For 10 years, I've watched from my gas station register as corporate chains replaced every small business. This isn't "progress." It's a corporate occupation, and I have the receipts.
What percentage of the population even thinks about this? Certainly less than thought about it in the 90s. Of that small percentage that’s left, how many are willing to actually do anything beyond complain? I’ve spent the last 35 years trying to buy American and still do, but how much is made here? To change this culture of cheap foreign crap is going to take time and pain. It’s been clear since 2022 that 90% of the population learned nothing about how fragile supply chains are. If the China flu disaster wasn’t enough to wake people up, I’m not sure what will.
I think a lot of us do however we are squeezed so hard by our limited funds, seniors, disabled and unemployed we have few if any other options than the lowest costs available or plummet into debt. I try never to buy from Amazon or Target. I do shop at Walmart and hate myself when I do but I can’t afford Whole Foods( now Amazon owned) Harris Teeter etc. I buy used off FBMP when I need something. It’s not perfect but I’m barely getting by.
Lack of choice is sometimes a conscious decision. We live very rural, and the closest supermarket of any type (Walmart) is 50 miles away. After that it’s another 35 miles, and then another 60 miles to do shopping. It’s the same with services, hardware, housewares or appliances. A trip to town seldom involves buying one of anything, and it’s usually multiple stops. Of course it’s our choice to live where we do, and in spite of the inconveniences it’s worth it. At home we are away from the cesspools that cities have become. I’ll take four legged animals as trespassers over the two legged varieties any day .
Same in Canada. Small towns here are were joined by a highway. At least the traveller stopped in town to get fuel and food. The superhighways now bypass the towns further hollowing them out.
There’s no bigger ’chain’ than the churches, no greater source of control. There’s no greater distraction and no greater abandonment of responsibility than ‘prayer’. If you think the solution lies in ‘faith’ they’re got you just where they want you.
Great piece. Thank you. This strategy has gone hand in hand with a psyop that glorifies "rugged, bootstrap individualism" and denigrates any kind of organization or solidarity as "loser socialism". They want you isolated and powerless. You're not being slowly strangled. You're just a temporarily embarrassed millionaire. Those three gig jobs will get you there if you believe and work hard enough. And if you never make it, it's because you're a weak loser. Maybe you should just try owning nothing and liking it. Again, they need you isolated and powerless.
Magnus, thank you. This is a perfect and critical synthesis.
You've absolutely nailed the other blade of the weapon. The article describes the action (the "culture war flashbang" to provide cover for the "heist"), but you've perfectly deconstructed the ideological psyop that makes us all so vulnerable to it.
You are 100% right. They've spent decades glorifying "rugged, bootstrap individualism" and painting any form of solidarity as "loser socialism" for one reason: to keep us "isolated and powerless."
It's the psychological programming (Layer 3) that stops us from uniting to fight their "Killing Game" (Layer 2).
A brilliant fragment. Thank you for adding it to the forge.
Look at Walmart shareholders being DIRECTLY subsidized by taxpayers providing SNAP benefits and Medicaid to the employees that they refuse to pay a living wage. "Rank collectivism" for me but not for thee. Tech giants and the H1B visa scam, ... it goes on and on.
Yep, and it’s convoluted… and much of it stems from our government representatives.
The big corporations need to be granted access into these locations to be able to set up shop, and local officials change land-use designations, authorize construction/business permits, and more. Those corporate entities can’t enter state, county, city jurisdictions without being allowed to… and government officials allow it.
Now, how is it that all these government officials are allowing the same thing all over different states/cities? Weren’t they chosen and elected by the people in that region to serve the people’s best interests? …or were they? Or were they strategically placed in those positions to open up pathways?
You all know the answer, and you know the implications of that answer. Yeah, it’s that bad… it’s that big of an issue, and it is that corrupt! It’s worse than people can imagine!
As Sydney Powell said, “ fraud, vitiates everything”… but I don’t know how that’s going to work, for the damage has been done! You corrupt an election, place in a puppet candidate, and they mangle things. We can catch them, but how do we undo the damage that has been done?
You are 💯 percent correct. The worst part of it is we are to blame. The American consumers looking for a great bargain. Once the competition from all the mom and pop stores vanished because they were forced out of business, the conglomerates started to raise their prices little by little. Now little by little the mega big corporations are buying out the smaller corporations, so now we have just a handful of big mega billion dollar corporations that own everything.
The PBM angle you mentoined is whats really insidious about CVS. They control 75% of drug pricing through the middleman busines while also owning the retail pharmacies. Its vertcal integration on steroids and completely anticompetitive. No wonder independent pharmacies cant survive.
