Cultural Fatigue & Feudalism: What We’re In For, In the Long Run

Written by Bryan Lutz, Editor at Dollarcollapse.com:

Unfortunately, as the world is right now, we are in for a long decline with no spectacular mass movement or exigence for change.

We are headed toward cultural fatigue, and eventually, voluntary service to those who hold wealth.

When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, at first I felt a strange mix of deep sadness and great excitement. I was dismayed by his death, and because I did not follow him closely, I was even more deeply moved by the state of Western culture. For a few moments, I thought this might spark some kind of mass movement or revival—perhaps even the hope that America could once again be what it once was: a beacon of freedom and the pursuit of individual happiness. However, I no longer believe this is possible.

Recently, I started reading a book that had been collecting dust on my shelf: The True Believer by Eric Hoffer. The cover depicts Hitler waving from the window of a low-rise apartment building, raising his hand to the crowd as the crowd raises theirs in return—almost as an act of worship. As one raises their hand to bless, the masses raise their hands to receive, and at the same time, to identify with one another. They are connected. One to the other, they share a sense of infallible power.

In his own words, Hoffer explains:

“This book deals with some peculiarities common to all mass movements, be they religious movements, social revolutions, or nationalist movements. It does not maintain that all movements are identical, but that they share certain essential characteristics which give them a family likeness…”

By the end of the first chapter, Hoffer identifies those essential characteristics:

“…For men to plunge into an undertaking of vast change, they must be intensely discontented yet not destitute, and they must have the feeling that by possession of some potent doctrine, infallible leader, or some new technique, they have access to a source of irresistible power. They must also have an extravagant conception of the prospects and potentialities of the future. Finally, they must be wholly ignorant of the difficulties involved in their vast undertaking. Experience is a handicap.”

Charlie Kirk’s death may be a turning point—a reason to choose life and free speech over violence—but it is nowhere close to producing a mass movement for change. Even with intense hatred toward those perceived as the polarized “other,” it is not enough. In this environment, there is no potent doctrine, no infallible leader, and no new technique. And the biggest qualifier—religion (in this case, Christianity)—resembles the long decline of the Roman Empire more than the reformational movements of Protestant Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Nowhere in the West do we see the rise of a religious-like, Stalinist figure to drive things forward. The State lacks the nationalist spirit of revivalism that once helped Japan, Germany, and China recover from post-war poverty. This is partly because technology has enabled us to remember the mistakes of our past.

What we lack is access to a source of irresistible power. Experience itself has become our handicap.

Without Access

We are without access to the kind of irresistible power that fuels mass movements.

As I’ve mentioned, the State no longer provides a Spirit of Revivalism, and religion no longer attaches itself to a single leader (at least not one who resides on earth rather than in heaven or some other spiritual realm).

Instead, decadence has replaced the need for such access. We are wholly discontented, yet surrounded by decadence. We are still enthralled by the idea of sharing our latest vacations on Instagram. We would rather remain single in comfortable homes than work through differences between the sexes, have children, and build ordinary families. The trend toward “Mega Cities” reflects a preference for specialization, status, and participation in the “next big thing” over becoming whole, well-rounded people. Decadence is everywhere, and signs of rejection are rare. We call it “quality of life” or “standard of living,” but in reality, we prefer the prospect of having more than our neighbors to living in a state that does not benefit us here and now.

That being said, a few objects still appear to offer a kind of irresistible power in the face of society.

The Federal Reserve and Fiat Money

Fiat money—printed and distributed by the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury—has long been a source of irresistible power. Over the past fifty years, it has provided the means to access nearly everything we want or need. But it has also created the largest wealth gap in history.

The gap itself is not necessarily bad—it is natural in any economy—but what matters is ease of social mobility. And fiat money has created barriers to it.

For example, large corporations and wealthy elites enjoy easy access to credit, which they can use to acquire more assets. The average American, however, remains content as an employee with a mortgage. We even have a name for this condition: “middle class.” Here, a family can own a home, a car, and enroll their children in extracurricular activities. With easy mortgage credit, they feel they have “made it,” and then spend the rest of their lives paying off that mortgage. Fiat has created a pleasurable cage of indentured servitude. As national debt has grown, the cage has become smaller and more expensive. Today, one-bedroom apartments in “15-minute cities” are sold on 30-year mortgages, which couples can only hope to pay off in their lifetimes—especially if they choose not to have children.

Fiat money is no longer just a failure. It has become an enabler.

Gold

For gold advocates, owning gold feels like access to irresistible power. Its rallies fuel hopes of a better quality of life, and revaluations create excitement. Yet because gold is scarce and physical, it cannot support a mass movement. It merely allows wealth to transfer from one currency to another. Owning gold means holding a stake in whatever new currency rises from the ashes. It provides economic continuity, not cultural renewal.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin seems to inspire a movement, but it too shares gold’s limitations. True, it is easier to transport than gold, but in the end, Bitcoin also provides economic continuity. It is the base layer for digital currencies. With 93% of Bitcoin already mined and most of it held in private treasuries, its deflationary nature will only expand the wealth gap and restrict access.

Like gold, Bitcoin functions as money—medium of exchange, store of value, and unit of account. And like gold, it stabilizes culture without revitalizing it. It cannot ignite a mass movement as Hoffer described.

Experience is Our Handicap

Experience tells us we’ve tried every form of political structure over the past 2000 years. Now, we’ve found that democracy is the best out of them all. As you can see in the video below, we believe that democracy, or our governance system is responsible for the West’s prosperity. It is even responsible for our ability to provide social assistance to those that need it. However, as you saw in the fiat money and central banking section above, the money printer has provided the means. We think our economy has grown so much, but it has more so been the cultural values America believes in rather than the individual’s ability to vote.

Yet, Marxism has slowly infiltrated democracy. It has allowed short-term attempts at creating equality to overshadow the bigger picture. Democracy encourages each individual to clamour for their piece of the pie. Then when a new party is voted in, mistakes are not corrected, useless bureaucracy is maintained, and taxation (whether by direct tax or inflation) destroys the standard of living over time.

Hans Hermann Hoppe outlines the political failure of democracy by comparing it to monarchy.

We are headed toward a long era of technological, economic, and cultural stagnation, ruled by individuals who hold gold and Bitcoin. Experience tells us political systems cannot be trusted, nor are there alternatives left to try. Technology allows us to remember 5,000 years into the past, and every lesson seems to confirm that our efforts are inconsequential.

We have no new ideas—only many “little kings” holding gold and Bitcoin.

Progress will not be required, nor new mythology invented, while allegiance to wealth-holders will suffice…

Like monarchs of old, they will do their best to preserve their power.

A new age of lords and nobles—digital and golden—awaits. No mass movements required.