The Grove reflects Australia in general in not being a very class-based society. The Grove additionally has a fairly flat wealth structure with the differential between highest and lowest income deciles not large.
While there are different professions among us these are not marked by any gross class differences.
Types among us include (in no order): ruler (none)elected representatives public servants/ intellectuals/ teachers/ police/ health workers/lawyers military merchant and business people priest and ministers farmers artisans/ performers/ musicians coaches tradespeople miners homemakers/ childcare unskilled workers pensioners and self-funded retirees unemployed visitors criminals (none-we don’t have a prison here) students.
A lifestyle of conspicuous consumption involves devaluing entrepreneurial and innovative activity in general.
Historically the great step forward that launched humanity towards industrialism seems to have been associated with the development among the elite of attitudes supportive of entrepreneurial endeavours.
Capital was formed in antiquity by taking it from somebody else (war booty taxes) not by investment entrepreneurship and innovation. In The Grove war booty does not play a part. Taxes play a large role both paying them and receiving them back in various forms such as wages and grants and infrastructure funding. Capital formation by investment plays a part through superannuation share purchases buying and operating businesses and real estate. Manufacturing and innovation are minority activities.
Questions we might ask ourselves are:
[ul][ul]What are our attitudes to foreigners?
What are our attitudes to trade and commerce?
What are our attitudes to cosmopolitan city-dwellers?
What are our attitudes to intellectuals?
What are our attitudes to the military?
What are our attitudes to industrial capitalism?
What are our attitudes to business merchants?
How do we earn our living?
What do we consider worthy of respect in ourselves & others?[/ul][/ul]