by ADAM MARTIN, Independent Candidate for Braddon
I listen to podcasts when I work, ranging from science discussions, fishing chats, political commentary, and engineering innovations. Bret Weinstein, the American evolutionary biologist and political commentator is one such individual I listen to semi-regularly along with his brother Eric.
Recently, I listened to an interview of Bret which has stirred up some big conversations across the globe—and it’s time Aussies pay attention. With Western societies facing division, environmental threats, and power grabs by governments and corporations, Weinstein’s message is a wake-up call. According to him, our institutions are like a “cancer” that’s taken over, and unless we act, we’re hurtling toward collapse. For Australians trying to make sense of our own political and social upheavals, his perspective offers a fresh—and chilling—take on the crossroads we face.
For Weinstein, one of the biggest concerns is how governments worldwide, including here in Australia, have lost the plot. They’ve taken on lives of their own, growing like a rogue tumour, pushing short-term fixes instead of real solutions. If you’ve ever wondered why politicians seem to be more about popularity contests than solving problems, Weinstein would tell you it’s because our institutions are incentivised to favour flashy announcements over lasting change.
Australia’s bureaucracy isn’t immune to this either. We’ve seen it in everything from the bungled COVID responses in parliament to never-ending debates over climate policy. Weinstein argues that Western governments are stuffed with people whose only focus is climbing up the ladder, with no accountability. And when institutions stop working for the people, they become more about self-preservation than public service. It’s not hard to see this play out across Australia, from our costly energy policies to healthcare systems where waiting lists grow faster than budgets.
In Weinstein’s eyes, societies, much like people, age and decay. Just as our bodies break down over time, he suggests civilizations get bogged down by “mutations” that make them more vulnerable and fragile. For years, we’ve been lucky enough to avoid big shocks, but now that luck might be running out. According to Weinstein, modern governments and institutions are simply too brittle to withstand the upheavals that are already beginning to rumble across the world.
Australians are feeling this fragility firsthand. Cost of living is soaring, housing affordability is a joke, and we’re facing an uncertain long-term job market. It’s a mix that leaves many wondering if the future is bright at all. According to Weinstein, these issues aren’t just hiccups; they’re symptoms of a system reaching the end of its tether. He warns that governments, instead of addressing these foundational problems, are resorting to quick fixes—printing more money, introducing temporary reliefs, and ignoring the root causes. If Weinstein’s right, these stopgaps might soon blow up in our faces.
When it comes to the tech giants, Weinstein pulls no punches. The way he sees it, companies like Google, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) wield an obscene amount of power.
Here’s the rub: instead of governments regulating these companies, they’re working hand in glove with them. These tech giants now have more sway over what we see, hear, and believe than any government ever did. Just look at the influence social media had over lockdowns and public health messages during COVID-19.
In Australia, we’ve seen just how tight government and Big Tech have become. Recently, the Australian government leaned on social media companies to tackle “misinformation” about COVID and the Voice referendum. While keeping people informed is vital, there’s a fine line between what is responsible information and what is control. Weinstein believes this relationship between governments and corporations is dangerous as it threatens freedom of thought and speech. If the government can control what we’re told is “truth,” who’s to say we’ll ever know what’s really going on?
Weinstein also has his eye on threats that stretch beyond politics—those that come from nature itself. According to him, society isn’t just teetering from internal pressures; we’re also overlooking the risks that could come from outside. He’s concerned about the weakening of Earth’s electromagnetic field, which could expose us to damaging solar radiation. This isn’t just about sunburn; we’re talking about technology failure on a massive scale, and it’s not a doomsday scenario but a real, looming possibility.
Then there’s the threat of disease. Weinstein isn’t just worried about viruses that come from nature, but also the ones engineered in labs, potentially like we saw with COVID. He argues that governments are recklessly experimenting with new technologies, like mRNA vaccines, without fully understanding the long-term consequences. In his view, the response to COVID, which included rapidly pushing untested vaccines, was a worrying preview of a future where governments might gamble with public health in ways that could backfire catastrophically.
If there’s one message Weinstein wants to hammer home, it’s that democracy as we know it is under threat. He’s worried that the “safety” mindset is leading us into a future of authoritarian rule. People want stability, but in their quest for it, they’re relinquishing freedoms they may never get back. Think about Australia’s response to COVID—sweeping lockdowns, border controls, and unprecedented police powers. Sure, it was all in the name of public health, but it also showed how quickly freedoms can be stripped away when fear takes hold.
