathizing with the lower class of Aristocratic countries, arguing that the poor is only “lower” in contrast with the rich. The feeling some of these people have, that they can never work their way out of their “inferior condition”, only divides them from their upper class counterparts. Tocqueville even goes so far as to argue that the reason some of the people he is referring to act so uncivilized is because they see no reason to be civil, and to fit in to a society where they are not equal. When they see these “rich and enlightened men”, followed by the feeling of never getting to join them, Tocqueville feels they will pull themselves even further apart. However, with some chance of reclaiming equality, it seems as though these people will try to fit into society more, in hopes of one day joining it and making it their own. I am very curious to know what Tocqueville would say about this quote contrasted with current American life. There is an underbelly of America that would consider their situation so dire that it is impossible to get out of, even though we do not live in an Aristocratic country. I would love to know what Tocqueville would say about that situation, and whether he would think it was the fault of the people, the system, or a combination of both.
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