I'm on a tour with my new book, the international bestseller Enshittification: catch me next in Toronto, San Diego and Seattle! Full schedule here.
Sometimes, you learn a fact that makes everything else make sense – one of those keystone insights that puts a whole phenomenon into perspective. For example, the fact that preppers are engaged in a very specific type of wish-fulfillment.
I learned this during the first part of the pandemic lockdowns, when preppers were very much in our collective consciousness. On the Media featured an interview between Micah Loewinger and Richard Mitchell, author of Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and Chaos in Modern Times which features ethnographic studies of preppers:
Mitchell described how preppers make ready for specific forms of societal collapse, based not on the likelihood of the event itself, but rather, based on how useful they would be in that situation. For example, a water chemist has made extensive preparations for an event in which terrorists poison the water-supply. When pressed, he couldn't explain why terrorists would choose his town to target with an attack like this, but basically thought it would be really cool if the only person who could save his town was him.
This is the "disaster fantasy" that propels the prepper movement, in which a functional, high-tech world of wicked, systemic problems is replaced with a fallen, low-tech society where the problems are all simple. A world of simple problems is a world of individual actors, where every struggle is just about what one person can make someone else do, or offer to someone else. It's a perfect world if you've been raised on Thatcher's neoliberal doctrine that "there is no such thing as society," only to find yourself in a society in which you can only make real change by participating in collective efforts:
All this raises the question of what rich preppers are prepping for. If your contribution to society consists of "allocating capital" and/or giving people orders, what, exactly, is the disaster that fulfills your fantasy of a world where your unique skills are the only thing that can save us all? What kind of disaster needs a boss?
In Douglas Rushkoff's 2022 book Survival of the Richest, he describes a surreal "futurism" consulting gig in which a bunch of wealthy investor types asked him to help them figure out how to keep their mercenaries in line after "The Event" (the end of the world):
These guys had the idea that what a fallen civilization needed was bosses, you see, but they were self-aware enough to recognize that the people who survived the apocalypse might not recognize their unique genius and simply fall into line. In order to assert their natural role as leaders after the shit hit the fan, these guys would need an army of heavily armed mercenaries. But again, these guys were self-aware enough to recognize that the mercenaries might also fail to recognize their unique fitness to rule and opt instead to slaughter them and raid their hoarded food, ammo and medical supplies.
So they wanted Rushkoff's advice – should they fit the mercs with bomb-collars that were on a dead-man's switch that would go off if the boss croaked? This was such a weird and revealing moment that Rushkoff got a whole book out of exploring the desire of the wealthy to both secede from the rest of us, and keep us all in line.
I was inspired by this and other experiences with people fantasizing about the world's end to take a run at rewriting Edgar Allan Poe's "Masque of the Red Death" as a story about investor/ubermenschen in a luxury bunker at the end of the world (spoiler: it doesn't go well for them):
All of this has been very much on my mind lately because I've been reading Quinn Slobodian's amazing Hayek's Bastards, a closely researched history of the merger of the neoliberal wing of the conservative movement with its white nationalist faction, producing a conservativism obsessed with "hard borders, hard-wired human difference, and hard money":
It's a revelatory history, one that argues convincingly that the brooding, violent racism of MAGA isn't so much a break with "Romney conservativism" of the "respectable" Republican Party as it is the attainment of the goals of the party's longstanding dominant tendency.
