A Pattern You Might Have Missed

The world is full of competing groups, each fighting to shape the future of society in their own image. Political factions, corporations, and movements are all battling for influence — each with their own agenda, each trying to win your loyalty.

But I want to briefly highlight two forces that concern me above all others — two powerful groups I believe society would do well to resist with everything it can possibly muster.

The first is unaccountable billionaires — individuals and corporate giants who are steadily consolidating the world’s wealth and power, often outside the reach of democratic oversight.

The second is authoritarian leaders — people who believe that power should be held by a tiny group at the top, and that ordinary people should have little to no say in how society is run. These are leaders who rule by control, not consensus — who value obedience over participation. Some of the most prominent authoritarian figures on the world stage today include Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and others like them — leaders who are actively shaping the global landscape through force, fear, and propaganda.

At first glance, these two forces might seem unrelated. But they share one essential thing in common:

They both concentrate enormous power in the hands of very few people.

And I believe that whenever power becomes too concentrated — whether it’s economic power in the hands of billionaires, or political power in the hands of strongmen — society begins to fracture. The systems that serve the many become distorted to serve the few.

Now, I know what you might be thinking — that this is just another knee-jerk Lefty rant against wealth or authority, a naïve refusal to understand how the world really works.

But that’s not my goal here. I’m not interested in making moral judgments or pretending that billionaires are evil villains or that authoritarians are cartoon dictators. This isn’t about casting anyone as “bad.”

What I am trying to do is look at this through the lens of systems — how they evolve, how they concentrate power, and what happens as a result.

Billionaires, for instance, aren’t necessarily corrupt or malicious. They’re simply the logical outcome of capitalism played at scale. In a competitive market, there will always be winners — and some will win big. That’s not a glitch; it’s the game working as designed. When someone accumulates extraordinary wealth, it’s usually because they’ve mastered that system, whether by building something people love, acquiring market dominance, or optimizing for profit more ruthlessly than the next person.

Similarly, authoritarians aren’t monsters by default. They represent a different theory of governance — one that prizes order, efficiency, and control over participation and plurality. In some contexts, that can seem appealing, especially when democratic systems feel slow, ineffective, or chaotic. Authoritarianism can get things done — fast. But speed comes at a cost. We’ve seen, over and over again, how unchecked power tends to turn brutal.

So I’m not saying, “Billionaires bad. Authoritarians evil.” I’m saying: these are structural forces. Predictable outcomes of larger systems. And while they may not be inherently “wrong,” they can lead us to places that are dangerous — places where power is too concentrated, accountability fades, and the needs of the many are sidelined for the comfort of the few.

My personal belief — and I think it’s shared by many — is that societies function better when power is more distributed. When people have agency. When we participate in shaping our collective future, rather than having it dictated to us. That’s not about being anti-capitalist or anti-leadership. It’s about being pro-democracy, pro-accountability, and pro-human dignity.

So with that in mind, let’s take a closer look at what these concentrated powers are actually doing — and more importantly, how they’re getting so many of us to unknowingly cheer them on while they do it.

So let’s take one of these forces — the billionaires — and ask a simple question:

What does a billionaire want?

More money.

That’s what their entire model is built on. The accumulation of capital. The pursuit of profit.

Wealth begets power, and power protects wealth.

So billionaires are always looking for ways to keep more of their money, and expand the systems that allow them to generate even more.

What do they not want?

Taxes. Regulations. Government oversight. Anything that takes their money or limits their control.

So the next logical question is:

Who do they need in power?

They need politicians who will:

– lower their taxes

– reduce regulation

– privatize public services, and

– avoid spending public money on things like universal healthcare, welfare, or public education — things that would require taking more money from the rich to support the many.

So which political ideology best serves that goal?

Right-wing ideology.

Which political parties do they fund?

Right-wing parties.

Billionaires, as a class, overwhelmingly support right-wing economic policy because it aligns with their core interests:

Less tax, less interference, more profit.

These politicians are the political arm of billionaire power. And once in office, they push policies that:

– Lower taxes on the ultra-rich

– Cut funding for public services

– Remove regulations that protect workers, the environment, and consumers

– Privatize public goods so profits go to private hands

In the United States, it’s embodied by the Republican Party, which has long championed tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulation, and the dismantling of public services — from education to healthcare. Politicians like Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and the wider MAGA movement are overt in their pro-billionaire policies, even as they frame themselves as anti-elite.

In the United Kingdom, the Conservative Party has consistently slashed public spending, gutted the welfare state, underfunded the NHS, and handed billions in public contracts to private firms. Figures like Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss have all pushed aggressively for low corporate taxes, deregulated financial markets, and austerity measures that hurt ordinary people while enriching the few.