Plus, they make themselves "indispensable" in the smaller villages and towns that may not be close enough to a city where you can hop in your car and go buy everything you need. Amazon will go to the ends of the Earth practically to deliver a package to you.
So TRUE! The person I’m married to constantly buys off Amazon and it pisses me off because I mentioned something to him a few years back during convid or plandemic (however you want to phrase it) that if he keeps buying from them it just makes them richer and us poorer, he told Me I didn’t know what I was talking about, yet he continues to feed the beast and there’s NOTHING I can do about it!
I see packages arrive from Amazon once a week if not twice because he’s too lazy to get off his 🫏 or stop by somewhere to look for what he wants, then when he does it’s either Wal Fart of Target!
I haven’t shopped at either for quite some time for the reasons mentioned in this article!
He just wants to “live his life” as I’m constantly reminded 🤬🤬🤬🤬
there are so few alternatives if you want to buy batteries at a decent price, or groceries. You do not have to buy Walmart paint, there are good paint stores,
I was watching a review of Wetherspoons in the UK. This article made me think about that. It's a pub conglomerate in the UK that have thaken over most towns and are outselling most small mom and pops pubs in England and the UK.
Thumbs up! I like the way you lay out what is happening on the street, in the neighborhood, and so on. Corporate occupation. The antidote to the corporations is people power within our cities and counties and regions, a real democracy. We will need a generation of training to accomplish this. But immediately, let's demand a better society: https://greenlibertycaucus.org/ditch-the-rich-campaign/; i have a substack too: https://chuckfall.substack.com/p/a-simple-proposition-lets-remove
I’m so thankful that the small town I grew up in has not succumbed to this poison. In fact, within the last few years, a local deli replaced the Subway that had previously been the only fast food chain in town. All the businesses in town are locally owned not chains, except the gas station and the unfortunate addition of a Dollar General on the far edge of town.
Your perspective is perfect. Your summary is amazing. Great work!
What percentage of the population even thinks about this? Certainly less than thought about it in the 90s. Of that small percentage that’s left, how many are willing to actually do anything beyond complain? I’ve spent the last 35 years trying to buy American and still do, but how much is made here? To change this culture of cheap foreign crap is going to take time and pain. It’s been clear since 2022 that 90% of the population learned nothing about how fragile supply chains are. If the China flu disaster wasn’t enough to wake people up, I’m not sure what will.
I think a lot of us do however we are squeezed so hard by our limited funds, seniors, disabled and unemployed we have few if any other options than the lowest costs available or plummet into debt. I try never to buy from Amazon or Target. I do shop at Walmart and hate myself when I do but I can’t afford Whole Foods( now Amazon owned) Harris Teeter etc. I buy used off FBMP when I need something. It’s not perfect but I’m barely getting by.
Lack of choice is sometimes a conscious decision. We live very rural, and the closest supermarket of any type (Walmart) is 50 miles away. After that it’s another 35 miles, and then another 60 miles to do shopping. It’s the same with services, hardware, housewares or appliances. A trip to town seldom involves buying one of anything, and it’s usually multiple stops. Of course it’s our choice to live where we do, and in spite of the inconveniences it’s worth it. At home we are away from the cesspools that cities have become. I’ll take four legged animals as trespassers over the two legged varieties any day .
Same in Canada. Small towns here are were joined by a highway. At least the traveller stopped in town to get fuel and food. The superhighways now bypass the towns further hollowing them out.
I was hoping that Canada was different. Where do we go from here?
Pray our nation repents and God hears.
There’s no bigger ’chain’ than the churches, no greater source of control. There’s no greater distraction and no greater abandonment of responsibility than ‘prayer’. If you think the solution lies in ‘faith’ they’re got you just where they want you.
Great piece. Thank you. This strategy has gone hand in hand with a psyop that glorifies "rugged, bootstrap individualism" and denigrates any kind of organization or solidarity as "loser socialism". They want you isolated and powerless. You're not being slowly strangled. You're just a temporarily embarrassed millionaire. Those three gig jobs will get you there if you believe and work hard enough. And if you never make it, it's because you're a weak loser. Maybe you should just try owning nothing and liking it. Again, they need you isolated and powerless.
Magnus, thank you. This is a perfect and critical synthesis.
You've absolutely nailed the other blade of the weapon. The article describes the action (the "culture war flashbang" to provide cover for the "heist"), but you've perfectly deconstructed the ideological psyop that makes us all so vulnerable to it.
