Buzz
Before diving in, let's clarify one point: the Dark Ages were not actually dark; much of what people consider to be the 'darkness' of the early Middle Ages stems from widespread misconceptions about the period.
In my introduction to 'Top 10 Reasons The Middle Ages Were Not Dark', I mentioned: '[T]he term “dark ages” is almost as ancient as the period itself—it was coined in the 1330s by Petrarch, the Italian scholar, to refer to the decline of Latin literature. It was later adopted by the Protestant Reformers (16th century) and Enlightenment thinkers (18th century), who used it pejoratively, seeing their own era of 'enlightenment' as missing from the earlier age.'
Back in 2011, I penned one of our most controversial articles, 'Top 10 Reasons We Should Revive the Dark Ages'; now, seeing our current situation, I’m starting to reconsider my stance!
So, with regret, here are the ten signs that suggest we may be heading into a new period of darkness.
10. Social Media Censorship
In addition to everything else, entire communities are being banned from major platforms simply for offending others or sharing information that the site owners don't agree with, whether the information is right or not. In the United States, where most of these companies operate, they have the legal right to restrict free speech. The ultimate solution to these oppressive attacks on the free exchange of ideas is for new platforms to emerge, free from the political biases of billionaire owners and stockholders, who value profits over the pursuit of wisdom.
9. Suppression of Speakers on Campuses
Freedom of speech also means having the right to protest ideas you disagree with. However, those who physically attack protestors at rallies are no more advocates for free speech than Lenin was for capitalism. While exercising your right to protest is a democratic privilege, it’s not acceptable to shut down the opposing views you are protesting against. In recent years, it seems protestors have increasingly aimed to suppress opposing views, rather than simply expressing their disagreement. This trend of silencing others started gaining ground around 2013. Before that, protests on college campuses rarely resulted in preventing a speaker from attending. Nowadays, canceled lectures have become disturbingly frequent.
Speakers such as Milo Yiannopoulos and pro-abortion Supreme Court justice Carol Beier have been forced off college campuses. Each incident highlights the alarming disregard for free speech and intellectual debate, as it gives way to simply shouting down opponents. We should be deeply concerned that universities, once considered pillars of free speech, have become hotbeds of anti-freedom actions. When debate ceases, so does the potential for new discoveries. Now might be the perfect time to check out our list of the 'Top 10 Ways College Makes You Dumb.'
8. YouTube Censorship
The masterminds at Google have taken it upon themselves to shield us from ourselves, removing conspiracy theories and other content they disapprove of. Their justification is that they’re protecting us from being misled. This brings to mind the profound words of T. S. Eliot: “Most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions.” Google’s motives (if indeed they are genuine) may appear to come from virtuous origins, but there’s one significant flaw: conspiracy theories are sometimes true. Take, for instance, Project MKUltra, the terrifying CIA mind control experiment. Or consider the theory that the support for the Iraq War was artificially manufactured through lies about babies being thrown from incubators.
Speaking of wars, the Vietnam War was based on a colossal lie, initially confined to conspiracy circles until the CIA validated it as true. I’m referring to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. How many conspiracy discussions are currently being erased or hidden by Google? Now, more than ever, we need open discussions about China, the coronavirus, and the political Deep State. Thankfully, since Mytour occasionally delves into conspiracies, our video above has managed to evade Google’s censorship... for now. Enjoy it while you can!
7. Google Search Destruction
In the past three decades, we’ve entrusted the vast accumulation of human knowledge to a company that once proudly bore the motto 'don’t be evil.' That was until 2018 when it quietly tucked this phrase into the final sentence of its code of conduct, now all but forgotten. In the last two years, Google has steadily degraded the quality of its search results, initially by filling them with sponsored posts, and since May 2020, seemingly replacing the entire index with results that financially benefit Google and its affiliates, especially during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Online webmaster forums are full of website owners declaring their sites dead as 50–70% of their traffic from search has been slashed in favor of big brand results from companies aligned with Google’s world view. It is probably fair to say that the future of the world wide web is one in which most search results end in a 404 error (page not found). Google is effectively shutting down the Internet. With all the search traffic gone, the sites that remain will have no choice but to turn to subscription models.
6. Chained Bibles
Do you remember the chained Bibles from the Dark Ages? (Hint: they were chained because they were incredibly valuable, not to prevent people from reading them.) Well, they’re making a comeback! As Google escalates its attack on smaller information websites and YouTubers, more and more content is either disappearing or being locked behind paywalls and subscription services. This is a trend we discussed for Mytour in the past.
Once all the best content is locked away, we will have reached the point where the web becomes the complete opposite of its original purpose. Instead of being a place for free global knowledge dissemination (funded by ads, of course), it will become a tightly sealed vault of information available only to those who can afford to access it. And unlike the Bible in the Middle Ages, we no longer have internet priests to read this knowledge to us. This is the deliberate removal of learning for all but the elite rich. And just to clarify, this isn’t just about small websites and independent creators...
