The economic Untertan (a self-write book)

[This is a self-write book: Use the following as input for your favorite large language model. (I love literature too much to do it.) Or sit down and do the work. (I won't.) Add local flair as needed.] ‘Der Untertan’ (the underling) is a 1914/1918 satirical novel by German writer Heinrich Mann. It depicts the life of its protagonist Diederich Hessling in the Wilhelmine era in Germany. Diederich is the perfect underling for his Kaiser, seeking validation through obedience. From sycophantic youth to hypocritical Christian-nationalist industrialist and politician, he opportunistically kowtows to those above him and cruelly tramples on those below. He avoids the military service he praises, uses slander to crush rivals, and manipulates political alliances for personal gain, before his obsession with strength cumulates in his support of World War I. Exposing Diederich’s superficial patriotism and Christian faith, Mann’s book exposed the moral bankruptcy of those who claimed to uphold traditional values while acting in the most self-interested ways. Obviously, this book is a timely read again. A little more than 100 years later we now see a new breed of Untertans at work. The original, ‘political’ Untertan was driven by the desire to submit to political power so that he could wield power over those at the mercy of him. Our new, ‘economic’ Untertan is similarly driven by the desire to become at least a little bit like the economic ‘Kaisers’ taking over our societies today. Feeling deprived of a fair chance to achieve his wishes, he puts himself at the service of strongmen. [prompt continues in full PDF, see green 'PhilArchive' button top right]