"Hard-wired human differences" refers to the "scientific racism" that the likes of Elon Musk pushes, the junk science that insists that there is such a thing as a "race," and that IQ measures something important and immutable, and that different "races" have different IQs, which is why some "races" do well, while others do poorly:
"Hard-wired human difference" militate for "hard borders," since the teeming billions of racially inferior people in other countries would – given half a chance – come to the "good" countries and turn them into "shithole countries." This is the nonsense that Musk is peddling when he compares Britons to "hobbits" and warns that they about to be overrun by people who will "start raping the kids":
But because the soft-headed, soft-hearted hobbits keep electing leaders who don't understand this, they'll get "overrun" by the bad "races," who demand welfare handouts, which the state can't afford, triggering "money printing" and Musk's other obsession, national debts:
In the disaster fantasy, the failure of hard borders leads to the inevitable consequences of hard-wired human differences, which means that we need "hard money" – gold. The modern right is a linear descendant of the goldbug movement, composed of grifters who made fortunes terrifying racists into buying gold as a hedge against the day when the collapse of the welfare state leads to race war and the dollar's vaporization:
For goldbugs, the coming collapse seems to be one that will demand coin collectors. In Hayek's Bastards, Slobodian quotes all these goldbug preppers furiously dreaming of a day when a single gold coin will let them buy a whole city block in Manhattan. Somehow, they've conceived of disaster scenario where the most needful of all things is a ductile metal with a few marginal uses in electronics.
It's a very weird kind of disaster fantasy. One can only assume that the guys figuring out how to assemble an army of bomb-collared mercs will just stroll over to these goldbugs' lesser bunkers and take their precious coins.
The modern goldbug is, of course, a crypto weirdo, and man is that a weird thing to be a prepper about. It will be a very odd apocalypse indeed that takes down all of modern civilization except for blockchains.
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
Goldbug political disinformation ops from a government agency.
EPA press release: “Administrator Lee Zeldin Finds Gold Bars from EPA at Stacey Abrams’ Connected Group, Biden-Harris Ethical Red Flags”
Actual news story: “Lee Zeldin likens Biden energy 'scheme' connected to Stacey Abrams to 'throwing gold bars off the Titanic’”
There were no gold bars involved at all that I could find out. The hypothetical gold bars referenced are I think meant to make it FEEL more real to people, to create a visual of it, and spark outrage among "goldbug" conservatives, who have a conditioned knee jerk feeling about gold, because they are steeped in a culty almost religious fervor around the value and importance of gold, constantly propelled by gold influencers, gold advertising, and gold gurus.
I wonder if this will be used to distract from the fact that Trump is saying he wants Elon Musk to "make sure Fort Knox gold hasn't been stolen" – when of course we all know how unlikely that is because of how secure the Fort Knox facility is! It's a cliche! "It's like Fort Knox!" It's an absolutely ridiculous idea that the various people who work there, different people over the years, wouldn't mention that there was a heist at some point, regardless of the administration in charge. At a minimum there would be leaks and whistleblowers.
But let's just speculate if someone wanted to, right now, steal the gold bars from Fort Knox… Accusation in a Mirror has been a constant theme with the Trump administration. They warn of the dangers of "central government" and then consolidate government and try to control things from a central government. They claim that women in command at the Coast Guard are "DEI hires" and then appoint unqualified men to high level positions because they're white men. Every accusation is a confession. So I think this is a legitimate speculation to be concerned about.
This EPA stuff is setting it up in the public's mind wrongly that Joe Biden already gave gold bars to Stacey Abrams (the Black woman prejudiced conservatives have been ginned up to despise), then they could make people think it was not whoever stole it now, and make conservatives believe that it was in fact Joe Biden who stole the gold and gave it to "that Black lady" in some corrupt or illegal move. And thus covering that's what someone else did - maybe Trump giving the gold bars to Elon Musk. Many conservatives will buy this because they're stuck in right-wing media silos. And, of course if it's finally revealed that nobody gave gold bars to Stacey Abrams, they can always say "we never said that we said it was like that" and that's their out.
A gold bug is someone who is obsessed with the stock market and the idea of investing in gold. They are usually very optimistic about the future of the stock market, and believe that gold will continue to be a valuable asset. This results in them investing in gold stocks, gold mining companies, gold individual retirement accounts and even gold coins.
Because of its worth and steady history, gold is revered as a safe investment around the globe.
There are a variety of reasons for why people want to buy gold. Among other developments, trade in gold has transitioned from actual gold to virtual trading. However, gold in all its forms is equally desirable as an investment.
For more information about gold bugs and investing in gold, read our full article called Gold Bugs Definition, or visit our website to learn more about gold investing at Gold Investing Hub.