Weinstein’s big worry is that, left unchecked, Western societies are sleepwalking into a form of “soft tyranny.” In Australia, we see hints of it every time governments clamp down on protests or introduce new surveillance and censorship measures like the revised Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024. While these are often justified in the name of “public safety,” Weinstein reminds us that once freedoms are lost, they’re rarely given back. For a country that prides itself on its “fair go” attitude, Weinstein’s warnings should hit home.
So, what’s the solution? Weinstein believes that while our systems are broken, they’re not beyond saving. He’s pushing for what he calls a “Unity Coalition” to bridge divides, one that isn’t about left or right, but about common sense and integrity. It’s a call for people to come together based on shared values, not rigid ideologies. In a world where everyone’s ready to tear each other down, Weinstein’s message is refreshingly constructive.
Here in Australia, that means building a political culture focused on accountability and transparency. Imagine a government that prioritises the long-term well-being of its citizens over short-term political gains. Imagine Big Tech and Big Media held accountable, not dictating the national narrative. Weinstein believes that a more resilient society is possible if we break free from the structures that have turned politics into a circus.
In his talks, Weinstein emphasises the importance of adaptability—something Aussies are known for. He argues that the ability to “prototype” solutions, rather than sticking to rigid plans, is crucial for navigating what he calls the “adaptive valley.” For us down here, that means keeping an open mind, holding leaders accountable, and focusing on practical solutions, not political points.
His message is one that resonates well with Australia’s unique spirit: the need to look after each other, to stay resilient in the face of change, and to never let a bit of government overreach erode the freedoms we’ve fought hard for. As Weinstein would likely agree, we Aussies have a choice: we can go along with the status quo, hoping it’ll all work out, or we can step up and demand a future that works for all of us.
For those who think these issues don’t apply Down Under, Weinstein’s warning is clear: what happens in one part of the Western world impacts the whole. Australia is not immune to the forces reshaping the globe, and if we’re not vigilant, we may find ourselves grappling with the same existential challenges he sees for the U.S.
So, the question stands: will we listen and act, or will we look back and wonder why we didn’t? As Weinstein might say, the choice is ours, but the clock is ticking.
For those interested in listening to Bret Weinstein podcasts, click HERE
Good wake up call Adam.
We were taught in both the Security and Maritime industries to use the phrase ” for your safety” to get people to comply with what we wanted. It usually had nothing to do with safety but instead control. We are seeing government doing the same here. I cringe every time I hear words like “safety”, “sustainability”, “inclusion”, “bio security”, etc. because I know they don’t care and I can expect a lie or a con to follow that will inevitably cost us more money. It is just about control and suppression. If we are fighting to survive the cost of living then we don’t have the strength or resources to fight them.
We are also seeing a new form of “book burning” where we are having our access to information controlled. Big Tech, Bid Media, Big Pharma, Bid Ag, Government etc are all guilty of manipulating us for their own gain and agenda.
It gets even more disturbing when we see the influence of foreign governments, like China, over our own. The number one sponsor of the World Health Organisation is China. Maybe that is why Trump has dumped the WHO immediately.
With respect, I’d urge anyone interested in evolutionary biology, politics or other societal issues to look elsewhere rather than Bret Weinstein. He’s not just politically Libertarian / reactionary Right – which might be a plus for some readers – he’s a conspiracy theorist on many issues, including covid and global responses to it, isn’t vaccinated (preferring to worm himself with Ivermectin), has argued that HIV doesn’t cause AIDS, and is, frankly, close to preaching Intelligent Design (though using other terms and a ‘just asking’ approach) in regard to evolution. He’s friendly with Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson.
In regard to his academic status, Weinstein last wrote a paper about 15 years ago, and he’s not regarded seriously by anyone working in the field he now criticises without producing any work himself. He’s now little more than an influencer on the reactionary, Libertarian, anti-government Right, and should be condemned for spreading dangerous disinformation on covid.
We’re all cynical and jaded about our governments. All governments are corrupt – it’s just the style and extent of that corrupt that is of issue. But an unfocused distrust of all government isn’t the same as actually bothering to understand the issue is corruption of government, not the concept of government itself.
