Exclusive: The Zeitgeist Has a Case of the Icks, and It Started in the Oval Office
By Marty (Doc) Hawkins (filing via quantum fax machine from the singularity, 2047)
Editors Note: Given the gravitas of the moment, Stack o Turtles, in a rare engagement -due to present day computing power- has enlisted “Doc”, a freelance correspondent from the future to provide insight unavailable “now”. Stack o Turtles apologizes for the semi-seriousness of this article.
February 28, 2025: In what can only be described as the political equivalent of watching someone use a fork to eat soup, “The Moment”, as it will become known, was an Oval Office spectacle involving President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Moment left the world with a collective case of "what the hell was that?" syndrome.
In my time, 2047, the details are irrelevant. They exist only as raw materials—inputs into a machine whose final product is not policy, nor strategy, but profitable media driven chaos. The Moment was an inflection point. And like all inflection points, its meaning is felt before it is understood.
Shortly after The Moment a weight, pressing down on the global consciousness, unspoken yet undeniable. It is not a scandal, nor a crisis, nor even a blip on the radar of traditional history. It is the thing behind the thing, a distortion in the atmosphere of the zeitgeist -a static charge that makes the air feel strange, like a thunderstorm that never arrives.
Looking back, this was The Moment when America collectively felt the political uncanny valley effect – like driving by a parking lot of a long-closed mall. You are occupying liminal space. The feeling something is fundamentally off, a glitch in the simulation. The Moment was the geopolitical equivalent of biting into what you think is a chocolate chip cookie only to discover it's raisin… A betrayal of expectations.
From our vantage point in the year 2047, historians have attempted to categorize what changed in The Moment. Some argue it was the precise instant American diplomacy abandoned subtext -that the performance of power finally swallowed the function of power. Others insist it was the first confirmed instance of an event occurring simultaneously as both serious policy discussion and reality television.
While these theories have held, a recognizable pattern emerged: the subtle, almost imperceptible pivot away from linear decision-making to vibe and consequence decision-making.
Perhaps an analogy will help:
Imagine a ship steering through fog, each course correction guided by charts and logic. (linear decision-making)
Now, imagine that the ship’s captain has thrown the charts overboard and is navigating by mood always aimed to bolster support from fervent sailors (vibe and consequence decision making)
Finally, imagine that the ship itself is beginning to respond -not to the wheel, but to the vibe of the room.
This is what happened. The machinery of politics and diplomacy, once driven by careful maneuvering, now moves according to something else; likes. The feelings in the air put there by media corporations. The memes of perceived strength from over-the-top performances by trolls. This will be the lasting impact of The Moment and by 2047 political scientists will pinpoint it as America jumped the shark on February 28, 2025.
For those still bound to the present, this shift is being felt but not understood. Journalists struggle to name it. Politicians mistake it for strategy. Citizens wake up with a vague unease, sensing that the world is both moving faster and standing still.
So, here’s a lesson from Stack o Turtles’ ‘Ol Doc Hawkins, correspondent from the future, watch for the signs, you will see them everywhere now:
News cycles that become detached from the events that spawn them. The story itself no longer matters, only the energy it generates.
The rise of “post-policy” governance. Decisions will no longer be made based on effectiveness, but on whether they resonate.
The end of the political spectrum as a straight line. The old axis—left, right, center—will dissolve into entities that win influence over media -spheric politics.
You may be thinking, But politics has always been about mood, about perception! This is true. But before this moment, perception was a tool—now it is the entire system.
What’s Next?
Although some diminish Ukraine's very real struggle. Their fight remains as vital and urgent as ever. The American response enters a period of support seemingly more performative than substantive, like sending thoughts and prayers when someone clearly needs the Heimlich Maneuver.
A time will come when no one remembers exactly why the Oval Office debacle was significant—only that it was. Feelings fade and this is the nature of inflection points. It will become texture in the fabric of society particularly upon the singularity.
What happens to a world where power no longer moves in straight lines, where influence is not wielded but exuded? Just look around.
Stack o Turtles Prediction: Expect increased tech-bro investment in bunker oriented real estate.
Stack o Turtles apologizes for the semi-seriousness of this article.