International Man: Let’s start with the basics.
What are holidays, and why are they important to a culture or country?
Doug Casey: The word “holiday” actually comes from “holy day”; it has a religious derivation. Once upon a time, I’d say as recently as the 1950’s, religion played a very important role in Western culture. It no longer does. Christianity is a dead duck in Europe, and fading rapidly in North America. Much as it replaced classical religions starting in the late Roman Empire, Christianity is being replaced by Wokism/Greenism.
Our holidays, until recently, were still about shared values and shared traditions. They were an acknowledgment of common beliefs, a celebration of what was important among the people of a country or a culture. But that’s no longer the case. The meaning of holidays, as with so many things, has degraded.
International Man: Marketing agencies are responsible for most consumer-themed holidays, which aim to get people to buy stuff they don’t need.
It started with Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, but now there seems to be a holiday for everything. There is National Tequila Day, National Donut Day, Amazon Prime Day, and countless others. What’s your take on this?
Doug Casey: Previously, people limited work during holidays. They were celebrations. Sure, there were sales of food, drink, and things necessary for the celebration. But in the past selling was just a consequence, a necessary adjunct of the holiday.
Today, selling has become the essence of the holiday. Christmas used to have a real religious essence, but it’s devolved into little more than a time for intensive marketing and competitive gift giving.
One of the very few good things about the giant amount of debt in society, and the unfolding Greater Depression, is that the promiscuous consumption centering around holidays will drop. People are likely to reorient towards more basic values as times get tough.
The fact that so many holidays have gotten a seal of approval and made “official” by the government is another sign that fascist values have overcome the West. Fascism, you’ll recall, doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with violence and black uniforms. It’s simply the melding of big business and government. They support each other, and prosperous big business means more tax revenue for the State. It’s exactly what Mussolini, who coined the word “fascism”, intended.
Survival Beef on sale now. Freeze dried Ribeye, NY Strip, and Premium beef cubes. Promo code “jdr” at checkout for 25% off! FreedomFirstBeef.com
International Man: Identity politics has been a big factor in the surge of new holidays as politicians seek to cater to certain groups.
Juneteenth is a newly declared federal holiday. Columbus Day has been re-branded as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. President Clinton gave the first presidential declaration marking Kwanzaa.
We now have Pride month for those with sexual deviations, February is dedicated to black history, and November is dedicated to Native Americans, and so forth. It seems there is now a day, a week, or a month for every group. What is going on here?
Doug Casey: Holidays have become politicized. Many years ago holidays were times when people would acknowledge common beliefs and traditions; they united people. The newly minted ones see individuals as parts of a group, in effect arraying them against other groups. Of course, I question the value of artificially uniting people in the first place, because it typically emphasizes the lowest common denominator, like race.
The deletion of Columbus Day is shameful in itself. Columbus, for all his faults, was a heroic character who initiated a new era in world history. But replacing it with Indigenous Peoples’ Day is even more shameful.
As is the use of the term “Native Americans”. It emphasizes the fact that they were here first, which implies, and even emphasizes the fact that the Europeans took over their property. But more advanced civilizations have been doing that to primitive ones since Day One. It’s purposely antagonistic to emphasize it. In fact, Russel Means, with whom I was friendly if not an actual friend, preferred the term “Indian” for a number of reasons. I agreed with him on that. Self-hating white wokesters have a long history of subtlely corrupting words.
But that aside, today, holidays have become so politicized that they’re no longer mellow and joyous, but have become a source of resentment for everyone. They don’t create cheer and camaraderie, but antagonize groups that feel left out.
This is a natural consequence of no longer being a country which shares traditions, beliefs and attitudes. The US has become a multicultural domestic empire with numerous groups striving for power over each other.
Even things that seem as relatively benign as Martin Luther King Day—and he seems like a basically thoughtful and decent human being—was only made a holiday as a sop to blacks who rioted after he was killed. The State was, in effect, just throwing a racial group a bone. The same is true of the totally phony holiday called Kwanzaa, fabricated and promoted by Ron Karenga, a rabid race baiter.
It would’ve been equally legitimate—and I personally would’ve preferred—a holiday for Malcolm X. Why? Because towards the end of his life, he was becoming a rather overt libertarian, something that most people are completely unaware of because of his black Muslim name. But it’s a bad idea for the State to create holidays for anyone or anything out of thin air. If you want to promote something, do so. But don’t use public funds to impose it on everyone else.
