Virtue Signalling Has Consequences
Virtue Signalling Has Consequences
When that annoying guy at a dinner party virtue signals his latest cause, its annoying. When leaders of nations do it, its dangerous.
As so many countries in the west continue down the path of virtue signalling the infallibility of ‘renewable energy’ and aligning policy in recent years to this effect, coupled with the more recent virtue signalling attack on Russia, the consequences are starting to reverberate worldwide.
Considering the increasing energy crisis now enveloping the world, let’s play a fun sad game. Take a look at the headlines around you and ascertain where your country sits on the ladder below. See what consequences are ahead if your nation continues its current trajectory.
Step 1: Go along with the virtue signalling of 'clean, renewable energy.' Adjust your policies to restrict exploration and production of hydrocarbon energy and infrastructure spending, and throw in some Russia bashing for good measure. After all, the world can survive without one of the largest energy producers, surely? <Every Western nation, and the vast majority of serfs are here in action. Though many in the Global South give this lip service, their actions speak otherwise>
Step 2: Pretend the consequences of rising energy prices aren't a result of your inept, uneducated and pandering policies in Step 1. <The United States is here>
Step 3: Impose price caps and inhibitive taxes on your producers; after all, it must be their fault, right? They’re greedy, profit-seeking corporations. Politicians never get it wrong, only businesses that have direct profit consequences of their actions. <Australia and the UK are here>
Step 4: After the supply is detrimentally affected for years to come because you’ve disincentivised further production increases and cut off imports from big producers, start to threaten, then nationalise private enterprise. <Wider Western Europe is here>
Step 5: Government-run energy businesses become even less efficient, and production slides further. <France (almost half of its nuclear fleet offline) and the Netherlands are here, Brazil and Colombia are toying with the idea, but it seems rational thought may prevail>
Step 6: Energy shortages, food shortages, sliding general industry and production. <German industry is explicitly here, food shortages incoming>
Step 7: Double down and enact more laws and controls against any dissenters and evil corporations still managing to eke out a profit.
Step 8: Civilizational collapse, hyperinflation, food shortages. <Venezuela is here>
If your country is not on this ladder, well done! It may be that you have sensible people in charge. Or is it just a matter of time?
Price controls and other poor policies have consequences. Short-term, they are popular because the sheep love free stuff and to be taken care of. Over the long term, attention-seeking politicians will destroy their nations one by one through inept, populist and socialist agendas.
Remember also that energy is the most prominent and pressing shortage that society immediately feels. What happens when the same actions bring about a crisis in other commodities like food, copper, zinc, cobalt, uranium… the list goes on.
All actions, especially virtue signalling, have consequences. Nations of the West are finding this out the hard way. Nations of the East, Global South and wider BRICS know this and are resisting, reclaiming their voices and sovereignty. Good for them.
If this continues, we will see a very different world in the decades ahead, with a frustrated band of formerly rich nations currently known as Western Europe and the Five Eyes going cap-in-hand to their former serfs for handouts. I can’t say I’ll be sad to see it after putting up with the current idiocy.
The bigger shock will come for the ex-rulers of the world when the newly sovereign nations of BRICS no longer accept their debt-backed paper money <Russia is here and China soon will be>. The BRICS nations will be trading on tangible, commodity-backed currencies, gold and Bitcoin.
For some, a bright future lies ahead. For those who refuse to admit reality, a very different fate awaits.
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