Owen Woodson, I believe you are absolutely correct in your comments about Oligarchism.

"oligarchism is a universal tendency to be found in all societies at all times"

Right on. What led to the development of perverse forms of Fascism, Stalinism, Maoism, the Roman Catholic Church, the Spanish Inquisition, Naziism, the Roman Empire in its decline, and indeed all other oppressive systems was....the growth of a self-aggrandizing oligarchy who started running things strictly for their own benefit and for the perpetuation and enlargement of their privilege and power.

Our present society is groaning under a corrupt corporate/banking/military Oligarchy...what Eisenhower referred to as the "military-industrial complex" (he didn't mention the banks). If we end up under a totalitarian system, it will be that Oligarchy which sets it up...and it won't matter a damn what they call it. They'll probably call it "freedom" or "the free market". (Ha Ha)

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Bruce - I looked up that link you provided, and it generated the following article on Dylan's clothing:

It has recently come to my attention that not enough people understand how great an effect Bob Dylan's clothing has had on our lives. Each day we wake up and likely have one or more of Bob Dylan's clothing styles lying at the foot of our beds. It is wonderful to be able to wake up and smile each morning because of this.

Social & Cultural Factors

Bob Dylan's clothing has played a large role in American Culture. Many people can often be seen taking part in activities associated with Bob Dylan's clothing. This is partly because people of most ages can be involved and families are brought together by this. Generally a person who displays their dislike for Bob Dylan's clothing may be considered an outcast.

Economic Factors

It is not common practice to associate economics with Bob Dylan's clothing. Generally, Bob Dylan's clothing would be thought to have no effect on our economic situation, but there are in fact some notable effects. The sales industry associated with Bob Dylan's clothing is actually a 2.3 billion dollar a year industry and growing each year. The industry employs nearly 150,000 people in the United States alone. It would be safe to say that Bob Dylan's clothing plays an important role in American economics and shouldn't be taken for granted.

Environmental Factors

After a three month long research project, I've been able to conclude that Bob Dylan's clothing doesn't negatively effect the environment at all. Bob Dylan's clothing did not seem to result in waste products and couldn't be found in forests, jungles, rivers, lakes, oceans, etc... In fact, Bob Dylan's clothing has probably produced some positive effects on the world of Nature.

Political Factors

Oh does Bob Dylan's clothing ever influence politics! Last year 5 candidates running for some sort of position used Bob Dylan's clothing as the primary topic of their campaign. A person might think Bob Dylan's clothing would be a bad topic to lead a campaign with, but in fact with the social and environmental impact it has, this topic was able to gain a great number of followers. These 5 candidates went 4 for 5 on winning their positions.

Conclusion

Bob Dylan's clothing seems to be a much more important subject than most give it credit for. Next time you see or think of Bob Dylan's clothing, think about what you just read and realize what is really going on. It is likely you under valued Bob Dylan's clothing before, but will now start to give it the credit it deserves.

Footnotes

Bob Dylan's clothing researched in wikipedia. Bob Dylan's clothing @ dictionary.com