System Failure

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s essay entitled “Crumbling Empires”.

The boys begin this episode by commenting on the performative exchange of hostilities with Iran. They then speculate on the modern, post-Westphalian political paradigm of the past 400 years, and whether a world organized into nation-states will be the future. How much kayfabe, or fakery, would our leaders engage in to prop that system up?

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s essay entitled “Rebels of the Reformation”.

The boys start this episode by hoping to avoid war with Iran and lamenting the dubious casus belli on offer. Then, they turn to the talk of the internet this week: the humiliation of Senator Ted Cruz. The lads use his shameful interview to connect the recent saber-rattling to nefarious foreign political influence.

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s essay entitled “Christmas Coronation”.

The boys begin this episode discussing promotion, Reddit, and the issue of attention spans. Then they turn their focus to rising tensions in international geopolitics and the curious case of Samantha Smith. Finally, the lads break down the remarkably thick layer of mythology surrounding monetary policy.

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s essay entitled “Killing Golden Geese”.

Nate begins this episode by reading a WSJ article about the Big Beautiful Bill working its way through DC. Then, the boys comment on clips from the NYT’s Jeff Stein on Breaking Points and Sen. Ron Johnson on Tucker Carlson about the bond markets flashing warnings about government debt. Then, the lads turn their attention to a sensational clip by Tom Bilyeu about the looming debt apocalypse, before connecting that issue to the Trump vs Musk debacle.

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s essay entitled “Demeter & The Medici”.

After acknowledging that Brian is under the weather, Nate begins with David Graeber’s 2013 essay B******t Jobs. Then, the boys dive into a recent Breaking Points clip rife with prophecies of economic doom triggered by private equity. Finally, the lads share a recent Ian Carroll segment about a terrifying “Megacorp” that owns most of the global economy.