Which Estate Are You?

The fourth estate refers to an independent press or news network. It is separate from the other ‘estates.’ It observes and reports on the happenings of other elements of the public and keeps in check excesses of the other estates.

What are these estates? Over time they have changed but they include the following:

First Estate refers to the clergy or church leaders.

Second Estate refers to the nobility or ruling ‘class.’ In today’s culture presumably this would include the elected officials and management professionals of the government supported institutions. These would include taxing bodies like libraries, park districts, municipal governments, fire protection districts, etc. By extension schools, universities and colleges would be included in the second estate. Or would they?

Third Estate includes commoners or broad citizenry.

Fourth Estate, as mentioned, refers to the mainstream press or media that reports on the doings of the other estates.

There is a modern sense of a Fifth Estate. This would include the informal network of individuals and organizations that have influence over the other estates. They are often agenda setters and are found on the Internet, in political movements and other centers of interest.

Some updating of the terminology appears needed.

First of all, the clergy has a hierarchy of its own – Pope, Imam, Ayatollah, priests, nuns, brothers, ministers, pastors, bishops, cardinals, and all the titles that describe the personnel of religious entities. Every religion, sect and theological pursuer. In many historical eras clergy ruled the local and regional community; even entire nations. The Holy Roman Empire. The Church of England. You get the idea.

Second, nobility in modern democracies don’t actually exist. Perhaps adoration of some public personages build toward what was once ‘nobility’ but in America this does not exist on a strict basis. In England it does; the Royal Family ‘rules’ the country but civilian rule has replaced governance in all practical matters.

Commoners are the core of the nation-state-community. They are the governed by tacit agreement. Their consent is formalized in constitutions and other written agreements but the tacit nature provides broadening of the ‘agreement’ over time through institutional and court decisions. The citizenry we always have with us. We are them. And we give consent to be governed.

The media in formal, disciplined relationships or networks, becomes the mainstream thought and printed word of the current day. It is the interdependent workings of writers, observers, intellectuals and emergent historians that, taken together, produce a recounting of what has happened, why it occurred, and what it means for the short and long terms. This disciplined working is an institution of itself. It is subject to change and evolution. However, it remains centered on standards that slows evolution so as not to become a distortion of itself.

The fifth estate is not a formal separate entity. It is more of a forming influence base of diverse interests and resources. The Internet itself is a tool of the fifth estate but is not formally defined as such. Interest groups which build citizen support sufficient to press elected officials to take action in desired manners are certainly a part of the fifth estate. This estate might best be described as ‘the becoming.’

There is room in all five estates for additions. Where, for example, do these elements fit?

• Colleges and Universities; establishment elements to be sure, and important collaborators for a few of the other ‘estates’
• Think tanks; a subset of the fifth estate, or universities, or corporations?
• Research and Development labs; universities, corporations and independent foundations; more than one estate would be included here
• Corporations of significant size; I give up! Which estate do these belong to? Maybe the new nobility?
• All other commercial ventures; much of these are ‘commoner’
• Industries and their leadership over component businesses (standards setting, self regulation, etc.); similar to large corporations, or perhaps the fifth estate?
• Medical institutions: hospitals, physicians, drug manufacturers, medical supply firms; these fit in several categories!
• Cultural Institutions: music, dance, visual and performing arts, museums, etc.
• Legal professions: judges, lawyers and support personnel
• Other?

Where do all these fit in with the ‘estates?’ Are they a specialized segment of the ruling class? Or of the commoners? Are they the new nobility? Certainly they are not the clergy?!

Perhaps sorting society by estate is out of date entirely? If so, how are standards and professionalism created and enforced? What gives currency and authority to each of these? And why should we be interested?

Good questions needing answers, I think.

January 6, 2012