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That same pattern is playing out in the United States and other western nations. The warning signs of looming disaster are evident across our most significant cultural institutions, and they are being widely ignored.
These warnings fall into four basic categories.
The first is deception: The powerful tell lies of increasing severity with no compunction and no consequences.
COVID-19 is a textbook example.
The "wet market" theory of the virus's origin never made sense, and those who were most insistent upon it were preventing inquiry into alternative theories. Those caught dissembling about the virus's origins (and the U.S.' funding of the dangerous "gain of function" research in China) were equally adamant that inexpensive and readily available drugs to treat COVID-19 symptoms were suddenly ineffective and dangerous, despite physicians' experience to the contrary.
The experimental mRNA "vaccines," however, were "safe and effective." We were told to ignore the increasing numbers of vaccinated people contracting and transmitting the virus; those (especially the young, healthy, athletic) developing serious health problems including myocarditis and pericarditis; people collapsing and dying "suddenly" from heart attacks and strokes; the long, fibroid "clots" being pulled from corpses. Anyone pointing out those facts, the defective VAERS reports or the drug companies' insistence upon keeping all vaccine data sealed for 75 years were called "kooks" and "conspiracy theorists."
Other "official" stories have been proven to be egregious lies with expensive and damaging consequences: the story of Trump's "collusion" with Russia to win the 2016 election was a complete fabrication; the damning information on Hunter Biden's laptop was not Russian "disinformation" (and the FBI knew it all along); the southern border is not "secure."
Deception goes hand-in-hand with censorship. The recently released internal Twitter documents prove that the FBI and the intelligence community have been actively involved in censorship of truthful information and selective release of preapproved disinformation by Twitter and the other social media companies (Google, YouTube, Facebook).
The second warning sign is corruption within law enforcement and the legal system.
America's major cities are eliminating bail and putting criminals back on the streets. Theft goes unpunished and innocent business owners are expected to absorb the losses.
Inconsistent legal standards depend upon political viewpoints. While most of the country was under pandemic lockdowns, antifa and Black Lives Matter activists were permitted massive protests, even when those turned into violent mobs that did billions of dollars in damage and destruction.
Former President Donald Trump had his Florida home raided because of allegedly confidential documents in his possession. But when it was discovered that President Joe Biden was in possession of confidential documents from his time as vice president, no armed FBI SWAT team went rummaging through Jill Biden's lingerie drawers.
Innocent citizens are threatened. In Loudon County, Virginia (and elsewhere), incensed parents showed up at school board meetings to complain about policies and curricula that threaten their children's well-being. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland published a threatening letter whose message was clear: If you object to the sexualization of your children and undermining of your values, we will treat you as "domestic terrorists."
The imprisonment of Jan. 6 protesters in a Washington, D.C. jail, deprived of their constitutional and basic human rights sends an equally clear message: Leftists can riot, loot and burn, but if you protest what you believe to be systemic corruption, we will treat you as "domestic terrorists" and "insurrectionists."
Kyle Rittenhouse was attacked trying to protect local businesses during the 2020 riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He shot his attackers. The media's lies and his prosecution for murder sends yet another threatening message: If the government won't protect you, and you attempt to protect yourselves, we will treat you as "white supremacists" and "murderers."
The third warning sign is control. In the name of "climate change," the powerful seek to control every aspect of our lives: our lightbulbs, toilets, washing machines, cars, homes. They intend to ban gas stoves. A little item tucked into the recent "infrastructure" bill mandates "kill switches" in all new cars sold after 2026, which could enable third parties to shut down your vehicle. The "digital dollar" would give government control over your bank accounts. Cellphones, "smart" appliances and even public streetlights are engaged in constant surveillance, which further facilitates control.
The fourth warning is arrogance, the lynchpin of all destruction.
It would be bad enough if the aspiring autocrats were omniscient. But they aren't. The same class of people seeking to rule the planet were completely gaga over fraudsters Bernie Madoff, Elizabeth Holmes, Adam Neumann and (most recently) Sam Bankman-Fried. They ran with sexual predators Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. They tend to pooh-pooh faith in God but worship "intellectuals" espousing failed philosophies, often with ruinous consequences. They are vain and foolish, too impressed with themselves and others like them. Even scientists and scholars — who should know better — have tried to marginalize research and data that debunk their own theories about nutrition, treatments for Alzheimer's, gender dysphoria and — most of all — "climate change."
The ultimate problem is human failing combined with too much power: The power to force flawed ideologies on others. The power to crush opposition and forbid alternatives. The power to spread lies. The power to silence and punish those trying to provide the public with the truth.
There is only one way out of this mess, and it is to claw back power from the institutions that have acquired too much of it: government, corporations, academia, the media, the entertainment industry.
The warning signs are there. We ignore them at our peril.
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Laura Hirschfeld Hollis is on the faculty at the University of Notre Dame, where she teaches courses in business law and entrepreneurship. She has received numerous awards for her teaching, research, community service and contributions to entrepreneurship education.