Jeff Berwick - The Controlled Demolition of the American Empire

Jeff asked me to write a foreword to this book because we share the same concerns about whats happening in the world today.

Ive been saying for some time that Western Civilization, and the US in particular, are at a major turning point. And that theyre clearly turning in the wrong directionat least if you value the things that made them great. But then I thought more about this books title. Its accurate. The West is no longer experiencing just decline. Its undergoing a controlled demolition.

One of the few laws I believe in is the Second Law of Thermodynamics. It basically states that, barring outsides inputs, everything falls apart over time. The phenomenon is called entropyits why nothing lasts forever.

That includes great civilizations. Ancient Sumer and Egypt are long gone. So are Greece and Rome. But they left a legacy of philosophy, science, art, and literature that are still with us today. They culminated in Western Civilizationthe crowning achievement of human history.

Lets talk about what that means. Ive listed twelve things below that are unique to the West. Theyre characteristics we may not think about, but theyre responsible for most of what we consider good and noble in our society. Their benefits arent automatic, or even usual to humanity, however. They all have to be actively defended and maintained, or theyll disappear.

The factors Ive listed arose with Western civilization, and the US in particular, and are what made them special and different. Incidentally, I said the US-- not America-- because America doesnt really exist anymore in the US. America is an idea, a set of values, that took root in a certain piece of geography.

Unfortunately, the idea of America, as well as a lot of names and statues that represent it, is now subject to controlled demolition.

America is being replaced by the US, which is just another of 200 nation-states that cover the face of the planet like a skin disease.

So what are the 12 things that made America and Western civilization different from all the others?

First, free speech. The right to say what you want to who you wish. Its enshrined in the First Amendment, but like the rest of the Bill of Rights, its becoming a dead letter. We now live in a world where even innocent opinions are labeled hate speech, and trigger warnings are considered necessary. The meanings of words today are constantly being twisted today, and the right to use many is vanishing. As Orwell pointed out in 1984, if you can control speech, you control thought.

Two, free thought. Controlling speech makes it much easier to control thought; they image each other. Youve got to double-think these days for fear of committing a thought crime. You can forget about free minds and the concept of being a free thinker. The peasants, workers, and other drones dont need to think. Besides, its hard work

Three, free markets. The right to buy and sell any commodity without regulation. We have remnants of free markets and capitalism under our current regime of economic fascism, but the State taxes and regulates everything. Which mainly benefits government cronies. Now enemies of liberty are looking to enforce overt socialism, the silly notion that everyone can live at the expense of everyone else.

Four, the concept of limited government. Destroyers love the State, and they love it not despite the fact its congealed and concentrated force, but because thats what it is. If you want to get things done and move forward, as the politicos say, you need a strong government. Were moving towards a busybody society of unlimited government, a kind of dictatorship of the proletariat, where the worst peoplethe kind who go into governmentcontrol everything.

Five, the concept of individualism. The rugged individual, the lone Western hero, has been replaced by the collective, and identity politics. Today youre no longer supposed to view yourself as an individual, but a member of a race, sex, gender, religion, party, or some other group.

Six, rationality. Thats the ability to think logically and coherently, using the faculty of reason. Its being replaced by political correctness, a secular religion, which is also replacing science. Political correctness runs on superstition and groupthink.

Seven, the concept of individual liberty. Its now considered dangerous because free people cant be easily controlled. In a free society, someone might offend, or do better, than someone else. Safety is now preferred over liberty.

Eight, the concept of progress. The idea that things can get better through hard work, savings, and innovation is a peculiarly Western idea. But you cant have real progress in a static world where nothing changes. The enemy hates progress, because some people will progress more than others, and some are left behind.

Nine, the right to privacy. Privacy doesnt exist in primitive, or collectivist, societies. In the West, privacy is being replaced by transparency, the idea that everyone has a right better to monitor and watch everyone else. Minding your own business is considered anti-social. The Chinese Social Credit System is coming to the US and will be considered a good thing.

Ten, property rights. Your primary possession is your own body, although the State believes it owns that as well. But neither do you have a real right to anything elseyour income, your savings, or your home. Outright slavery has been abolished, but Americans are being transformed into serfs. Were moving towards a world based on need, not virtue. Property rights are being replaced by poverty rights.

Eleven, the Rule of Law. The West invented the idea that the law should be simple and knowablebasically do all you say youll do, and dont impinge on others or their property. It applied to everyone, regardless of their birth, wealth, race, or anything else. The concept is being replaced with thousands of micromanaging rules, enforced arbitrarily.

Twelve, the importance of Industry and Entrepreneurship. Today industrialists are seen as robber barons and despoilers of nature. Entrepreneurs and developers are seen as exploiters.

Its not an all-inclusive list. But the West is unique in making all of these points part of its essence. Read them carefully. Other parts of the world have them only because they were imported from the West. Without them, men are reduced to the level of serfs or savages.

Its accuratebut very politically incorrectto say that Western civilization is the only civilization in the worlds history thats actually human. From the viewpoint of the average man, his personal freedom, and his standard of living, all the others are worthless by comparison-- with some mild exceptions. For all its charms, Chinas main gifts to the world have been Taoism, martial arts, and Chinese cuisine. India came up with yogabut not much else. Theres nothing from at all from Africa or the pre-Colombian Americas.

Yes, Im being harsh. But nothing is even in the same class as Western civilization, which is responsible for almost all the good things that we have in the world today. But its dyingbeing murdered really.