Yep. We're doomed.
PODCAST excerpt:
The Mad Scramble for Power: Global Superpowers’ Strategies for Energy, Economics, and War.
PDF Transcript link: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61d5bc2bb737636144dc55d0/t/67ddcf598c35381c0dcb96d5/1742589786506/RR+16+Transcript+%28The+Mad+Scramble+for+Power%29.pdf
![The Great Simplification excerpt:
[01:04:16] The counterpoint that I think is important to stress is when you talk to the most sophisticated US foreign policy interlocutors who, you know, fly around the world in their, jets all the time and, their counterparts in Europe, of course, they're
much more sophisticated than Trump. And yet I can assure you wholeheartedly, as someone who knows a few of the regions pretty damn well, they dunno their ass from their elbow.
[01:04:42] They know absolutely nothing. They're staggeringly well read, staggeringly well connected, and they're idiots. So I'm not, trying to, you know, dismiss the validity of what I, saying quite the opposite. I'm saying that it's a, you know, a great concern that the people that you think, well, don't worry if they're in charge, everything will be all right.](https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/114/225/515/255/648/599/original/78446bee16ee9b4e.png "The Great Simplification excerpt:
[01:04:16] The counterpoint that I think is important to stress is when you talk to the most sophisticated US foreign policy interlocutors who, you know, fly around the world in their, jets all the time and, their counterparts in Europe, of course, they're
much more sophisticated than Trump. And yet I can assure you wholeheartedly, as someone who knows a few of the regions pretty damn well, they dunno their ass from their elbow.
[01:04:42] They know absolutely nothing. They're staggeringly well read, staggeringly well connected, and they're idiots. So I'm not, trying to, you know, dismiss the validity of what I, saying quite the opposite. I'm saying that it's a, you know, a great concern that the people that you think, well, don't worry if they're in charge, everything will be all right.")
PODCAST:
The Mad Scramble for Power: Global Superpowers’ Strategies for Energy, Economics, and War.
"If you wanna understand why the geopolitical fragmentation is going on...we're sort of in a race to the bottom to get what's left [of oil reserves in the ground]."
![The Mad Scramble for Power: Global Superpowers’ Strategies for Energy, Economics, and War
Nate Hagens, originally published by The Great Simplification
March 24, 2025
In this discussion, Nate is joined by Art Berman, Michael Every, and Izabella Kaminska for a broad exploration of the complex relationship between energy, geopolitics, and economic strategy.
Screenshot of three men and one woman in a zoom meeting.
Show Summary
The rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape of recent years can be hard to follow. With economic conflicts between global superpowers and violent clashes across multiple continents, today’s events can seem starkly different from the trajectory of past decades. So, how can a deeper understanding of energy and resource security help us make sense of these chaotic trends?
Together, the [speakers] provide valuable insights into the consequences of deindustrialization, the impact of military spending, and the urgent need to reassess strategies as resources dwindle and geopolitical tensions rise.
How is the use of fear as a political tool intertwined with the challenges of trust and disinformation in navigating turbulent international conflicts? What role is the race for Artificial General Intelligence and Quantum Computing playing in these rapidly changing situations? And ultimately, what should we, as citizens, be expecting from our leaders at the global stage as the struggle for power in the 21st century continues to intensify?](https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/114/225/212/645/094/052/original/8328eeab25c1c6c5.png "The Mad Scramble for Power: Global Superpowers’ Strategies for Energy, Economics, and War
Nate Hagens, originally published by The Great Simplification
March 24, 2025
In this discussion, Nate is joined by Art Berman, Michael Every, and Izabella Kaminska for a broad exploration of the complex relationship between energy, geopolitics, and economic strategy.
Screenshot of three men and one woman in a zoom meeting.
Show Summary
The rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape of recent years can be hard to follow. With economic conflicts between global superpowers and violent clashes across multiple continents, today’s events can seem starkly different from the trajectory of past decades. So, how can a deeper understanding of energy and resource security help us make sense of these chaotic trends?
Together, the [speakers] provide valuable insights into the consequences of deindustrialization, the impact of military spending, and the urgent need to reassess strategies as resources dwindle and geopolitical tensions rise.
How is the use of fear as a political tool intertwined with the challenges of trust and disinformation in navigating turbulent international conflicts? What role is the race for Artificial General Intelligence and Quantum Computing playing in these rapidly changing situations? And ultimately, what should we, as citizens, be expecting from our leaders at the global stage as the struggle for power in the 21st century continues to intensify?")
Here's what's going to happen when our services are privatized. First, some services will just be gone. Public good services that aren't seen as profitable will be gone. That's things like Social Security. Why would a billionaire get involved with that? They'll just steal the existing funds and shut it down. Second, services that we already paid for with our taxes, which could be monetized, like NOAA, we'll still pay for but we'll pay lots more and we'll pay it monthly like a cable company. We'll end up with a whole list of new service "subscriptions" for everything from the weather to schools. And our taxes will NOT go down because we'll still be paying for billionaires and mega corps to pay NO taxes just like we do now, while the government continues to operate things like the DOD (which will itself be pared down, sold off in parts, and augmented with billionaire-owned privateers). This new country the billionaires want is a return to feudalism in which you will owe your liege lords all kinds of money every month while scrabbling to keep your families alive, with all the "services for the public good" gone.