If we choose not to understand how governments actually work, and subscribe to conspiracy theories, we’ll readily see global governmental responses to covid as a totalitarian grab ‘to remove our freedoms’. This US far-Right / Sky News After Dark rhetoric provides the credulous with a narrative that the genuine, desperate and hard-working men and women in health care, science and government were part of a conspiracy to trick and enslave us.
This manufactured view is dumb, arrogant, and disrespectful to all involved in trying to save lives from a disease that killed millions, and is still killing across the world. 20-20 hindsight in what we could’ve done better has been weaponised to push the conspiracy theory that covid and covid-related healthcare is designed to ‘steal our freedom’. At no stage will you hear the anti-vaxxers talk about our obligations to each other; only that a mask, or distancing, or vaccinations in professions that ensure each others’ safety is somehow the existential theft of our ‘rights’.
When I was a registered nurse, as with anyone in uniform, I was vaccinated for a variety of illnesses because I was protecting not just myself but my patients and my fellow health care workers. I was not permitted to risk others by not having the appropriate vaccinations – which wasn’t a theft of my rights but simple obligation on my part to do what is right, and what is mandated by the science. But the ‘mandate’ during covid was weaponised by the reactionary Right, and spewed from Fox News and Sky After Dark and other Murdoch outlets as ‘proof’ that ‘the government / deep state / elite’ were trying to control us.
Childish, dishonest and deeply harmful nonsense that cost lives.
Responses weren’t ‘bungled’ by an inept or corrupt bureaucracy; they saved countless lives and evolved over time as information, evidence and new vaccines became available.
Condemning the public service wholesale is Libertarian code for their anti-democratic faith. We should and must condemn the politicization of our public services, especially by politicians working to the agendas of their corporate donors, but we should not condemn the public servants who do their best to work for us in an increasingly corrupted democracy.
Calling vaccine roll-outs ‘reckless’, ‘untested’ and a ‘dangerous gamble’ is arrogant nonsense. Our hospitals and morgues were overwhelmed by the sick, dying and dead.
As to genuine real-world government overreach in regard to our rights to free speech, protest and strike action, we should focus on exactly what has been restricted, by whom and why. The ‘why’ is usually who benefits or whom is being shielded.
The biggest restrictions aren’t on people’s rights to demand others hear their conspiracy theories of choice – there are endless platforms to vent any kind of information whether evidence-based or deliberate disinformation.
The biggest actual restrictions are on public protest and strikes by people whom, right or wrong, are seeking to call out injustice and hold truth to power. It’s now more difficult to strike against dangerous or unfair working conditions in Australia than any other nation outside totalitarian regimes. Those blowing the whistle on corruption in government, the armed forces or the corporate sector will be almost certainly punished and jailed while the actual offenders walk. Those peaceful protestors against environmental destruction are labeled, condemned and increasingly fined or given convictions and jail time.
Note who is actually being punished and their freedoms restricted – not the conspiracy theorists but those calling out the corruption held in place by corporations and the State – Liberal or Labor – who support them over us.
Weinstein has no genuine focus or insights to offer – just claims and complaints so broad all of us would nod politely if we heard them expressed at a BBQ. He doesn’t understand or articulate the actual problems, so he has no genuine solutions to offer.
My advice is to read real evolutionary biology – the current evolving studies if you’re keen on the latest, or the classics if you want to catch up. Darwin is still utterly worthwhile, Steven J. Gould and Daniel Dennett ditto – even Dawkins, though many of his ideas and thinking are now superseded. I’m a great fan of E.O Wilson too.
If you want to understand politics, economics and why we’re in an era of global environmental and economic collapse, there are any number of useful academics working in and across those disciplines. Forget Weinstein, Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson or any other YouTuber who stokes your fears then promises only they understand the secrets about what’s really going on and why. Don’t just react, think. If you feel the need for validation of your opinions, google it and social media will provide. If you feel the need to genuinely understand the world, buckle up and start reading a broad cross-section of academic views that challenge your opinions.
I agree. I was really disappointed to see Adam going down this route of conspiracy theories. I truely hope the Weinstein ideology was merely just a fleeting thought bubble, rather than an entrenched belief system in Adam. Adam in the main has such potential and is a really good candidate for Braddon in the federal elections. An independent candidate that the people of Braddon can be proud of. A person who genuinely wants to make positive impact. Please rethink this viewpoint Adam, Ben has offered some really good research options, I truely believe it is in your interest as hopefully you will see things from a completely different perspective.