Posted on 05/21/2022 6:05:26 AM PDT by blam
Upon being told that the people had no bread, Marie Antoinette reportedly responded, “let them eat cake.”
These infamous words were a stark illustration of the French elite’s careless indifference to the plight of ordinary people. Moreover, they likely fueled the anger that sparked a revolution that overturned the French ruling system.
Had Marie Antoinette not been so out of touch, she might have had a better choice of words.
Although history doesn’t repeat itself, it does rhyme.
I am bringing this up because recently, modern political, financial, and media elites have made numerous “let them eat cake” remarks.
They similarly reveal how oblivious they are to the average person’s problems as inflation spirals out of control, shortages spread, the stock market crashes, and economic prospects look dimmer by the day.
Let’s look at them and examine what they could mean for the social and political environment in the future… and what you can do about it.
Example #1: Inflation Is Good
First central bankers, the mainstream media, and academia tell you there is no inflation.
Then, when inflation becomes undeniable, they tell you not to worry because inflation is only “transitory.”
Then, when it becomes apparent that it’s not merely transitory, they tell you not to worry because inflation is actually a good thing.
It’s not uncommon to see ridiculous headlines like this:
Example #2: No More Turkey at Thanksgiving
After inflation broke through multi-decade highs, it’s no longer possible to maintain the farce that “inflation is good.”
So the elite’s messaging has pivoted to ways the plebs can cope with ever-decreasing living standards.
Last Thanksgiving, it was impossible for the Federal Reserve to ignore the soaring costs of turkey. So, instead, the St. Louis branch had a helpful suggestion for those struggling—substitute delicious turkey for cheaper heavily-processed industrial sludge.
Example #3: Let Your Pets Die
Recently, Bloomberg published an article titled “Inflation Stings Most If You Earn Less Than $300K. Here’s How to Deal.”
It recommended rethinking providing medical treatment to your pets:
“If you’re one of the many Americans who became a new pet owner during the pandemic, you might want to rethink those costly pet medical needs.”
Example #4: Gas Is Too Expensive? Buy a Tesla
As gas prices skyrocket, transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggests buying an electric vehicle. That way, the plebs can stop complaining and will “never have to worry about gas prices again.”
The thought of whether people could afford an expensive electric vehicle in the first place didn’t seem to cross his mind.
Example #5: Housing Is Too Expensive? Live in a Pod or Move Back In With Your Parents
With soaring prices making housing unaffordable in many big cities, living in pods is promoted.
For example, in California, a three-bedroom home that used to house a single family has been converted into a unit that includes pods for 13 people.
Similar stories are sprouting up across other cities. The media is celebrating this not as a significant downgrade but rather as an eco-friendly solution to rising housing costs.
They also recommend moving back in with your parents.
Example #6: Meat Is Too Expensive? Eat Bugs and Industrial Sludge
With inflation making meat unaffordable for many, the elite are looking to keep the plebs happy by guilting them into thinking that meat is bad for the environment.
That’s a big reason why there’s been a flurry of articles in the mainstream media condemning meat consumption and promoting cheap alternatives.
Their solution is to give the plebs fake meat made of heavily-processed industrial sludge and feed them bugs.
Bill Gates recently said: “I think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef.”
“You can’t have cows anymore,” and governments can “use regulation to totally shift the demand.”
An article in The Economist notes: “We’re not going to convince Europeans and Americans to go out in big numbers and start eating insects… The trick might be to slip them into the food chain on the quiet.”
The Guardian tells us eating bugs can assuage your climate sins and that “if we want to save the planet, the future of food is insects.”
Here’s Bloomberg:
These are a couple of examples of a much broader push against meat.
Here’s the bottom line.
The elite have been informed that meat is becoming too expensive for the average person. Their answer: “Let them eat bugs.”
Conclusion
This overview is by no means a complete collection of recent “let them eat cake” statements. However, it is enough to understand what the elites think and their contempt for the average person.
These are the same people who engaged in—or closely benefited from—the rampant money printing and other policies responsible for the rising prices ravaging regular people in the first place.
And when the pain of inflation became apparent, their response has been… inflation is good… no more turkey at Thanksgiving… let your pets die… buy an expensive electric vehicle… live in a pod or move back in with your parents… and eat bugs.
