Brandon recounts writing “Bitcoin and the Rhythms of History” in 2020 as a way to make sense of crisis-era dynamics and institutional decay
Iran’s currency collapse is used as a real-time case study of how money failure fractures society, accelerates protests, and destroys savings
The discussion frames the current moment as a “global” Fourth Turning, with synchronized instability, populism, and regime stress across regions
Venezuela’s turmoil is interpreted through power vacuums, geopolitics, and resource incentives, alongside a skeptical take on nation-building efficacy
California’s proposed “Billionaire Tax Act” is treated as a Fourth Turning signal: broken social contract, rising resentment, and a property-rights flashpoint
The “supply vs demand of order” model is explained as a way to understand volatility when institutions cannot meet public demand for stability
Generational archetypes are reviewed (Prophet, Nomad, Hero, Artist) as broad-strokes heuristics for how cohorts behave in crisis and rebuilding phases
Bitcoin is positioned as “Fourth Turning money” and a new institution that replaces discretionary trust with protocol-enforced rules (“rules without rulers”)
Energy and industrial capacity are discussed as strategic constraints, with AI/data centers shifting the public energy debate away from Bitcoin mining

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The Crash and Immediate Aftermath

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