Great essay Walter. This was the thesis of my favorite economist, Thorstein Veblen (of Theory of the Leisure Class, fame). But he was drummed out of economics long ago. As for today, Trump is the only bastard who have figured out how to create a version of shared civic duty (albeit a fake one). Check out: https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/02/02/the-u-s-bourgeois-democracy-farewell-tour/