COMMENT: I enjoyed your article on gold and how trends change with the generations. I find it very true that my children looked at me with my silver bars and just asked so what can you really do with it? I have watched the youtube video when people choose the chocolate bar over a bar of silver. Things do change and we should ask if we are judging the world only by own own beliefs rather than trying to see what others think.

Thank you for the food for thought. The world is not always black and white.

BDV

REPLY: The Economist just published a piece on how the internet has changed the dating scene among the youth.  How people now meet is almost 70% online. A church is the lowest, primary schools are #2, college #3, bars #4, and introductions among friends #1. How people are meeting has changed and even how marriage has evolved over the centuries is even more interesting from a cyclical perspective. The Economist stated that the first personal advertisement for marriage took place back in 1695. Traditionally, the man was twice the age going into the 19th century because he first had to establish himself and then prove he could support a wife and family. As the industrial revolution began to mature, the age difference declined by the end of the 19th century as men were able to support a family at an earlier age. It was common up until the Great Depression for the man to be 15 years older before he could afford a wife.

It was the birth of Socialism where society was drastically changed. The age difference collapsed nearly the same age as socialism expanded but the divorce rate soared. No longer did the boy have to prove he could afford a wife, government social programs filled the gap. However, not only did Socialism change marriage, it also changed the family structure. No longer did you have several children because that was your retirement. The average family size declined and children no longer saved to take care of their parents. Now we have the internet changing dating but what is really interesting is that the cycle has changed and the age difference is back on the rise. It seems that boys do not become men until at least 10 years after a girl becomes a woman. This difference in maturity is making itself known once again. Younger women are now seeking older men especially in Europe where unemployment among the youth is at 60% in the southern regions.

What does have the women upset is that studies show that men live longer with younger wives who probably keep them more active. Yet, when a woman marries a younger man, the opposite takes place and her life-span declines. Perhaps because she had to take care of a grown child. These studies in themselves have caused a lot of controversies. Perhaps everything is just returning to what it was before socialism. Young women expect boys to be men and thus that has been the challenge post-1930. I can say from my personal experience, my father was 15 years older than my mother. It was nice that after he died in 1983, she was still with us until 2018 with her mind intact.

The new European regulations are actually having an impact globally. Alex Jones’ InfoWars has been banned by Apple’s decision to remove five podcasts by Jones and his Infowars website. Other companies have rushed to join including Facebook, YouTube, and Spotify. The general reason is Jones’s podcasts are viewed as “hate content” which can subject them to heavy fines in Europe.

While I have appeared one time on his InfoWars, I do not create conspiracy scenarios nor do I agree with many. I look deeper than just the surface. I have stated bluntly that the forecasts made at Davos and the Bilderberg Meetings are ALWAYS wrong! Even the BBC asked why do economists get it so wrong? These meetings are often used as proof of some world order that creates everything intentionally be it a boom or a bust. I have stated countless times that if there really was some giant conspiracy that controlled the world, they would NEVER call me in for help or even explanations. The far more scary reality is the powers that be are clueless and are ruling by the seat of their pants.

It just seems as if those in power are often the people who have little experience in the real world and could not make it there so they gravitate toward government and power. Sure, you can pretend to connect dots. However, you have to actually peek behind the curtain and then you are faced with a frightening reality – nobody is in charge and there is no long-term grand plan other than hiding their incompetence. This is no different than when the dog pulls back the curtain in the Wizard of Oz and you see the fraud.

I know there is a general conspiracy about some new world order. That is exactly what was behind creating the EU and the Euro. It is failing because one-size does NOT fit all cultures and economies. Some are export driven and others are domestic consumption driven. This is the great difference between Germany (Export driven) and the United States (DOMESTIC consumption driven). I cannot see some new world order of one government EVER happening without war. You cannot get the Democrats and Republicans to agree in Congress and that is just in the USA. You really expect all world governments to ever agree to a SINGLE POWER?

Even the refugee crisis is nuts. In Britain, they call you a racist to disagree. But Muslim is not a race. The reality of this is rather simple. You offer free welfare handouts with guaranteed income, healthcare, and paid vacations just to show up, and it is HUMAN NATURE to take advantage. This knows no race, gender, or creed limitation. Historically, this ALWAYS takes place around the world. The great migration from Europe to America attracted people who wanted a new future, but they did not come to America expecting welfare and socialism. They came to work and assimilate to the culture and adopted the new language of English. They did not come and demand that America change its culture to accommodate them.

I have worked around the world. Politicians are the same everywhere. They will act ONLY out of their own self-interest. Adam Smith’s invisible hand remains supreme. There is no point in demonizing any race, creed, or gender. We are all human and humans all have the same basic traits at their core which have never changed. A mother still cries for he son who dies in war today as she did in ancient times. Technology may change, but we remain the same on a human emotional level. That is why cycles even work in all cultures.