The worst of these phony constructs may be Juneteenth, which is now a national holiday. Wikipedia says it was the day, June 19, 1865, two months after the end of the war, when Federal troops marched into Galveston and informed blacks that they were no longer slaves.
But perhaps even the 1619 Project will someday be turned into a holiday of some type. It’s the year when the first black slaves were brought to Virginia. Its promoters say that this was the country’s real founding. The whole concept is based on a fraud, the overt lie that the US was built on slavery. The 1619 Project is clearly intended to promote race hatred.
The widespread acceptance of these things is further proof that the government has been captured by actual Jacobins. The Democrats are a reincarnation of the group who tore France apart in the 18th century. They’re the most important “cadre” leading ongoing cultural revolution in the United States.
International Man: Do all these newly created celebrations cheapen traditional holidays? How does it factor into the bigger trend of the degradation of Western Civilization?
Doug Casey: I suspect the change started in earnest back in the ’50s, when people started writing ‘Xmas’ instead of ‘Christmas.’
I’m not a religious person, but I am a cultural traditionalist in many ways. Many of our hallowed traditions seem to have religious roots; they have nothing to do with religion, but they’re quite benign. Lovable old Santa Claus has absolutely nothing to do with the original idea of Christmas. He was popularized by the famous cartoonist Thomas Nash in the mid-19th century, and then adopted by the Coca-Cola company in the 1930’s.
This type of thing is true to an even greater extent with Easter, which, unbeknownst to most, is much more important than Christmas in the Christian liturgy. The original concept of Easter (the death and resurrection of Jesus) has been replaced with things like the Easter bunny and chocolate eggs. These are very nice traditions, but we have to recognize that the original meaning of Easter has gone away.
Halloween is another example. It used to be All Saints and All Souls’ Days, and now it’s all about spooks, goblins, and costumes. Its religious significance has totally disappeared.
Once again, not being a religious person, these things don’t bother me. Santa and the Easter Bunny are benign, and they take the hard edge off dogmatic religious holidays. Who wants black-clad puritans dictating holidays or holy days? But they’re indicative of certain trends.
For instance, take Christmas itself. You rarely wish people Merry Christmas anymore. In recent years you wish them a Happy Holidays—which means absolutely nothing.
Subscribe for free to the America First Report newsletter.
Of course, if we go back further, the early church designated Christmas as a time to subvert and replace Saturnalia, a raucous Roman religious holiday that took place at the same time. Easter is a later appropriation of the ancient celebration of the spring equinox, a fertility festival.
The Christians captured pagan holidays and now neo-pagans are capturing Christian holidays. You can like it or not, but society evolves. In some ways, it’s benign; in other ways, not so much.
International Man: Many governments throughout history have invented new holidays to distract the plebs from bigger issuers. Do you see this happening today? What does the rise of fake holidays say about the big picture?
Doug Casey: Perhaps it goes back to the French Revolution. The Jacobins totally renamed and reformed the calendar and all holidays. They attempted to overtly overturn society.
That’s what’s going on today. Holidays are no longer organic or traditional. They no longer rotate around nature and well-worn traditions. They’re created by fiat out of Washington, and marketers in New York and Hollywood. Ill-intentioned groups that masquerade as benevolent or righteous reformers. These people are identical in character and intention to the Jacobins in France, the Bolsheviks in Russia, or the Nazis in Germany. They try to capture the culture along with the politics and economics of society. Reinventing holidays is just one of many fronts in the culture war. An overture to a real revolution is taking place.
We’ll see where it goes, but trends in motion tend to stay in motion. My guess is that before things get better, they’re going to get pretty scary.
Article cross-posted from International Man.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
I live in the Twin Cities and some of these moron governments and businesses are going to celebrate the Texas holiday of Juneteenth. You just know 99% of them have zero idea of what it was about.
I live in Florida and the office where I live will be closed on Juneteenth, whatever that date is, nice long weekend. Parades, bar-b-q’s, family get togethers????
Anyone else think about how the government/Pentagon/military is supporting an entire month to celebrate “pride” and gives one day to all those that actually sacrificed their lives for this country? Inappropriate and disgusting…