The New Feudalism: How Capitalism Stole Our Future
From Generational Wealth to Generational Struggle—History Warns Us, But It Also Shows Us How to Fight Back
How we went from passing down land, assets, and security to barely scraping by.
Generational wealth has long been the foundation upon which societies build their futures. From the land passed down through families to the heirlooms that carry stories and value, history is replete with examples of people ensuring their descendants had a leg up. But capitalism, in its most insidious form, has stolen that future from us. What was once a system of inheritance and legacy has been replaced by a hedonistic, exploitative mantra: "You can't take it with you, so spend it all." This message provides convenient cover for the elite—those who hoard resources and strip the rest of us of any chance at stability.
Why billionaires are our modern-day kings, hoarding wealth like dragons on gold.
We are living in a new feudal era, with corporations serving as the monarchy and billionaires as the oligarchs. The notion that we will see a trillionaire in our lifetime is not an achievement; it is the nightmare of a dragon asleep on a hoard of gold while the rest of us starve. We have been convinced that we don’t deserve clean air, clean water, or healthcare—that merely surviving is a privilege we must pay for. Government programs like Medicare will even seize homes upon death to cover costs, stripping families of generational wealth just as surely as medieval lords extracted every last tax from their serfs. How is this different from poorhouses and breadlines?
Historically, these economic chokeholds have gone hand in hand with war and religious dogma, used as tools to keep the masses compliant. The Catholic Church in the Middle Ages justified feudalism by teaching that social hierarchy was divinely ordained. The Protestant work ethic of the industrial era convinced laborers that suffering was virtuous, that wealth signified moral superiority, and that questioning this order was sinful. Today, a new version of this ideology tells us that billionaires deserve their riches while we must "hustle" endlessly for scraps.
Wars have long served as resets for wealth and power, often benefiting the ruling class while devastating the working poor. After the Black Death wiped out vast populations in the 14th century, surviving laborers were able to demand higher wages—until laws were enacted to force them back into serfdom. After World War II, America experienced a brief economic boom that allowed a generation to accumulate wealth—only for policies like redlining and corporate deregulation to slam the door shut behind them. Every time we rise, the system recalibrates to push us back down.
Higher education as a barrier to upward mobility, creating a class divide.
The modern equivalent of nobility is the academic elite. College degrees have become the new aristocracy, with PhDs and MBAs standing as modern-day titles of nobility, accessible only to those who can afford them. Make no mistake: we are living in slumlord-owned buildings, eating food we can barely afford, and staring down the rapid acceleration of our descent into a locked-in peasant class under policies like Project 2025. If they succeed, the dystopian future that looms isn’t one of science fiction—it’s one of medieval reality, where marriages are transactional and daughters are bartered for survival.
Today’s Assignment: We have been here before. And every time, we have fought back. The Peasants' Revolt of 1381, driven by crippling taxes and a refusal to remain serfs, shook England’s foundations. The labor movements of the early 20th century wrested power from industrial barons, securing the eight-hour workday and child labor laws. The Civil Rights Movement dismantled racist legal structures and expanded economic opportunities for Black Americans, though the battle continues. The New Deal pulled millions out of poverty, though its benefits were not equally distributed.
Resistance works. Change happens when we organize, disrupt, and demand better. The ruling class wants us to believe we are powerless, but history proves otherwise. Our ancestors fought their way out of the cycle of poverty and oppression, and now it is our turn to do the same.
The question isn’t if we can fight back—it’s how we’re going to do it this time.
Are you ready?
~AK