#coup #corrupion #networkState #darkEnlightenment #fascism #feudalism #authoritarianism #kleptocracy #kakistocracy #oligarchy
A sign of strange times when Steve Bannon, of all people, (sort of) nails the description of the Silicon Valley oligarchy and techno feudalism:
Just going to hypothesize something here... for posterity and accountability to weird strategic thoughts I have when I try to channel this Musk creep. The tech-bro's have already taken over. That is why they are now sending the DOGE teams with armed escorts and guns to smash small offices of the government. Trump is the vindictive figurehead. It's the tech lords running the show, and they're going to do a deal with China to get rid of Putin.
I'm open to the possibility of something beyond shocking happening. There have already been rumors of revaluing the gold at Fort Knox, restructuring the debt, a national cryptocurrency...
What about, a merger / joint venture with China and the US becomes a total one-party state, USA Inc. They'll leave the illusion of elections, and the Dems will continue to be the useful idiots as they have been for a decade.
The game is no longer Dem vs. Rep. There will be no normal midterms. The struggle at the top is between the Christian Nationalists, the technofascist (Nation State) crowd, and the MAGA base that Bannon leads. Think of Bannon's people as the brown shirts they'll eventually use to silence dissent.
Imagine a chip-access deal or some sort of organized takeover of Taiwan (stripping the island of its sovereignty in Trump fashion) over a set period of time for USA, Inc. to be able to scale semiconductor fabs.
The culture war is a distraction. The rich are stealing the future. 
We have an in-depth article by Richard Abels that looks at the idea and debate around 'feudalism'. It is a great read. https://www.medievalists.net/2025/03/historiography-feudalism-medieval-historian/ #feudalism #medieval #historians
The left, right mess is on repeat
This is at the heart of the contradictions and confusion in the political landscape today. The liberal and left muddle, where elements of economic populism are shared across ideological divides, is something we’ve seen before, especially in the 1930s, when fascist movements co-opted working-class grievances while pushing reactionary nationalism. #Bannon, like Röhm, plays a dangerous game by mobilizing working-class anger against neoliberal "elites" but steering it toward nationalism […]https://hamishcampbell.com/the-left-right-mess-is-on-repeat/
The Fediverse is a step
Let's do a brief breakdown of the core structural problems of centralized platforms and how they warp social interaction. This ties directly into the #geekproblem, #4opens, and the broader issues of #dotcons and digital feudalism. Key Takeaways: Centralization breeds #feudalism. One big virtual server means a few people have all the power while the rest are serfs. “Ease of use” is often a lie. It just means the real costs are hidden—either pushed onto users (moderation, unpaid […]Security is a social problem first, a tech problem second
The #geekproblem locks us into hardcoded #feudalism, power structures baked into the code itself, with server admins as kings, users as serfs. To break this, we need to build trust-based paths first and let security emerge from that, rather than bolting it on after the fact.What actually needs to be secured? The account → If the instance isn’t secure, the account isn’t either. The activity feed → The flows need to be secured to prevent manipulation. The credit (data […]https://hamishcampbell.com/security-is-a-social-problem-first-a-tech-problem-second/
Not everything is #feudalism, just because you want to make power hierachies more explicit. Sometimes you need to put in the work of explaining #capitalism properly.
“The paradise of the rich is made out of the hell of the poor.”
— #VictorHugo
Techno #feudalism and how #overloard #techbros use #capitalism #wealth in #classWar vs. #US aka #WeThePeople in #poverty. I'd say: Let's #eatTheRich if #hungerstrikes and groceries are too #expensive.
@muellertadzio @Kipppunkt apropos Dune. Audiobook of George Guidall is the best :)
"Dune has an important aspect to tell about the current state of planet earth alongside its leading disruptive species. The #climatecrisis in its radical intrusion of the living net on this planet is the accelerated reverse of what the Fremen under Liet Keynes are trying to accomplish on Arrakis, and so a potential prophecy on what future species could reach for on earth."
#ecology #feudalism #phrophecy
I don't always share #Bandcamp songs, but when I do, it's some scathing social criticism.
I don't claim to understand #BlackCulture, nor have I directly experienced the conditions of #CRT, nor do downplay the #authoritarian and #murderous #police of the #USA.
But, if poverty was as pervasive in Norway as it is in the #US, I can bet you there'd be Norwegians killing Norwegians every day and feudalism could return.
#American #feudalism is still a thing for some folk.
The only correct way to treat royalty
@flyhigh it is.
But as any #African intellectual will tell you, first the #oligarchy and #elite of #Africa has to be dealt with, #freetrade between African nations need to happen (actual free trade, none of this wishy washy bullshit), #feudalism needs to die in a fire and basically all predatory contracts with multinationals needs to also gtfo or renegotiate.
Then there's some of those IMF loans that were made in bad faith on both sides. That needs to be a lawsuit in the #ICJ.
@yianiris first you'd have to break libertarianism and make sure that people after the fact for generations don't sell off their property to centralized ownership once more, because then you'll just see a return of the oligarchy.
When law is then subverted and changed to favour the rich, which always seems to happen, the system only serves the rich - again!
And then when they are only ones with guns, welcome to pure #capitalist #feudalism.
If that's what you want, then libertarianism it is.
I don't understand why people are saying -50 years when the target is clearly an erasure of everything from the Enlightenment onward, so ~500 years.
La Marseillaise
The La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, one of the bloodiest and most revolutionary anthems ever written. It’s a war song, a call to arms from the French Revolution, dripping with the spirit of resistance and rage against tyranny. Unlike the polite, polished nationalism of modern times, this one doesn't hold back. It's about rising up, fighting back, and paying the price in blood when necessary. And yes, we need this for the coming #climatechaos. The urgency is the same, an […]
