Great article, I loved it, TWV! Awesome job. So, if you promise to give helpful comments like you’ve done for me in the past, I’ll give you some ideas I’ve been chewing on, and see if we think they’re worth a damn (many of mine are n-o-t, TBC).
First, I think hammering home a “revised” definition of Warfare and Statecraft that brings everybody along on the same page would be helpful for both of our work in this area. War is now a multi-dimensional thing that’s no longer tanks/planes/ships/guns/missiles/etc. It’s layered: psych/econ/politics/media-control and, (I can’t think of a single word to describe it) “marketing that combines all of those layers into one impactful, hammered-home message, everywhere all at once.
Second, the ideas of Yarvin fall apart at this logical point, which we should capitalize on: They have no real fucking clue how to transition to a future state (and independent States) without an apocalyptic event - aka “burn it down” - in the middle. History backs this up: See French Revolution, the many empires in China, the current China, even the control of the Indian subcontinent. The idea is that it’s a weak spot in the thought process. Press hard for what the big brains say about how we get from here to there. Is it even possible without mass casualties as collateral damage? I’m starting to think it’s not.
Third, and last for now, is the “archy”, “isms”, and other language we’re using is, IMHO, losing readers because of our own (at least *my*) fault - oligarchy is a nebulous concept, a catch all that involves some form of lots of money doing stuff with things. That’s about the extent of its foundations in general meaning, as I’ve been trying to find out. Nobody knows exactly what a dictatorship FEELS like, what a surveillance state FEELS like, what an Oligarchy FEELS like. We probably should give that a good think and see how to better convey a more tuned message than “Oligarchy = rich, bad men doing bad shit”. We’d bring more people along by getting real about it vs just glossing over it with the assumption “everybody must understand this already”.
I hope my feedback is at least marginally helpful. I really enjoyed your post - you’re doing a FANTASTIC job and I love reading your work. THANK YOU for sharing it.
Thank you for this. It’s not just helpful; it’s a co-creation moment.
-- Yes, we need a new, emotionally resonant definition of warfare and power.
-- Yes, Yarvin and his ilk are riding a theory with no steering wheel, just a flamethrower.
-- And yes, our words must land like bruises, not footnotes.
Specifically relating to the Ivory Tower lexicon of “Oligarchy,” “dictatorship,” and “surveillance state” - these are words that lost their nerve. They’re clinically precise and emotionally useless. People know something’s wrong, but they don’t have language that lives in the gut.
We need to talk about:
-- What it feels like to self-censor because you don’t trust the algorithm.
-- What it feels like to be watched by cameras that aren’t owned by the state but by Amazon.
-- What it feels like when everything’s for sale, and nothing’s trustworthy.
-- What it feels like when your boss, your landlord, and your phone carrier are all the same damn billionaire.
We should probably do a Substack series or podcast episode titled:
“What It Feels Like: A Glossary of Modern Tyranny”
Because you’re right — the messaging breaks down at the emotional level. And that’s the level where movements catch fire.
Ah, Ying Yang, the internet oracle of “just wait till people snap” revolution theory.
Let me break this down with a little less cool nihilism and a little more historical memory:
No, normal people aren’t afraid of billionaires. They’re exhausted by them. Burned out. Distracted. Drowning in debt, clickbait, and side hustles while Thiel funds fascism and Musk plays international brinkmanship like he’s livestreaming “Risk.”
But let’s be clear: waiting for everyone to reach their breaking point is not a plan — it’s a fantasy. It’s the same fantasy capitalists rely on: atomized rage that never organizes. That’s not how movements win. That’s how corpses pile up.
The Grim Reaper might have a cool handle, but spectators and slogans don't win movements. They're won by people who decide not to wait for collapse to write the next chapter. That breaking point you’re waiting for? It’s already here; it just showed up in the form of burnout, eviction, and passive scrolling.
So, if you're holding out for blood in the streets to be the spark? Congratulations, you've outsourced your strategy to entropy. We don’t need martyrs. We need builders. Organizers. Subversives. People who prototype liberation before collapse.
Do you want to be a reaper? Fine. But don’t forget, somebody’s gotta bury the old gods and plant something in their place.
Let’s write that epitaph before the cadavers stack up, yeah?
Peter Thiel and his muse Curtis Yarvin deserve far more scrutiny.
https://www.notesfromthecircus.com/p/the-plot-against-america
https://thucydidesii.substack.com/p/influence-of-curtis-yarvin-peter
https://kellihere.substack.com/p/heres-why-the-ultra-wealthy-tech
Checked them out, and they are great pieces!! I have taken some inspiration from them, and a new piece will be out on Monday morning!
