“Authority has always attracted the lowest elements in the human race. All through history mankind has been bullied by scum.”

— P. J. O'Rourke , book Parliament of Whores

Parliament of Whores (1991)
Context: Authority has always attracted the lowest elements in the human race. All through history mankind has been bullied by scum. Those who lord it over their fellows and toss commands in every direction and would boss the grass in the meadows about which way to bend in the wind are the most depraved kind of prostitutes. They will submit to any indignity, perform any vile act, do anything to achieve power. The worst off-sloughings of the planet are the ingredients of sovereignty. Every government is a parliament of whores. The trouble is, in a democracy, the whores are us.

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P. J. O'Rourke 185

American journalist 1947

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“Authority has always attracted the lowest elements in the human race. All through history mankind has been bullied by scum.”

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P. J. O'Rourke 185

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