Pecking Order
“If you're the one that always gets fed in the nest, you become a bird of paradise. If you’re the runt, you get yeeted.”— Chris Abraham, philosopher of the podcast forestIn this unhinged odyssey of a podcast episode, Chris Abraham and co-host Snarky Eunice hatch a conversation that begins with a metaphor about social movements needing applause (Tinkerbell-style), expands into a sharp analysis of the professional clap economy, swerves into conspiracy-adjacent government funding structures, flies through political infighting, lands briefly in the terrain of eco-hypocrisy, and ultimately ends with a heartfelt elegy to a life lived behind the lens.You wanted rails? Too bad. They were dismantled, repurposed for sculpture, and auctioned off to raise funds for a prepper community art collective in Utah.Picking up from S9E4 ("Tinkerbell Tactics"), Chris critiques the performative support required to sustain social movements. He argues:Identity and justice-based initiatives often require external belief and funding to survive, much like clapping keeps Tinkerbell alive.These movements increasingly rely on taxpayer funding, federal grants, and NGO scaffolding—forming a “trust fund for the ideologically vulnerable.”Chris introduces the concept of the "clap factory"—a mechanism by which governments and affiliated nonprofits financially insulate certain causes from public opinion. Why rely on fickle donors when you can be a line item in the Department of Diversity?💥 This, he argues, has a breaking point—especially when 80% of voters start feeling vilified by the 20% who have institutional power.Chris warns: Mocking the majority may lead to political revenge.If conservatives retake power (cue Trump + SCOTUS + “Doge” office), these funding structures will be rapidly torn out “with extreme prejudice.”Consequences? People lose meds. Trans folks lose HRT. HIV-positive folks lose access to PrEP. And the "clap trust" collapses.Chris zooms out:The struggle for social capital is like a nest of squawking baby birds.Everyone wants attention: LGBTQ+ rights, BLM, Climate Change, Palestine, Ukraine, anti-Trumpers, anti-Elonists.It's no longer just about identity politics—it’s about cause Darwinism. Resources go to the loudest, most fashionable chick.📉 NGOs that once lived off small donations now rely on corporate sponsorship and federal grants, turning charity into PR and tax sheltering.In a parallel universe—or maybe not—Chris imagines:A post-election Trump has launched “DOGE” (a made-up agency with real vibes), slashing federal funding for NGOs, universities, media, and charities deemed “subversive.”A MAGA-led "purge" identifies saboteurs via COVID vaccine mandates, social media activity, and DEI sympathies.🧠 Projection, meet Retaliation: If the left sees fascists, the right sees insurgents. And vice versa.Chris and Eunice unpack distrust of:Mainstream media, which is now seen (by many) as “activist”, not neutral.Reporters afraid to speak honestly about Biden’s mental state, for fear of “helping Trump.”A media system that claims neutrality but preaches ideology—while everyone lives in a Panopticon of receipts, screen caps, and honeypots.Chris goes full Jason Bourne meets Red Scare:People are being honeytrapped and recorded by influencers or "hot spies" into revealing politically damning truths.Media figures from Louder with Crowder to InfoWars are weaponizing content, revealing how insiders follow orders from “the White House” or you guessed it — George Soros.We’re in a “golden age of receipts,” where your podcast overshare is tomorrow’s cancellation.Chris, channeling his ex-Lieutenant Colonel buddy, argues:The government now sees Catholic Charities, Human Rights orgs, spy agencies, media, and lobbyists as "activated cells."Referencing the World Economic Forum and Agenda 2030, he claims Project 2025 is the right’s answer to globalist agendas.MAGA = “The Mujahedin of America.”Yes, that was actually said.
Ireland