You are 100% right. They've spent decades glorifying "rugged, bootstrap individualism" and painting any form of solidarity as "loser socialism" for one reason: to keep us "isolated and powerless."
It's the psychological programming (Layer 3) that stops us from uniting to fight their "Killing Game" (Layer 2).
A brilliant fragment. Thank you for adding it to the forge.
Look at Walmart shareholders being DIRECTLY subsidized by taxpayers providing SNAP benefits and Medicaid to the employees that they refuse to pay a living wage. "Rank collectivism" for me but not for thee. Tech giants and the H1B visa scam, ... it goes on and on.
Yep, and it’s convoluted… and much of it stems from our government representatives.
The big corporations need to be granted access into these locations to be able to set up shop, and local officials change land-use designations, authorize construction/business permits, and more. Those corporate entities can’t enter state, county, city jurisdictions without being allowed to… and government officials allow it.
Now, how is it that all these government officials are allowing the same thing all over different states/cities? Weren’t they chosen and elected by the people in that region to serve the people’s best interests? …or were they? Or were they strategically placed in those positions to open up pathways?
You all know the answer, and you know the implications of that answer. Yeah, it’s that bad… it’s that big of an issue, and it is that corrupt! It’s worse than people can imagine!
As Sydney Powell said, “ fraud, vitiates everything”… but I don’t know how that’s going to work, for the damage has been done! You corrupt an election, place in a puppet candidate, and they mangle things. We can catch them, but how do we undo the damage that has been done?
Pray for repentance and that God hears.
For Revelations is at hand.
You are 💯 percent correct. The worst part of it is we are to blame. The American consumers looking for a great bargain. Once the competition from all the mom and pop stores vanished because they were forced out of business, the conglomerates started to raise their prices little by little. Now little by little the mega big corporations are buying out the smaller corporations, so now we have just a handful of big mega billion dollar corporations that own everything.
The AI generated graphics illustrates your article beautifully even if they are incredibly ironic. AI is a big part of the battle.
The PBM angle you mentoined is whats really insidious about CVS. They control 75% of drug pricing through the middleman busines while also owning the retail pharmacies. Its vertcal integration on steroids and completely anticompetitive. No wonder independent pharmacies cant survive.
Plus, they make themselves "indispensable" in the smaller villages and towns that may not be close enough to a city where you can hop in your car and go buy everything you need. Amazon will go to the ends of the Earth practically to deliver a package to you.
So TRUE! The person I’m married to constantly buys off Amazon and it pisses me off because I mentioned something to him a few years back during convid or plandemic (however you want to phrase it) that if he keeps buying from them it just makes them richer and us poorer, he told Me I didn’t know what I was talking about, yet he continues to feed the beast and there’s NOTHING I can do about it!
I see packages arrive from Amazon once a week if not twice because he’s too lazy to get off his 🫏 or stop by somewhere to look for what he wants, then when he does it’s either Wal Fart of Target!
I haven’t shopped at either for quite some time for the reasons mentioned in this article!
He just wants to “live his life” as I’m constantly reminded 🤬🤬🤬🤬
there are so few alternatives if you want to buy batteries at a decent price, or groceries. You do not have to buy Walmart paint, there are good paint stores,
I agree about Amazon though
The same goes for mechanical contractors being bought up by power companies. Trump's mission is to speed the whole thing up.
I was watching a review of Wetherspoons in the UK. This article made me think about that. It's a pub conglomerate in the UK that have thaken over most towns and are outselling most small mom and pops pubs in England and the UK.
Thank you. Your dedication and carefully crafted narrative is inspiring. Words can create a movement away from apathy.
“Common Sense” by Thomas Paine is proof.
Same in Australia. You can't tell which "Shopping Centre" you're in cos they're all clones of each other.
Thumbs up! I like the way you lay out what is happening on the street, in the neighborhood, and so on. Corporate occupation. The antidote to the corporations is people power within our cities and counties and regions, a real democracy. We will need a generation of training to accomplish this. But immediately, let's demand a better society: https://greenlibertycaucus.org/ditch-the-rich-campaign/; i have a substack too: https://chuckfall.substack.com/p/a-simple-proposition-lets-remove
I’m so thankful that the small town I grew up in has not succumbed to this poison. In fact, within the last few years, a local deli replaced the Subway that had previously been the only fast food chain in town. All the businesses in town are locally owned not chains, except the gas station and the unfortunate addition of a Dollar General on the far edge of town.
I know you're right about Mass takeovers