“Washington has become our Versailles. We are ruled, entertained, and informed by courtiers — and the media has evolved into a class of courtiers… We are captivated by the hollow stagecraft of political theater as we are ruthlessly stripped of power. It is smoke and mirrors, tricks and con games, and the purpose behind it is deception.” ~Chris Hedges, Manufacturing the Illusion of Democracy
Is Feudalism (marketing itself as Democracy) the underlying operating system (OS) for modern civilization’s social, economic and political systems? This is the hypothesis of those who describe current systems of governance, militarism and global economics as a mutated form of neo-feudalism.
The guiding “parameters” (social systems and cultural programing) of modern civilizations appear to be rooted in feudalism- focused on the centralized concentration of power and wealth- and have not changed significantly, over time.

In school, most of us learned that feudalism was abandoned long ago, that our world is now more democratically organized. While that is true (to some extent), those who study neo-feudalism suggest that instead of being discarded, the centralized power dynamics and social patterns of early empires are still very much with us.
These systems have been continuously repackaged and “updated” over time (like new versions of Windows software) morphing into imperialism, colonialism, industrialism and (most recently) corporate capitalism and globalization. (See: Mutation of Medieval Feudalism Into Modern Corporate Capitalism)
This would explain the “disconnect” many of us feel between the ideals of democracy (that we had been taught in school) and the reality of the world we see and experience all around us. And also the attraction millions of people feel to the ideas of politicians like Bernie Sanders in the United States, who has highlighted these problems, demanding radical, evolutionary and compassionate change.



Crime, war, racism, slavery, addiction, human trafficking, environmental destruction and extreme poverty are all symptoms of an underlying systemic imbalance, of a world where predatory and selfish feudalistic thinking (and systems of social organization) still dominate our lives.

As we moved into the modern industrial age large peaceful social movements have risen up to “challenge the system” – from the abolitionists and women suffragettes to the civil rights movement, anti-war protests, ecology movement and Occupy Wall Street.
Recently, Bernie Sanders has been speaking out, asking millions to join him. It’s way past time to shift paradigms, to evolve and update civilization’s materialistic values, antiquated systems and predatory methods.
The old feudal ways of doing things has created endless misery, destroying Nature’s fragile ecoystems and leading the human race to ruin. The time has come for our species to grow wiser, evolve our thinking and change the way we live upon this planet.
~Christopher Chase
Creative Systems Thinking
“Those who study the nature of colonial rule offer the best insights into the functioning of our corporate state. We have been, like nations on the periphery of empire, colonized… It is an old, old game.” ~Chris Hedges, Colonized by Corporations

Related:
* Mutation of Medieval Feudalism Into Modern Corporate Capitalism * Paradigms are Made for Shifting * The Hour’s Getting Late: Time for Humanity to Wake Up * How Einstein Saw the World * Love vs. Power: A Tale of Two Mindsets * Toward a More Creative & Holistic Model of Education * Perpetual Curse of the Warrior Mindset * Life in the Age of Shifting Paradigms * Zen & the Art of Living Deeply * The Universe is One Harmonious Whole * It’s a Pink Floyd World *
Thanks Christopher for this effective critique of democratic ideologies. Usually things change to stay the same, as the famous saying from the movie The Leopard points out.
Thanks for sharing:)
Most welcome. 🙂
Just because people don’t post a reply, that doesn’t mean they haven’t read this. I am simply speechless. Excellent piece. Should be on the front page of every major newspaper in The US.
Thanks Fran, that is so kind of you. I do think this “story” is getting out, its just taken a bit of time. 🙂
Thank you very the information.
Complicity in Neoslavery: Chris Hedges Calls Out Corporate America for Exploiting Prison Labor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhvuTWMoDxE
Brilliant! Even if Bernie isn’t elected he will be powerful force for bringing about a new era of a hopefully more democratic and kinder world.
I think so. He’s part of a long chorus of voices that have spoken out across the ages….
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It’s true! Neoliberal economic theory is really just neo-feudalism.
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No crony capitalism nor feudalism could ever have existed without the oppression of women in any society afflicted! It is the shortest route to complete control – hance, the battle of the sexes lives on.
Islam driven ISIS has seen numerous undercurrents of sexism beneath its shield of religion and its cultural attachment to its financial system disguise. It’s time the west and east had this monumental showdown of Darwinian proportions among humans.
Sim! Cientificamente COMPROVADO! Onde Adquirir DERMAVYN? http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp420-us12/2012/07/30/gender-in-culture/
I believe you.