The Great Reset and the Religion of Freedom: An Analysis of Glenn Beck's Thought

🇵🇱 Polski
The Great Reset and the Religion of Freedom: An Analysis of Glenn Beck's Thought

The Great Reset: A Totalitarian Project for Global Restructuring

Glenn Beck views the Great Reset not as a theoretical concept, but as a fundamental restructuring of the global order. In this vision, the traditional roles of citizen and consumer are replaced by the concept of the "stakeholder," allowing for the centralization of power and the modeling of social behavior under the guise of "stakeholder capitalism." This process represents a departure from individual liberty toward a top-down system of loyalty.

ESG Metrics, MMT Theory, and Fair Access

The primary tool of this transformation is ESG metrics (Environmental, Social, and Governance). Beck defines them as a mechanism of soft coercion, where access to capital depends on meeting ideological standards rather than profit and loss statements. The financial foundation of this system is Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), which posits that the state can issue nearly unlimited amounts of currency. This leads to corporatism—a state where business becomes a vehicle for achieving political and activist goals.

A symbol of the free market's erosion is the abandonment of the Fair Access principle in banking. This rule was intended to protect legal industries from being cut off from financial services for ideological reasons. Its absence paves the way for "credit censorship," where banks, under reputational pressure, become guardians of ideological purity.

Locke, Soft Despotism, and Corporatism

Beck grounds his critique in the tradition of Locke and constitutionalism, emphasizing the necessity of limited government. He warns against the phenomenon Alexis de Tocqueville called soft despotism—a power that avoids violence but, through regulation and paternalism, reduces a nation to a "herd of industrious animals." In this context, crisis management (whether pandemic or climate-related) serves as a catalyst for changes that could not be implemented under normal circumstances.

Locality, Property, and Self-Sufficiency

In the face of global shifts, private property remains the last bastion of freedom, protecting against the "subscription economy." Beck proposes practical resistance: self-sufficiency and the building of strong, local communities. This strategy includes using cash, supporting local entrepreneurs, and rejecting centralization. In Beck’s rhetorical strategy, the grotesque and the absurd (such as the "Maoies" gala) play a vital role in exposing the hubris of social engineering.

However, there is a clear distinction between American individualism and the Polish ethos of freedom. In the US, the struggle for the economy is a fight for the soul of the republic; in Poland, this debate often gets bogged down in disputes over subsidies, a result of a stronger tradition of centralization. Nevertheless, the foundation of resistance must be conscience and truth—the individual decision to "live not by lies" (as Solzhenitsyn put it).

Curatorial Legitimacy: The Twilight of Sovereignty

Modern power is shifting from procedural legitimacy toward curatorial legitimacy. Experts and algorithms are meant to "correct" citizens' choices for their own good. Will we surrender our sovereignty for the illusion of security? The true reset begins with courageously questioning imposed narratives and remaining faithful to one's conscience. Freedom is not granted once and for all—it requires daily virtue and the courage to remain the architect of one's own destiny.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Glenn Beck think the Great Reset is?
Beck interprets the Great Reset as a fundamental restructuring of the loyalty map, where the traditional roles of citizen and consumer are replaced by the concept of 'stakeholder', leading to soft coercion.
What threats does the ESG system pose to the free market?
The text points out that ESG turns the free market into a coercive economy, because access to financing depends on externally imposed social goals, rather than on profit and risk calculations.
How does MMT impact modern corporatism?
Thanks to MMT, the government becomes the economy’s largest customer, which leads to the harnessing of business to achieve public and activist goals, financed by a constant stream of money.
Why does the author mention Alexis de Tocqueville?
Tocqueville predicted the advent of 'soft despotism' – a government that does not use brute force but stifles freedom through a thicket of regulations, paternalism, and the offering of comfort in exchange for submission.
What is the role of truth in Beck's 'religion of freedom'?
Truth is the foundation of resistance; for Beck, freedom requires virtue and fidelity to reality, which means refusing to participate in lies, even if it means losing comfort.

Related Questions

Tags: The Great Reset ESG MMT Glenn Beck stakeholder capitalism conservatism individual freedom soft despotism Thomas Jefferson World Economic Forum non-financial indicators monetary theory social engineering Fair Access sovereignty