System Failure

The lads open up this show with a discussion of RFK Jr.’s Super Bowl commercial, which leads them into an update on the looming 2024 Presidential Election. After that, Brian brings up Michael Benz’s suggestion that democracy—for the elite—has come to mean consensus among powerful entities like BlackRock and Wall Street Journal. Next, famous footage of KGB agent Yuri Bezmenov sparks a discussion of...

The boys lost another episode to technical issues last week, but now they’re back with a fresh one. Brian starts off the show by bringing up Jonah Hill’s recent film about a Jungian psychologist. Like Christianity and magic, the ideas of Carl Jung are descended from Platonism. And, of course, those ideas always pop up during times of major economic collapses. From that springboard, Nate argues tha...

In this episode, the lads recap their recent visit from The Captain and Nate gets on his soapbox to complain about live music. With the primary season well underway, the boys then share their hopes and fears for the 2024 presidential election. The current trajectory of American society leads to a rousing discussion of socialism versus capitalism, which in turn gives way to a commentary on the rece...

In an exciting first for the System Failure podcast, we have a guest! Infamous friend of the show “The Captain” joins the boys on this episode. And he wastes no time launching into an impassioned defense of altered states-of-mind. He even admonishes the lads for daring to advocate for the virtues of sobriety. This topic leads, inevitably, into a discussion of the possibility of psychedelic origins...

In this episode, Brian and Nate give a brief recap of their holiday. That inevitably segues into that classic System Failure canard: the decline of society with which we are being confronted. Brian then describes a late-night encounter at a local watering hole, in which the concept of hypernormalisation was invoked. After that, Nate recounts the despair of his fiancée at the collapse of her favori...

The lads start out this holiday edition of System Failure by running down the list of modern Christmas traditions that arise from old psychedelic rituals. Then, talk of the subversive anti-banking parables A Christmas Carol and It’s A Wonderful Life gives way to lamentations about the recent closure of the boys’ favorite barbecue joint. The main idea in this episode is that bankers have blown out...

At the top of the pod, Brian recounts his recent trip to Pittsburgh for NFL football and Magic cards. The inflating price of those cards sparks a commentary about inflation and Modern Monetary Theory. That in turn blossoms into a broader discussion about the religious aspects of economics. Next, the boys the pitfalls of using pornography. Nate compares it to the Palantir of Saruman and Brian sugge...

In this episode, Nate recounts a disappointing mushroom trip. Then, Brian plays clips of Elon Musk grappling with Twitter advertisers over a supposedly antisemitic tweet. From there, the lads speculate about the relevance of that incident to the broader trajectory of society. And that leads them, inevitably, into RFK Jr and Jeffrey Epstein territory. The boys go on to suggest that the peculiar dis...

The boys start off with a few more thoughts on last week’s topic: the notion of the Alchemical Journey. Next, they turn their guns on a recent, hair-raising Joe Rogan Experience in which former Air Force intelligence official David Grusch credibly claims that the US government is in possession of off-world craft and biological remains. Brian augments the discussion by bringing up Eric Hekker and h...

At the top of this episode, the boys recount a wild night out on the town. Then, inevitably, they do another round on the Israel-Hamas conflict that’s dominating the news. Next, the lads draw a crucial distinction between so-called cultural Marxism and actual Marxism and try to make sense of the recent election of Argentinian president Javier Milei. And finally, the lads elaborate on the eternal c...

In this episode, the boys discuss their recent opportunity to meet Presidential Candidate RFK Jr. Mr. Kennedys stump speech cites the concentration of financial power as the common theme behind all the woes plaguing America today. The lads discuss this concentration with respect to the situation in Ukraine and the recent COVID pandemic. That topic leads them into a broader discussion about the his...

In this episode, the lads banter about the 2023 USA elections. Two interesting local referenda have caught their interest. Brian then reads out the latest tweet from Roger Waters, sparking more discussion of the disturbing situation unfolding in the Middle East. The boys hope the silver lining to that dark cloud will be nothing less than the demolition of the two-party dichotomy. Then, Nate waxes...

