kakistocracy …
government run by the worst
and least qualified
From Wikipedia:
A kakistocracy is a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens. The word was coined as early as the seventeenth century. Peter Bowler has noted in his book that there is no word for the government run by the best citizens, and that the aristarchy may be the right term, but still, it could conceivably be a kakistocracy disguised as an aristocracy
The term is generally used by critics of a country’s government. It has been variously used in the past to describe the Russian government under Boris Yeltsin and later Vladimir Putin, the government of Egypt under Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, governments in sub-Saharan Africa, the government of the Philippines under Rodrigo Duterte, and several United States presidential administrations. The term saw increased usage during the presidency of Donald Trump, going viral when MSNBC host Joy Reid and former CIA Director John Brennan used it to insult Trump in 2017 and 2018 respectively. The word was used by commentators in numerous newspapers, political publications, and books to describe the Trump administration.
I am reminded of how David Halberstam wrote the definitive book on the Kennedy Administration with the title, The Best and the Brightest.
Mr. Halberstam said that at one time he meant the title to be ironic, as if it should have a question mark, IE The Best and the Brightest?
Over time, as more and more Presidential Administrations piled up, the question mark, in retrospect, came off.
Maybe one day, like Gothic or Impressionism, Kakistocracy will take on a meaning almost unimaginable today.
Of course, that thought is predicated on the idea the following Presidential Administrations will … be worse.
We may be living in the golden age.
No Haiku For You 