S8 Ep260: THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, OPEN BORDERS, AND ELITE DETACHMENT Colleagues Gaius and Germanicus, Friends of History Debating Society, Londinium, 91 AD. The discussion turns to domestic turmoil, using H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds as a metaphor for the moder

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🗓️ 29 December 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

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THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, OPEN BORDERS, AND ELITE DETACHMENT Colleagues Gaius and Germanicus, Friends of History Debating Society, Londinium, 91 AD. The discussion turns to domestic turmoil, using H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds as a metaphor for the modern refugee crisis and the rejection of border enforcement by Western elites. Gaius argues that the recent election results served as a mandate to halt undocumented migration, questioning the logic of those who vilify ICE while romanticizing open borders as if invaders were victims. Germanicusidentifies this opposition as stemming from the "Equites" or ruling class, who profess a "universalism" that views all people as identical labor units while hypocritically insulating themselves in gated communities. He describes this elite mindset as a "fictive reality" akin to Marie Antoinette's detachment, where actual consequences are ignored in favor of a self-destructive, anti-nationalist "religion." The speakers contrast this elite "bubble," characterized by cognitive dissonance regarding the sources of their own wealth, with the harsh reality of global migration. They conclude that the ruling class's refusal to acknowledge cultural borders threatens the nation's cohesion, comparing the situation to the Martians in Wells' novel overwhelming the established order. NUMBER 2
1906 WAR OF THE WORLDS

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0:35.0	This is a French mystery debating society.
0:54.9	We're in Lundaneum. It's cold. It's very cold. Unusually cold. But what warms us is speculating about the 21st century. Germanicus is here. The centurons are here. They want to know that their sacrifice was justified. It was, guys, but we'll prove it to you.
0:59.0	Because we're about to talk about a very famous science fiction novel in the late 19th century written by a very ordinary Englishman with a gift
1:04.6	for looking into the future and finding violence.
1:08.6	The violence that H.G. Wells found and his probably one or two back and forth famous books,
1:17.1	the Time Machine is famous, or I can't choose between them, look into the future,
1:22.8	and he saw Mars invading Earth.
1:26.1	It's a refugee crisis.
1:28.5	Watching the first episode of eight or maybe more by French television the other nine, they've
1:36.3	taken the war of the world and put it into Paris.
1:39.6	It's wonderful from the French point of view.
1:42.6	However, it occurred to me that this is a way of talking about the refugees that flow into France
1:48.2	on their way to the English Channel, or the refugees that flow into France and don't leave.
1:54.2	All of Europe has a refugee crisis.
	...

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