Now, with the rise of Reform UK, that agenda is being pushed even further — with calls for unprecedented cuts to public spending and a hard lurch to the right that threatens to dismantle what little remains of the social safety net. Rather than challenging billionaire interests, Reform’s presence puts pressure on mainstream parties to double down on protecting them.

In all of these cases, the pattern is the same:

Wealthy interests fund and promote politicians who promise to protect wealth.

Once in office, those politicians pass laws that funnel more money and power to the top.

It’s not necessarily malicious. It’s not a conspiracy. It’s just how systems behave when left unchecked.
Billionaires act like any rational agent in a competitive game: they invest in outcomes that serve their interests — just as most of us would in their position.

But when those interests consistently shape the rules of the game itself, we might do well to pause.

Because this is where capitalism begins to rewrite democracy to suit its ends. And if we want democracy, we ought to pay attention.

Because if we don’t name that dynamic, if we don’t challenge it, then slowly but surely, the future will belong less to all of us — and more to a privileged few.

The Story They Need You to Believe

But here’s the problem…

This agenda doesn’t benefit the average person.

In fact, it actively makes life harder, more expensive, and less stable.

It strips away the support systems that allow regular people to thrive — all so the richest can get even richer.

So the people behind this agenda can’t sell it directly.

They can’t say: “We’re here to help billionaires hoard more wealth.”

That’s not a winning message.

All powerful groups — whether they’re companies selling products or political movements pushing ideologies — need more than just attention…

They need people to feel personally invested, to see their own values and identity reflected in the story being told.

In short, they need a narrative — one that feels true, emotionally compelling, and easy to repeat.

And which industry has mastered the art of crafting stories that move people, shape culture, and drive behavior?

The marketing industry.

So to win hearts and minds, these groups rely on sophisticated marketing campaigns — designed not just to inform, but to persuade, to convert, and to create deep emotional alignment.

Marketing campaigns use familiar tools:

– repetition

– emotion

– urgency

– identity

– isolation from competing messages, and

– the promise of a better life.

These tools don’t just sell sneakers or smartphones — they sell worldviews.

Some people call it propaganda. And they’re not wrong.

But really, propaganda is just marketing with a political agenda.

It uses the same mechanics: emotional storytelling, repetition, us-versus-them framing, fear, hope, identity. The only difference is what’s being sold. Instead of a product, it’s a belief system. Instead of a brand, it’s a cause.

Marketing wants you to buy. Propaganda wants you to believe.

But both aim to short-circuit critical thinking and go straight for the emotional core. When it’s done well, it doesn’t feel like persuasion — it feels like truth. It feels like finally waking up.

So let’s come back to our two groups: the billionaires and the authoritarians.

Ironically — and importantly — both are selling pretty shitty products.

The billionaires, through their political arm — right-wing parties — are selling a version of society where there’s far less taxation. And with less taxation comes less funding for public services, weaker safety nets, and more social instability. It’s a system that benefits the ultra-wealthy and leaves most people worse off.

It’s not a good deal.

It’s a shitty product.

The authoritarians are offering something just as bad: a world where they have all the power, and the public has none. Obedience instead of freedom. Control instead of democracy. Again — a shitty product.

And because they can’t sell these ideas honestly, they need something else:
an exceptional marketing strategy — one that convinces people to support them while they quietly undermine the very systems that protect ordinary lives.

So where do you look if you want to pull off that kind of move?

Well, history has a few teachers. One of the most famous is Niccolò Machiavelli.

Back in the 1500s, Machiavelli laid out a method for holding power that was brutally honest. His message to rulers was simple: don’t worry about being good — worry about looking good. If the truth threatens your power, change the narrative. Keep people focused on appearances, symbols, enemies, and fear.

Manipulate perception, and you can do almost anything behind the scenes.

He understood something crucial:

If you control the story, you can control the people.

And that’s the exact playbook being followed today.

Because both of the groups I’ve mentioned — the rise of billionaire influence, and the spread of authoritarianism — have found a remarkably powerful, emotionally charged, and highly viral marketing strategy.

It’s taken the form of what many now refer to as the “red pill” ideology.

The phrase “red pill” comes from The Matrix, where taking the red pill means waking up to a hidden truth behind an illusion. Online, it’s been twisted into a worldview that claims to reveal “how the world really works” — but often just replaces one illusion with another.

Government is seen as the enemy — always corrupt, always trying to control you, never to be trusted or reformed.

Mainstream media is dismissed as brainwashing, while YouTube rants, Twitter threads, and anonymous influencers are seen as brave truth-tellers.

Experts are ridiculed. Science, academia, and professional knowledge are replaced with gut instinct, conspiracy, and “doing your own research.”

Radical individualism is glorified. If you’re struggling, it’s your fault. If you’re succeeding, it’s proof of your personal virtue. Society owes you nothing.

