The Alfalfa Papers, Part 1: An Introduction to Power in America

The Power Elite by C. Wright Mills

“‘The Power Elite’ is both fascinating and infuriating and may well, over the years, become famous — one of those famous books that everybody knows about and almost nobody reads.”

- Fred Rodell, The Saturday Review

Every four years, the question crops up for me.

Is this the year I finally vote third party? Or abstain entirely? I find my hands tied between a hawkish demon, an animated corpse, or an obnoxious grifter. My rulers forget about me the moment they cross the threshold of Executive office. Their shifting promises fall through my fingers like grains of sand, I’ll never have the pull of Meta or General Motors. I am insignificant, I am a walking ballot.

Huge decisions are being botched or avoided daily by the few key power-players who are allowed to make them, but we’re expected to throw money and support at them anyway. I’m a red-blooded American woman, I bask in the bullshit and pledge loyalty to the candidate who can paint on the most convincing frown before they facilitate war crimes.

“(Americans) feel that they live in a time of big decisions; they know that they are not making any.” The first resonant truth of many in the text of The Power Elite by C. Wright Mills.

If you, like me, feel disillusioned by the size and scope of the U.S. fed, join me for this series in which we’ll dig into the structures that bind us and deepen our understanding of modern power in the United States.

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So... Why “The Alfalfa Papers?”

The title of this series is a nod to the alfalfa club: an annual invite-only black tie event, ongoing since 1913, that hosts none but the most influential and powerful members of high society. The club is named for the alfalfa plant that “will do anything for a drink.” It may be a totally innocuous gala wherein rich people gather and be rich together, it may host some freaky Eyes Wide Shut depravity, but a key element of the event is its hush-hush exclusivity, so most of us will never find out.

This gathering of high society perfectly represents the slippery and secret nature of high power in the U.S., and the parallels will become clear as we dig into this series.

This introduction will be available to everyone, but the ongoing series will be for paid subscribers. Consider upgrading your subscription for complete access to Bitch Sensei’s Book Club and to help facilitate more in-depth series like these!

Who Are the Power Elite?

To be clear: it’s not lizard people, it’s not the illuminati, it’s not The Jews.

Powerful people as defined by Mills are those who are “able to realize their will even if others resist it.” The Power Elite then, more specifically, is a network of politicians, executives, military men, and old money high society types that are steering the ship of US policy. Bumbling, bloated, and not entirely self-aware, this caste of people gorges itself on blank checks from the treasury and pushes off any meaningful movement until it’s far too late. Some are democratically elected, many have hereditary prestige from generations of wealth, but all are able to shuffle around between their roles as high-ranking members of a certain class.

To call it a conspiracy would imply more cohesion and scheming than is truly there — people of a certain pedigree share similar interests and are loyal to their cohort. They send their kids to the same private schools, they join the same Ivy League clubs, and look out for each other’s interests when they reach positions of influence. Sometimes it’s really that simple.

As delighted as I am by a tin foil hat, we won’t need one for this series.

A clipping of the “Social Register,” an ongoing and exclusive list of those names who are included with “the best of high society.” image via Wikimedia Commons.

Now, The Power Elite was published in 1956, but when we look at the state of federal expansion in the U.S. today, we can see Mills’ text was disturbingly modern. The framework he laid out in this book almost 70 years ago has intensified in both power and scope (the things I’d give to have Mills write an updated edition following the War on Terror…).

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“The Big Three”

When we speak of the power elite, we are referring to the key three power hubs of the United States: Economic, Political, and Military.

Mill’s main point about the cooperation of The Big Three is this: when people retire from military and political roles they often step into corporate or lobbying roles, because apparently once you reach a certain level of prestige you don’t need any specific expertise or background to occupy the most powerful posts in the country (I imagine most of their days are spent golfing and schmoozing while their interns write reports on the crucial documents their bosses will never read).

This passing of hands mobilizes interests from one sector to another, an endless web of interlocking people and departments that, by nature of their connection, are more loyal to their cohort than to the people they are meant to serve. And as these institutions grow, they become more centralized, thus expanding their power:

“Within each of the big three, the typical institutional unit has become enlarged, has become administrative, and, in the power of its decisions, has become centralized… the consequences of its activities become greater, and its traffic with the others increases. The decisions of a handful of corporations bear upon military and political, as well as upon economic developments around the world.” (7)

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As we dig deeper into The Power Elite, we’ll learn about the celeb-ification of the rich, the secrecy of the ultra-rich, the state of class identity in the US, and the discrete connections between the institutions of military, economy, and politics. The Power Elite was extremely helpful for me as a layman looking to form a deeper understanding of modern U.S. history, and I encourage all my fellow laymen to join me for this journey!

To get the full Alfalfa Papers experience, grab a copy of The Power Elite and become a paid subscriber for just $5/month. For my friends who can’t spare the cash to access future posts, you should still get the book from the library, or online for free here (shhhhhh) and bring any questions or observations to the free subscriber chat for discussion.

No question is too stupid, no observation too banal. Everyone’s invited, let’s get into it!

See you soon for part 2.