In this episode, the lads start out by recapping Brian’s recent trip to Nashville and reflecting on the importance of travel and the relevance of country music. The conversation then turns, once again, to the advisability of marijuana use. Specifically, whether that drug aids in the creative process and its role in conspiratorial thinking. After that, Brian brings up a surprising news article abou...

In this episode, Nate and Brian discuss the surreal experience of hearing noted podcasters Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein accuse Pink Floyd creative Roger Waters of anti-semitism while simultaneously weeping to his music. That leads to Nate to ruminate on the surprising banking-related roots of anti-semitism. Next, the lads briefly discuss the significance of bonds yields spiking over 5%. Brian...

In this episode, the lads debunk their own speculation on the Ronald Reagan assassination attempt—and reflect on conspiracy theories in general. Next, they tackle the odious business of the Palestine-Israel conflict. Finally, Nate steers into controversial territory by making a connection between racism and economics. Here are the relevant links mentioned in this episode: Sanders-Buttigieg Coin Fl...

The boys begin by kicking the tires on the relative merits of using marijuana and other drugs like alcohol or sugar. Next, Nate draws a comparison between stand-up comedy and the ministry of Jesus, insofar as both are about speaking the truths that that threaten power structures. That morphs into a discussion about the baby boomers and the failed social revolution of the 1960s, in which Brian advo...

After losing another episode to technical issues, the boys are back. And they sound better than ever thanks to Brian’s sizeable investment in audio equipment. In this episode, Nate responds to some criticism by summoning the ghost of legendary historians Will and Ariel Durant. The Durants flesh out the realities of syncretism, in which old gods conceptually evolve over time into new gods. The lads...

In this episode, Nate rants about the lost distinction from Classical Economics between earned vs unearned income, and how the lack of that distinction is hiding the existence of huge economic parasites. Then Brian brings up Joe Dispenza's idea about creating positive feedback loops. Shocking no one, that leads to a broader discussion about Christianity's biggest ideas and the worldly consideratio...

In this episode, Brian and Nate discuss how utopian bottom-up decision-making schemes might compare to the top-down control we’re stuck with. The lads then discuss the deplorable state of American politics and whether a wolf is preferable to a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Finally, apocalypses of both the climate change and of the Christian variety come up, and the guys wonder whether Jesus needed to...

In this episode, Nate recounts the surprising history of science, which is rife with fits of madness and demonic summonings. Next, Brian chimes with how a recent Hulk Hogan interview was oddly platonic in nature. And finally, Trump's mugshot has Brian thinking wistfully of Bernie Sanders. Get full access to System Failure at www.nateknopp.com/subscribe Get full access to System Failure at www.syst...

In this episode, Brian and Nate clean up a few leftover ideas from the previous episode on Marxism, which leads them into speculating about likely collapse scenarios. Then, the conversation turns to Platonism. Finally, Nate details how Platonism always seems to make a comeback after famous historical collapses, like Christianity after the Fall of Rome or magic during the Renaissance. Get full acce...

In this episode, Brian and Nate tackle the notorious subject Marxism. As our system crumbles around us, what would a mature relationship with that raft of ideas look like? This question and many more are answered as the Knopp brothers open the Pandora's box of Marxism, Socialism, and Communism. Below is the link to the United Way article mentioned in the episode: https://unitedwaynca.org/blog/vaca...

In this episode (despite occasional sound quality issues), Brian and Nate set the table by examining both a long view of history and the recent history of the United States. The Knopp brothers make a case that's getting less controversial by the day: our system is due for a spectacular failure. Get full access to System Failure at www.nateknopp.com/subscribe Get full access to System Failure at ww...

In this episode, Brian and Nate discuss the frustrating failure of art to capture the realities of living in a society in decline. The conversation unfolds from there as we visit Europe during the time of the Renaissance and discuss the relevance to modern life of the old Medieval idea of magic. Get full access to System Failure at www.nateknopp.com/subscribe Get full access to System Failure at w...