This is a weird take. The Pharaohs proclaimed themselves to be literal gods on Earth and ancient Egypt was probably the furthest thing from am egalitarian society you can imagine. Yes, the workers who built the pyramids were skilled laborers and were paid but they were literally building giant tomb-temples for their god-kings while other people nearby were starving when the Nile flooded in a bad way. It’s like saying Donald Trump should commission a giant pyramid for himself to be buried in and we should all be happy to work together on building it.
It’s not the same because the president doesn’t represent society in a democracy in the same way.
For Egypt, the pharaoh was the thing that made Egypt. Kind o like the Dalai Lama or Jesus, the pharaoh was the son of horus, the incarnation of the principle of ruling. I am not an expert but I would say that the pyramid was built for that principle and not the person itself, whereas Trump has a Trump tower to make himself known.
If it isn’t Trump but e.g. Taylor Swift, I could imagine fans to build something for her, e.g. her next stage set, if she offers to provide food and housing.
For democracy though, society should build something that doesn’t celebrate one person but the community. E.g. China has a day when every citizen plants a tree. When you see the effect after some years, you can feel the transforming power of the community.
This is a weird take. The Pharaohs proclaimed themselves to be literal gods on Earth and ancient Egypt was probably the furthest thing from am egalitarian society you can imagine. Yes, the workers who built the pyramids were skilled laborers and were paid but they were literally building giant tomb-temples for their god-kings while other people nearby were starving when the Nile flooded in a bad way. It’s like saying Donald Trump should commission a giant pyramid for himself to be buried in and we should all be happy to work together on building it.
Exactly this.
It’s not the same because the president doesn’t represent society in a democracy in the same way.
For Egypt, the pharaoh was the thing that made Egypt. Kind o like the Dalai Lama or Jesus, the pharaoh was the son of horus, the incarnation of the principle of ruling. I am not an expert but I would say that the pyramid was built for that principle and not the person itself, whereas Trump has a Trump tower to make himself known.
If it isn’t Trump but e.g. Taylor Swift, I could imagine fans to build something for her, e.g. her next stage set, if she offers to provide food and housing.
For democracy though, society should build something that doesn’t celebrate one person but the community. E.g. China has a day when every citizen plants a tree. When you see the effect after some years, you can feel the transforming power of the community.