Masculinity is turned into dominance and control. Gender roles are rigid. Feminism is cast as dangerous. Emotions are weakness. Power is the goal.

Social justice becomes the enemy. “Woke,” “cancel culture,” “the left” — all lumped together and mocked.

Rebellion becomes identity. You’re not just someone with opinions — you’re someone who’s awake. Everyone else is asleep, brainwashed, or part of the system.

Authoritarian leaders are admired. Not for their ethics, but for their boldness. Their refusal to apologise. Their ability to “get things done” by ignoring the rules.

Victimhood is flipped. Privileged groups are told they’re actually the ones being attacked — by women, immigrants, minorities, or vague liberal elites.

None of this is accidental.

This is what happens when billionaires and authoritarians run world-class marketing campaigns.

Not billboards and slogans — but fast, emotional, algorithm-friendly content designed to shape how people see the world.

It’s been happening quietly, and now loudly, over the past 10 to 20 years.

And it works — because both groups benefit massively.

And of course they do. These are the two wealthiest and most powerful types of people on the planet, with the money, influence, and infrastructure to build the most sophisticated political marketing campaigns humanity has ever seen.

They’ve used that power to flood the world with a belief system — the red pill ideology — that sounds rebellious, sounds like truth, but is perfectly engineered to protect their interests.

When people stop trusting government, billionaires avoid taxes, dodge regulation, and weaken the only institution big enough to stand in their way.

When people stop trusting the press, authoritarian leaders are free to operate in the shadows — spreading lies, silencing critics, rewriting the story.

When experts are discredited, reality becomes flexible. Suddenly, science is up for debate. History is rewritten. Any lie can be sold as truth — as long as it feels good.

When radical individualism is normalised, no one fights for the collective good. Everyone’s on their own. Solidarity disappears. Systems fall apart. And billionaires swoop in to privatise the pieces.

When masculinity is framed as dominance, empathy becomes weakness. Obedience becomes strength. And authoritarians step in as father figures — promising to restore “order” in exchange for control.

When “woke” is treated as a threat, any movement for fairness — whether it’s about race, gender, sexuality, or inequality — gets mocked, dismissed, and crushed.

When rebellion becomes identity, real rebellion — the kind that challenges the powerful — is neutralised.

People believe they’re fighting the system, when really, they’ve been absorbed by it.

When people think they’re victims of feminism, immigration, or political correctness, they stop noticing who’s actually hoarding the wealth, rewriting the laws, and rigging the system.

This belief system creates a world where people are divided, distrustful, and emotionally reactive — the perfect conditions for authoritarians to gain power, and for billionaires to stay untouched.

And the modern right wing has figured this out.

They’ve thrown everything at it: media platforms, influencers, AI algorithms, memes, rage bait, emotional triggers, identity politics, and misinformation loops that run 24/7.

They’re not trying to win debates.

They’re trying to win emotions.

And they’ve built the most sophisticated political marketing machine in modern history.

Most people don’t even realise it’s happening.

Because that’s how good the marketing is.

Why This Matters to Me

So why am I writing this?

Because I believe these two groups — billionaires and authoritarian leaders — are not forces we should be acting in the interests of. And yet millions of people are being manipulated into doing exactly that — often without realising it.

I’m not here to mock anyone. I’m not here to tell people what to think.

I’m here to say: be careful who you’re fighting for.

When you adopt a belief, a worldview, a “truth,” ask yourself:

Who does this really benefit?

Because if the answer is billionaires or strongmen, and you’re not one of them, chances are you’re being sold something that’s not for you.

I wrote this to help people have more agency over their own beliefs.

To pause and ask: Did I come to this conclusion on my own — or was I nudged here? Was I marketed to? Was I emotionally manipulated into taking a side that doesn’t actually serve me or my future?

That doesn’t mean everything the media says is right. Or that all experts are infallible.

But it does mean we should stay alert to the forces shaping our views — especially when they’re incredibly well-funded, emotionally charged, and designed to feel like rebellion while serving the powerful.

And that leads to an uncomfortable question:

Who is most susceptible to this?

Right now, we’re seeing a sharp rise in young white men — particularly in the West — adopting this red-pill, anti-system, hyper-individualistic worldview.

And it’s not hard to see why.

Many of them feel disillusioned, powerless, or ignored. They’ve grown up in a world of economic instability, broken institutions, and shifting identities. They’re looking for clarity. For meaning. For identity. And the red pill offers all of that — wrapped in confidence, rebellion, and a sense of superiority.

But what looks like empowerment is often just repackaged resentment, sold back to them by people who couldn’t care less about their wellbeing.

They deserve better than that.

We all do.

FYI – AI was used relentlessly in the writing of this article (obviously).

🙂