Fantastic Tips About Gold That Are Simple To Understand
The value of gold has been high since the dawn of time. Gold is cherished by all, but few know how to get their hands on it wisely. Keep reading for advice on how to buy and sell gold.
When you invest in gold, you can't go wrong with bullion bars. The weights of these items may vary. They can be as small as half an ounce or as large as 400 ounces. The 400 ounce bars are generally hard to find.
Verify the market price before selling your gold jewelry. This way, you'll know whether you're really being offered a fair price. While dealers often give you market value, some are used to sellers wanting quick cash.
Whenever you make an investment in gold in the form of jewelry, always ensure that you have sufficient documentation and can return it if required. You have no idea if the person for whom you are purchasing the piece will like it or if it will fit. For this reason, it is important to purchase jewelry items that come with a money back guarantee.q
If you don't know what your gold jewelry is worth, consider having an appraisal done. It costs a bit of money, but you'll have a good idea of what your gold is worth. Make sure to choose an accredited appraiser from an independent shop to receive the most accurate appraisal. Understand that you probably will not get the full appraisal price when you sell your gold.
Anything gold is able to be sold. Decorations, flatware, broken jewelry, anything you have with real gold content is potentially valuable. Having 100% gold isn't required, either. It just needs to be plated or maybe only a part of it's gold. They won't be worth as much but you can still get money for them.
It's always a good idea to verify the spot price before making a purchase the same day. You can find this on a variety of websites, and it can change daily. Never pay in excess of 8% markup above the spot price. There are dealers who attempt to charge a higher amount, but they are unethical and simply overcharging.
Know what you have when it comes to gold. Just because something looks like gold, that doesn't mean it's worth the full weight in gold. Sometimes other metals might be mixed into gold to make it stronger. The less gold, the less value. Also, some items may only be gold plated. If you're not sure about the value of your items, you should have them appraised before you try to sell.
Read the fine print of your sales contract. If you want to sell gold to mail-in gold buyers, read the small print carefully before you sell. This lets you know how much you end up with after any fees are taken off the top.
When negotiating with the dealer, be sure to read everything with a fine tooth comb. This is not a small-change type of business; there is big money involved. You must be fully aware of what you are committing to. If the terms are not agreeable to you, get ready to move on. It's better to walk away and find another deal than run any risk to your personal information or financial wellness.
Before buying gold, know your dealer. To help guarantee that you are selling to a reputable dealer, make a call to your local Better Business Bureau. That way, you can learn about any complaints made about the company. If there are complaints, you need to find a different dealer.
You might be able to scrounge up some gold by simply asking your friends and relations if they have damaged jewelry items they no longer want. Simply purchase a quality jewelry scale to find the exact weight of the gold. This allows you to make a fair offer on the value of your friends' and family members' gold pieces.
Identify your goals before investing in gold. It's something that is great when used to shield yourself against inflation, but the investment is volatile. If you educate yourself on the gold market and have a game plan going in, you have a good chance at being successful.
If you are thinking about selling gold on the Internet, check the prices several times prior to proceeding. It's not uncommon to find a gold-buying business in your own town that will pay you more. It may be simpler to mail it in, but is that simplicity worth giving up a profit in the hundreds?
Have gems removed from gold you sell and then keep them. Note that tiny stones are more challenging to extract. Most dealers will not be interested in the value of small gems, because they do not add value to a piece that will be melted down.
A good way to invest in gold is to buy American gold coins minted prior to 1933. Gold coins were regularly minted and circulated by the US treasury before that date, when FDR recalled the coins. However, some folks kept them anyway, and you can find them for sale today.
You won't be able to get full melt value for your gold. A gold dealer is a businessperson just like all others. They must make money, so there needs to be some room in that purchase price for doing so. You will likely lose between 30-50%.
As this article has shown you, gold is a great thing to own and to invest in as well. Gold investing is wise, given that its value only grows with time, With this knowledge behind you, you can start collecting gold right away.
Friday night football with this beauty. Not the outcome we wanted, but we still had fun! #goldbugs #fridaynightlights https://www.instagram.com/p/B2HZdKjn5_b/?igshid=1wu5pi0uupg84
