The Goldstein Machine
March 9, 2025·28 comments
Two decades of institutional control have relied on enemies that cannot be defeated by design. Systemic Racism and the Deep State are presented as both existential threats and inescapable entanglements. What happens when you build a political system where the only acceptable outcome is permanent war against something that cannot be won?
• Both sides have discovered the same mechanism. A threat that is perfectly plausible, perfectly intolerable, and perfectly undefeatable creates permanent emotional investment. This transforms compliance into conviction without requiring actual victory.
• The grift is inevitable when enemies cannot be defeated. An entire ecosystem of academics, administrators, podcasters, and politicians profits from perpetual crisis. They have no incentive to solve the problem they claim to fight.
• No outcome contradicts the narrative anymore. The Epstein Files release proves this: redacted volumes, partial information, delayed releases, or eventual full disclosure all feed the same story. The threat adapts to any reality.
• Both movements protect each other while claiming opposition. The inner circles of competing grifts have more in common with each other than with their own followers. The system works precisely because both sides benefit from its continuation.
• The real cost is to those who actually believed in the cause. People who genuinely care about racial equity or government accountability are left with performative outrage instead of substantive change. The symbol has replaced the substance.
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