The headlines shout about winners and losers, but the real story this year is a quiet break in the social fabric: rising costs, collapsing civility, and a middle class pushed to the margins while trillion-dollar platforms set the rules. We take stock without the wishful thinking—where leadership fell short, why media trust eroded, and how populist energy devolved into a performance economy. Then we chart a path that doesn’t wait for national saviors: rebuild the basics at the scale where life is actually lived.We dig into the mechanics of housing failure—land costs, fee stacks, and “solutions” that produce $3,500 one-bedrooms—and connect the dots to fertility declines and stalled mobility. We separate immigration myths from needs, arguing for policy that matches real shortages in skilled trades and technical roles rather than defaulting to elite preferences. And we confront the AI wildcard: consolidation of market power, creative jobs under pressure, and a creeping culture of low-effort knowledge that hollows out curiosity.The turnaround starts hyperlocal. Parents are reasserting standards through charter, parochial, and homeschool options. Neighbors who disagree politically still shovel each other’s driveways and show up for city hall, building the trust that national media can’t supply. Homeownership emerges as social glue—creating stake, stability, and responsibility—and we explore practical ways to expand it alongside vocational pipelines that open high-wage work. If the system feels feudal, the counterweight is community: family first, neighborhood next, and a renewed civic culture that values competence over slogans.If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who cares about their block as much as their feed, and leave a review to help others find it. Your voice in your community is the lever—let’s put it to work.Support Our WorkThe Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected] us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalismLearn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribeThis show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.