If the government places spreadsheet data above the physical needs of its people; if it fails to provide opportunity for many of its most talented citizens; if it treats its elderly like trash to be discarded; if it prioritizes the needs of foreigners over those of its own citizens and fails to defend its borders and culture – then eventually those talented people who cannot find a place in their own society will take matters into their own hands. They will play jokes on the emotionally distant leaders, disrupt the economy, and protect the border – by force if necessary.

Is it unrealistic to think that a shadowy band of highly capable people who have been shut out of a heartless, globalist economy could step in and do what the government lacks the will to do? At the present moment, the answer may be yes. On the other hand, space exploration was once the preserve of the federal government in the form of NASA and companies like Boeing. That’s no longer going well. It took Elon Musk to create SpaceX to reignite interest in space exploration. So Houellebecq’s prediction, or warning, that private sector people will step up where government fails appears less unrealistic by the day.