Rise of the Artisan Economy and Rediscovery of Local Goods

Kotkin describes a countertrend toward artisanal markets, anti-malls, farmers markets, and demand for unique physical experiences.

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I sat down with Joel Kotkin, author of The Coming of Neo-Feudalism, to examine how America’s middle class is being erased and what that means for the future of civilization. Joel argues that we’re entering a new feudal order, where tech oligarchs and ideological elites control wealth, culture, and opportunity while ordinary families lose the ability to own homes, raise children, and build stable communities. We explore the roots of this transformation in collapsing birth rates, failing cities, and the dominance of a secular clerisy pushing increasingly extreme ideas.

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Follow Joel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/joelkotkin

Learn more about Joel’s work: https://joelkotkin.com/

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Outline:

[0:00] AI will change everything

[9:44] The overeducated, underpaid class

[19:29] AI destroys entry-level work

[29:59] America is splitting in two

[43:47] People are opting out of woke

[58:34] Local government matters most

[1:07:18] Class matters, but race doesn’t