Location: Remotely Date: Thursday 19th November Company: Swan Bitcoin Role: Director of Marketing

2020 has been a year like no other. 

With the outbreak of the coronavirus, large parts of the world went into lockdown in an attempt to contain its spread. The virus has been hugely politicised, and government responses have been polarising.

Amid the outbreak, the death of George Floyd while in police custody sparked one of the most massive protests in history. What started as a peaceful protest escalated and caused looting and violence. Cities across America implemented curfews, and President Trump threatened to use the military to put an end to the unrest.

Most recently, the US election has been marred by controversy. After initially falling behind in the race Joe Biden was declared the winner. However, Trump has so far refused to concede defeat and claims a fraud has been committed on the American people as he attempts to retain power.

While the events of 2020 are unexpected, some predicted this unravelling of the world order. In 1996 Neil Howe and William Strauss released their book The Fourth Turning which suggests that every 80-90 years a crisis recurs known as the Fourth Turning.

With the Great Depression in the ’30s followed by the Second World War marking the previous crisis period, some think we may be witnessing the next one. 

In this interview, I talk to Brandon Quittem, a writer and advisor for Swan Bitcoin. We discuss the Fourth Turning, each 90-year cycle, individualism vs collectivism and the role that Bitcoin plays.