Instead of looking at these examples separately, take a step back and reflect on the Big Picture they paint. That will help us better understand the social and political situation, where things might be headed, and what we should do.
With that in mind, two things seem clear.
1) The current crop of political, financial, and media elites are ensconced in a bubble, carelessly indifferent to the problems of ordinary people—much like Marie Antoinette was.
2) Anger is building up as people feel increased economic pain.
Nobody knows how the situation will resolve itself, but I think it would be foolish not to prepare yourself—and your portfolio—for turbulence in the months ahead.
From any FR historians, for our education, what exactly was the ‘cake’ that Marie Antoinette was referring to ?
Brioche.
No, she never said that. But this urban legend has stubbornly persisted for more than two centuries.
It is not certain that Marie Antoinette said any such thing.
It is more likely that she suggested brioche rather than cake.
All bakery product prices were regulated so bakers would not evade bread price controls by just selling cakes.
If you go back 50 years or so, the big topic was the population explosion. Billions and Billions of people would overwhelm the earth and cause massive famines.
But that didn’t happen. For two reasons: 1) Food production keeps improving with high technology and 2) The planet’s population seems to have pretty much topped out and is in decline in many areas.
Everything is supply and demand. We have increased Supply and we have lowered Demand.
And they want us to eat bugs.
There can be no good reason for this.
“meat”
Dairy cows and bulls allow land that is not suitable for food crops to be used to provide meat and milk to feed people.
Imagine if there was no animal milk for babies.
“pods”
The images of Jacob Riis made of immigrants to NYC living in shared rooms come to mind.
I should add that meat and dairy production is not dependent on pesticide usage.
Many mortgagees want inflation.
IIRC, she never actually said that. Someone at the time wrote that her attitude was such that she would say something like that.
Defeat the whole "nobility" (and their lackeys and pets), not just politicians.
She didn’t understand that there was a shortage of all grains and thus the bread shortage. She thought it was just one kind of bread that was in short supply. So she suggested that people could eat a different kind of bread made from different grains. English propagandists translated that as “cake” or portrayed it as her being carelessly indifferent to the peasants’ suffering when she was not.
I believe that there is sort of a reason, to them. The wealthy are largely cheapskates. They won’t tip and they don’t like paying for things. Time was when a landed noble in England could provide no-cost housing and non-existent pay to maids to live at their estate, for instance. All if a sudden, paid wages at the textile mill are a threat to their way of life. Who will be their maids, anymore?
It is the same with beef, ivory or anything else. The elites see availability to the common man as a threat to what they enjoy for “free”.
They got awY with stealing an election right in fron t of the whole world, i. Broad day.ight, and now possibly gonna get away with giving away our sovereignty to foreign countries, so look for them to push the envelope as far as possible like,forcing folks to give up meat, and take up eating bugs to replace it. Who’s gonna stop them from mandating constitution violating laws? Certainly not the gop in office. Heck the gop aren’t even riled up over the
POssibility of losing sovereignty, nor were they riled up about the faux administration’s asszult,on the 1st amendment
Russia, right now, is their BIGGEST OBSTACLE to this future for the West. If they are able to dispose of the Russian Government and replace it with a Western puppet, they’ll then move on to China and India.
She may have said somehting that was similar- heck pur
Oliticisns are a.ways saying similar stuff, ie “let the peasants suffer, we elites are above their suffering” essentially is what they think and say in so many words and deeds.
Hillary Clinton said “at this point what difference does it make?” When talking about thr ambassadors who were murdered by terrorists, which essentially is the same sentiment. “Hooray for us, to heck with the poor” type mentality. I dunno much about Antoinette, but it kinda sounded like she was an elitist
[[If you go back 50 years or so, the big topic was the population explosion. Billions and Billions of people would overwhelm the earth and cause massive famines.
But that didn’t happen. For two reasons:...]]
Also Even at 9 billion people, Suppxoedly only around 2% of the earth’s inhabitable land is inhabited. (I’ve read as much as 10% is though, but still, it’s not a lot) vast swaths of inhabitable lands are untouched
I've drank two large glasses of milk every day my whole life. I'm 78.
I was raised on a dairy until about the age 11-12.
On October 16, 1793 Marie Antoinette was beheaded.
Like he said, history doesn’t repeat, but it does rhyme.
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