I'm glad to hear it!
https://twvme.substack.com/p/voiceexe-has-crashed-exit-techno
Thanks for the links shared.
Thank you for tracking the neo-reactionary coup against democracy.
I'll definitely check those out!!
Traitors. Eat the rich
https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax
Thank you for sharing that!! I have updated the article with the link.
Great article, I loved it, TWV! Awesome job. So, if you promise to give helpful comments like you’ve done for me in the past, I’ll give you some ideas I’ve been chewing on, and see if we think they’re worth a damn (many of mine are n-o-t, TBC).
First, I think hammering home a “revised” definition of Warfare and Statecraft that brings everybody along on the same page would be helpful for both of our work in this area. War is now a multi-dimensional thing that’s no longer tanks/planes/ships/guns/missiles/etc. It’s layered: psych/econ/politics/media-control and, (I can’t think of a single word to describe it) “marketing that combines all of those layers into one impactful, hammered-home message, everywhere all at once.
Second, the ideas of Yarvin fall apart at this logical point, which we should capitalize on: They have no real fucking clue how to transition to a future state (and independent States) without an apocalyptic event - aka “burn it down” - in the middle. History backs this up: See French Revolution, the many empires in China, the current China, even the control of the Indian subcontinent. The idea is that it’s a weak spot in the thought process. Press hard for what the big brains say about how we get from here to there. Is it even possible without mass casualties as collateral damage? I’m starting to think it’s not.
Third, and last for now, is the “archy”, “isms”, and other language we’re using is, IMHO, losing readers because of our own (at least *my*) fault - oligarchy is a nebulous concept, a catch all that involves some form of lots of money doing stuff with things. That’s about the extent of its foundations in general meaning, as I’ve been trying to find out. Nobody knows exactly what a dictatorship FEELS like, what a surveillance state FEELS like, what an Oligarchy FEELS like. We probably should give that a good think and see how to better convey a more tuned message than “Oligarchy = rich, bad men doing bad shit”. We’d bring more people along by getting real about it vs just glossing over it with the assumption “everybody must understand this already”.
I hope my feedback is at least marginally helpful. I really enjoyed your post - you’re doing a FANTASTIC job and I love reading your work. THANK YOU for sharing it.
Thank you for this. It’s not just helpful; it’s a co-creation moment.
-- Yes, we need a new, emotionally resonant definition of warfare and power.
-- Yes, Yarvin and his ilk are riding a theory with no steering wheel, just a flamethrower.
-- And yes, our words must land like bruises, not footnotes.
Specifically relating to the Ivory Tower lexicon of “Oligarchy,” “dictatorship,” and “surveillance state” - these are words that lost their nerve. They’re clinically precise and emotionally useless. People know something’s wrong, but they don’t have language that lives in the gut.
We need to talk about:
-- What it feels like to self-censor because you don’t trust the algorithm.
-- What it feels like to be watched by cameras that aren’t owned by the state but by Amazon.
-- What it feels like when everything’s for sale, and nothing’s trustworthy.
-- What it feels like when your boss, your landlord, and your phone carrier are all the same damn billionaire.
We should probably do a Substack series or podcast episode titled:
“What It Feels Like: A Glossary of Modern Tyranny”
Because you’re right — the messaging breaks down at the emotional level. And that’s the level where movements catch fire.
Yup!
Ah, Ying Yang, the internet oracle of “just wait till people snap” revolution theory.
Let me break this down with a little less cool nihilism and a little more historical memory:
No, normal people aren’t afraid of billionaires. They’re exhausted by them. Burned out. Distracted. Drowning in debt, clickbait, and side hustles while Thiel funds fascism and Musk plays international brinkmanship like he’s livestreaming “Risk.”
But let’s be clear: waiting for everyone to reach their breaking point is not a plan — it’s a fantasy. It’s the same fantasy capitalists rely on: atomized rage that never organizes. That’s not how movements win. That’s how corpses pile up.
The Grim Reaper might have a cool handle, but spectators and slogans don't win movements. They're won by people who decide not to wait for collapse to write the next chapter. That breaking point you’re waiting for? It’s already here; it just showed up in the form of burnout, eviction, and passive scrolling.
So, if you're holding out for blood in the streets to be the spark? Congratulations, you've outsourced your strategy to entropy. We don’t need martyrs. We need builders. Organizers. Subversives. People who prototype liberation before collapse.
Do you want to be a reaper? Fine. But don’t forget, somebody’s gotta bury the old gods and plant something in their place.
Let’s write that epitaph before the cadavers stack up, yeah?