5. Joe Rogan Spotify
The renowned figure in the podcast world has announced a shift to Spotify. For the cost of tolerating an ad, listeners can now access his podcasts. Rogan is arguably the first major figure to openly challenge Google's censorship policies. Previously, he earned $36 million a year from his podcasts with Google, but Spotify enticed him with a $100 million offer. It's clear why he's willing to make this bold move, especially when it comes to freedom of speech—until Spotify becomes part of Google or imposes its own content restrictions. This move highlights the growing limitations on information access.
Only time will reveal whether a mass migration of content creators to this new platform will expand or limit our overall access to knowledge. We are witnessing a current consolidation into a few colossal corporations, and the principles and ethics of these entities (or the lack thereof) will shape whose voices and what narratives will dominate in the future.
4. The Wayback Machine and Censorship
'Who controls the past,’ as the Party slogan in George Orwell’s iconic novel 1984 goes, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.’ These words resonate even more strongly today. The Wayback Machine, or Internet Archive, is a valuable tool that stores snapshots of the web from decades ago. It has often been used to uncover deceptive edits by mainstream media. Unfortunately, it seems to be taking a dangerous turn toward censorship.
Recently, the Wayback Machine has started marking certain archived pages as 'disinformation,' particularly concerning the Coronavirus. It retroactively deems past news or events as false. It seems inevitable that they will soon begin removing original content or replacing 'misinformation' with 'facts' as dictated by anonymous powers behind the scenes.
3. The Disappearance of Historic Information Sources
Social distancing is set to cause numerous unforeseen consequences. With certain places already banning cash because of its role in spreading the virus, it’s reasonable to consider that vital knowledge institutions, like libraries and, to a lesser extent, museums, may one day be closed for the sake of public health. This would be somewhat manageable if it weren’t for the fact that other issues on this list are unfolding simultaneously.
As all websites fade away, leaving behind only the highly questionable Wikipedia after Google’s search purge, we might find ourselves completely severed from the shared knowledge of our ancestors—the very foundation upon which we’ve built our incredible society.
2. The Zombie Apocalypse
When New Zealand's shops and restaurants reopened after the coronavirus lockdown, the first thing I did was spend a day in the city, browsing stores and enjoying lunch with friends. Due to new measures allowing businesses to stay open, some shops now limit the number of customers allowed inside at any given time. This has resulted in queues outside many basic stores—lines one would typically associate with ‘communist’ or socialist nations.
Wellington City lacks malls, so the streets are now filled with people patiently waiting outside stores, each engrossed in their glowing phone screens. It struck me: the zombie apocalypse isn’t something from a horror movie or TV show—it’s happening right now. Instead of interacting and exchanging experiences or reading books and magazines, people are glued to games or watching videos on YouTube (the ones Google hasn’t censored yet). This *is* the zombie apocalypse, and it’s voluntary. Until you witness a street full of people with blank expressions, staring downward, you can’t truly grasp the horror of it. As freely as we’ve chosen to numb ourselves this way, we must also choose to stop. Sadly, that seems unlikely. I hope I’m wrong.
1. Open Discussion in Science
Scientists and doctors are increasingly dismissed for making discoveries (or even suggesting theories) that challenge ideas accepted by scientific consensus (argumentum ad verecundiam, anyone?). The fear of offending others (especially those with loud social media platforms) is largely to blame for this unfortunate state of affairs. Scientists should not be silenced, no matter how controversial their findings or views may be. Their ideas should be exposed to public debate. If we are not allowed to challenge ideas, how can we prove them wrong—or show their opposite to be true?
From the environment to race and gender, a new 'theology' is taking shape, and questioning it is now akin to heresy, with shaming and ostracism replacing the traditional practice of burning at the stake.
+ Why Is This Happening?
It’s easier to control one massive corporation than thousands of smaller ones. Distributist economics (my preferred system) argues that the problem isn’t too many capitalists, but rather too few (a concept borrowed from G. K. Chesterton). It advocates for the means of production to be owned by numerous family businesses, not large corporations. What we’re witnessing today is the exact opposite. The powers that be—whatever label you place on them—know that maintaining control over society, including our thoughts and behaviors, requires eliminating small businesses. While this may not be the sole reason for the odd changes we’re experiencing, one thing is certain: every day, more and more information is being erased from the internet and hidden from us.
We can no longer pretend that we are living in a golden age of knowledge... we are on the cusp of the greatest dark age in human history. But, to end on a brighter note, as T. S. Eliot once said, 'The darkness declares the glory of light.' Perhaps we can find some comfort in that.
