2022–Present: Inflation, Housing Crisis, and Asset Domination

Rising interest rates, inflation, and housing shortages squeeze ordinary people.

Institutional investors (like BlackRock, Vanguard, private equity funds) now dominate housing, energy, and even farmland.

Yet mainstream discourse focuses on culture wars rather than Wall Street’s structural role in inequality.

The parasite finance class stands stronger than ever, shielded by distraction politics.

Summary

2012: Occupy fades financial elites regroup.

2013–2016: Media and politics pivot from class to identity.

2016–2020: Populist anger diverted into partisan battles; finance co-opts “progressive” branding.

2020–2025: Crises (pandemic, inflation, housing) enrich elites even further while public anger is fragmented into culture wars.

The core move was substituting class conflict with identity politics, while co-opting progressive branding and re-expanding financial power through deregulation, consolidation, and bailouts.

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> U.S. steel industry: Once the backbone of American industry, it was gutted by corporate raiders in the 1980s–90s who prioritized financial engineering, union-busting, and overseas outsourcing over reinvestment in plants. Cities like Youngstown, Gary, and Bethlehem still live with the fallout.

> Boeing: Once a gold standard of engineering, Boeing’s 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas shifted culture from "engineers first" to "shareholders first." The 737 MAX disasters were the most tragic symbol of this shift.

> General Electric: Once an industrial powerhouse, Jack Welch’s obsession with quarterly profits and financial gimmicks hollowed GE out, leaving it a shadow of its former self.

> Post-deregulation consolidation (1978 onward): Wall Street–driven mergers created oligopolies (Delta, American, United) that cut unprofitable routes (hurting smaller cities), slashed staffing, and jammed more seats in planes, while executives raked in stock-based compensation.

> Private equity landlords (Blackstone, etc.): After 2008, firms scooped up foreclosed homes, turned them into rental cash cows, and now contribute to housing shortages and skyrocketing rents.

> Local newspapers: Hedge funds like Alden Global Capital bought up once-robust local papers, gutted their newsrooms, and left “ghost papers” that barely cover communities.

Everyone with net worth over $5M is a thief and murderer.